Community story
When Bloomsdale's pastor held the winning ticket, he didn't buy a new car or book a trip. He funded a beautiful restoration of his parish church — carried out by the hands of his own parishioners.
Every Queen of Hearts raffle ends the same way: somebody's card comes up, and somebody's life gets a little more exciting. At St. Agnes Catholic Parish in Bloomsdale, Missouri, the winner was a familiar face — their own pastor, Father Weber.
What he did next is the part worth telling. Instead of a new car in the rectory driveway or a well-earned trip, Father Weber donated his winnings to fund a restoration of the church itself.
The current St. Agnes church was built in 1991 — big, open, and mostly white, reflecting the style of its time. But its stained glass windows came from the parish's much older original church, and the parish wanted the building around them to match: something traditional and sublime, the kind of beauty that draws the mind to God.
Before: the sanctuary as it looked for over thirty years — open, bright, and mostly white.
They found the perfect partner in Ali Cavanaugh, an artist from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, just down the road. Ali worked with Father Weber to choose the color palettes and designs — and then did something special: she trained volunteers from the parish to execute the actual painting themselves.
Week by week, parishioners on ladders and scaffolds stenciled borders, gilded patterns, and transformed their own church with their own hands.
Work in progress: a field of gold fleur-de-lis rises on deep green behind the altar.
Hand-stenciled borders and rich ceiling work — every pattern painted in place.
The craftsmanship went beyond paint — a hand-carved Gothic tower for the tabernacle, still in the workshop.
The sanctuary now glows with color: deep green and gold behind the crucifix, patterned borders framing every arch, and a painted banner crowning it all. The old stained glass finally has a church that keeps up with it.
The banner has a story of its own. As the work took shape, Ali realized there was a perfect spot for one above the sanctuary, and asked Father Weber if he would like an inscription there. It happened to be the feast day of Saint Thomas the Apostle — and after a brief deliberation, Father chose the saint's famous words: Dominus Meus et Deus Meus — "My Lord and my God."
Looking up the aisle toward the restored sanctuary.
The view toward the doors — color and detail in every direction.
Go Raise Dough is very excited to see a community rally together to build and restore — in a way that is reverent toward tradition and beauty. In an age when community can seem to be fading away, and tradition is too often replaced with trends, this is a genuinely encouraging scene — and a very Midwest one, in a special sort of way.
A pastor who gave his jackpot back, an artist who taught instead of just painted, and a parish that picked up the brushes. Well done, St. Agnes!
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