St Michael at Kalida

Having just left Glandorf we headed in a westerly direction for Kalida.... and perhaps Delphos.  As we approached the town, no steeple made itself visible.  Then, on our left we saw a square tower...hmmn must be one of the more modest 1920s churches with a stout and simple bell tower. As we drew closer it became apparent that bell tower was hardly a modest attachment to the church, but a free standing campanile..sitting to the left of what seemed a rather substantial Romanesque church, particularly for such a seemingly small town.  The chances of finding churches open generally sink with the sunset...and as sun was setting... I gave it maybe 50% chance of being open.  Unexpectedly it was, for one of the parishioners had dropped by on the way back from some errand.  The church was mildly dark with the setting of the sun, and the low light with the presence of a second tier of clerestory stained glass windows meant that I had my work cut out for me.  Meanwhile, my companion on the journey was speaking with the parishioner and learning some inspiring things about the church and its history.. The church dates from the 1920s an has a high barrel ceiling with numerous substantial columns.... There was of course no Gothic high altar , but a somewhat lowered marble altar with the tabernacle and a free standing post-conciliar altar adorned with the pia pelicana and capped by a floating ( suspended from the ceiling)  squared early 20th century baldechin.  The original altar at back of the sanctuary had been lowered slightly.... the one concession made to attempts to update this church.  The parishioners, we were told by our guide, Joann I believe,  resisted attempts to update the church noting that their forefathers had sacrificed a great deal for the beautiful interior and had bequeathed it as a trust to them.  The stained glass windows of the first tier depicted the mysteries of the Rosary. They were harder to shoot in fading sunlight... but were quite impressive as the bronzed light of a setting sun imparted an extra hint of vitality.   The windows, to my mind, were consistent with early 20th century American stained glass... deeper colors and a heavier presence of blue.  Some of the windows I seem to recall were the last few to be shipped over from Europe before the Second World war.... The rondelle at the rear of the church depicts a stern St Michael with flaming sword and scales ( note the inhabitants of the scales).  A final heartening detail was  the stars  painted within the canopy above the sanctuary.  While the stars are often employed is a motif -depicting the sky, representing the cosmic liturgy...these faint nearly imperceptible stars tucked in between lattice work, were explained in a slightly different take on the cosmic liturgy... as representing there forefathers who had gone ahead of them... but who were nonetheless present to them at the Mass.  Spirits that love her indeed!!!!



Here are a few pictures form the interior... I think I will need another trip to truly do it justice.   I have included a picture of our guide... I hope she will not mind.
https://picasaweb.google.com/DocMeadows85/4211StMichaelKalidaInterior#