04/28/2026
Here is a look at our historic restoration project from August 2025 for St. Francis Xavier Petoskey, where we completed phase two of a project that began in early 2023.
From St. Francis Xavier’s project page the story goes like this: "In the late winter of 2023, after Mass one Sunday, a concerned and observant parishioner approached Deacon Paul with a surprising message: “Jesus is moving.” Unsure of what she meant, he asked for clarification. She pointed to the large Ascension window near the organ on the south side of the church, where — with each gust of wind — the stained glass seemed to pulse in and out. It turned out she was right: Jesus was moving. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the retaining bar above Jesus’ head and the lead seam along his left side had broken. A portion of the window was dangerously close to detaching. Our maintenance crew acted quickly to secure a temporary fix, and a stained glass restoration company, Omnibus Studios, was brought in to assess the damage." [1]
In early May of 2023, our studio began the first phase of the restoration process for these quite literally priceless Emil Frei originals. The late-great Emil Frei is of course a household name in the world of stained glass for his mastery in the Munich style. Mr. Frei, an already established stained glass master artist, emigrated from Germany somewhere around 1895 and started his own studio in 1898 which is still in operation today in St. Louis under the name Emil Frei & Associates, Inc. [2] The windows are estimated to have been created and installed between 1910 and 1915, shortly after the church building was completed in 1908. [1]
Our studio has been a trusted resource for historic restoration of stained glass windows and this project was no exception. We have often been a go-to for high-profile projects, in part, due to our in-house skill with replicating the original painted detail especially faces, hands and ornamentation. [3] Fortunately, we didn’t have to duplicate any of the faces or hands this time, which would have been a little bit like replicating a Rembrandt– we could do it, but it wouldn’t be that easy. We also relied on our rare collection of European hand blown glass to match the original quality and color. When we were done, no one could tell the difference between the pieces that had been restored and the original, which is what you want!
Given the priceless nature of these windows, a major objective was to eliminate additional risk of damage during the removal, restoration and re-installation process. Our team utilized every ounce of past experience and even built a special lightweight holding frame that they were calling “the cradle” as they treated these windows like babies all the way through. One of our craftsmen said: “These aren’t just stained glass windows!” in reference to the fact that they are some of the finest in the world.
While we were assessing the windows in the studio it was discovered that the church for some period of time was likely heated with coal and the windows had soot all over them. As you can imagine, this diminishes the vibrance and the amount of light that can pass through the glass. We polished and cleaned these babies up, restoring them to their former glory.
Elevation was another factor for this one, with the peak of the tallest windows reaching 25-30 feet in the air. We used multiple boom lifts from the outside and our trusty yellow scaffolding on the inside for a seamless and systematic removal and reinstall. Because of the lightweight materials used to create “the cradle.” Our team could lift it easily with a pulley system to reach the upper panels.
Another facet of this project was the gothic arched wooden tracery frame distinguished by the two vertical members that curve left and right criss-crossing at the top. Fun fact: the original use of the iconic gothic arch is meant to mimic a canopy of trees. We also gave the exterior coverings an upgrade, from age faded plastic to our recommended museum quality clear laminated tempered glass that protects the restored stained glass windows from the elements while allowing the full beauty of these priceless works to shine through. Given who we are, we always prefer glass to plastic!
While St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church is not a museum; they are open for Mass and might even give you a tour if you ask nicely. Either way, be sure to stop in and see these windows as they are some of the best in the world, and with stained glass, viewing in person is always recommended. We can't promise you won’t see Jesus moving, but if you do, it’s not because of us!
Visit our project page to learn more: omnibusstudios.com/st-francis-xavier
Follow our work: Omnibus Studios
[1] St. Francis Xavier’s Project Page
https://www.petoskeysfx.org/windowrestoration
[2] Emil Frei & Associates Website
https://www.emilfrei.com/
[3] Project Page: Meadow Brook Hall Historic Restoration https://www.omnibusstudios.com/meadow-brook-hall
Photo & Video supplied by the Omnibus Studios team.
