In this Year of St. Francis, Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity hope to share with you resources that keep alive the spirit of this saint who wanted to follow Jesus’ Gospel way of life with his whole heart. Conrad Pickel’s St. Francis Stained Glass Window at St. Helena Church, 3204 E. 43rd St., Minneapolis, Minnesota is one of those Franciscan highlights. Serving 43 years Director of Religious Education and other roles as needed at St. Helena, John Sondag, is considered the parish historian. He responds to questions below.
Who is Conrad Pickel?
Conrad Pickel (1906 – 1994) learned the art of stained glass with the well-known Mayer Studio in Munich, Germany. While he was working at nearby St. Joseph Church, Owatonna, Minnesota. Monsignor Rowan, who was called to “build Christ’s church” at St. Helena. became aware of the young Conrad Pickel’s craftsmanship. The St. Francis window was Pickel’s first church solo. Pastor Monsignor Rowan was skeptical to hire this aspiring artist for the project. However, later Monsignor totally was touched by the clear beauty of the window. To show his appreciation he actually sent the artist and anyone who helped him with the project and their spouses airline tickets to be there for the dedication in 1946 with dinner following. The spouses were nervous about the air travel, but the men came to celebrate the event. Conrad Pickel made a name for himself and later started his own studio in 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It quickly grew into one of the leading studios in the country. Today it continues under the leadership of Paul Pickel as Conrad Pickel Studio.
Tell us about St. Helena Parish.
There are only four pastors of our Diocese of Minneapolis parish. Monsignor Owen Rowan served for 53 years. The current pastor is Fr. Marcus Milless. Monsignor Rowan is said to have commented that “we go to Europe to see beauty, but someday the people willl come from all over the world to see beauty here.”
You are invited to stop by the church most days from 9 A.M. – 9 P.M. A parish festival held the second weekend after Labor Day is another time to learn more about the proud history of our parish and see its beautiful windows.
Watch for more information on another St. Helena Parish window in the days ahead.
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