British stone. Ignatius-Restorators are completing the last major restoration project of the Saint Ignatius mission, but the re-commissioning of this building may not happen until next summer.

"You know, there are a lot of exciting things. I announced at Mass on Sunday that the scaffolding will be dismantled on the 15th, and we got applause," SJ Father C. Hightower told MTN News Restoration as we looked at the latest details of the mission. Work.

This multi-year project has not only restored 58 large and small murals in the building that have a century-old history, but also discovered many other details that have been lost over time. This means a certain amount of "detective work".

"Of course. Looking through the old photos, people in the area and nearby brought us things like the photos their grandparents hung on the wall, and traced it back to the original design, the original scroll work," Father Hytor said. "Even things like paint pigmentation."

Now, experts from Boise’s custom plaster are finishing the “high place” work far away from the church floor, which surprised the visitors. As people-many tourists from outside the state-watched the workers, Haitar answered questions about the project.

“It’s a great pleasure to see people walking through the front door, walking through the hall, and walking into this space for the first time. Their eyes have grown bigger, they smiled, and you can even see the smile behind the mask sometimes. ."

There are still some details to be completed, but the restoration work should be completed in late autumn or early next year.

Because the community has been very supportive of this project from the beginning, Father Hytor said that the church wants to ensure that everyone can participate in the dedication ceremony next summer.

Father Hytor particularly thanked the church members for their patience with all the destruction.

There are also plans under development to commemorate the completion of this huge project next summer.

"You know, the holiday of St. Ignatius in Loyola is July 31. It will be a Sunday in 2022. So we hope that the bishop will come here to redefine the murals. Rededication and change. There really was one that day. community activity."