Angel watching over children again

The angel statue that once watched over children entering St. Mary’s School in Port Washington is once again standing steward over pupils in Port, this time at St. John XXIII School.

The statue, which was perched above the main entry to the former St. Mary’s School, is now the centerpiece of a monument at the north end of the parking lot at St. Peter of Alcantara Catholic Church, an area where families heading to St. John School pass every day.

But it took years for the Angel Mary Monument, which was unveiled and blessed during the Back to School picnic on Aug. 21, to come to fruition.

Her journey started in late 2020, when the parish sold the former St. Mary’s School to John Weinrich. Parish member Karen Styles approached church officials to see about retaining the statue, Director of Administrative Services Bill Henkle said. 

“One of the parish’s concerns was the preservation of artifacts,” Henkle said. “And one parishioner in particular had a vision for the statue.”

Styles said she was concerned about the statue because of what it stood for.

“We are a community of faith, and it is definitely a sign of our faith base,” she said. “It totally signifies our faith and the protection of a faith base for our young children.

“It stood over that school and its students for over 100 years. Think of the thousands of kids who walked in and out of that school during that time that it watched over. I just thought, that statue cannot just be torn down.”

Styles said she and Weinrich dubbed the statue Angel Mary.

“Some people think of it as an angel, some as Mary,” she said. “John and I, we just started calling her Angel Mary.”

In May 2022, the parish took the statue down and Styles worked to find an architect and contractors to realize her vision for the statue.

But, Henkle said, she struggled to find the right people to design and build the monument as costs kept increasing.

“She gave it her best shot but it came to the point it was just too difficult,” he said. “She gave up.”

Then former Parish Council member Ron Nett stepped up, Henkle said.

“He was convinced people in this community would step up with the funds needed to make this happen,” Henkle said.

At that time, he noted the Archdiocese of Milwaukee was offering a number of grants, one of which was to preserve Catholic identity. The parish applied and received a $25,000 grant for the Angel Mary monument, which was estimated to cost $65,000.

“It emboldened us,” Henkle said. “Once we got the grant, we committed to it. With $25,000 literally in the bank, last fall we kicked off a fundraiser to raise $40,000.”

By the end of the school year, Henkle said, “we had to tell folks to stop because we had reached our target. We had enough funding that we could include everything we imagined.”

Henkle said the monument, which includes recessed lighting that shines at night and a commemorative plaque, was designed by architect Kyle Knop to mimic the design of the bell tower at St. Peter’s Church. 

Knop, who is a graduate of St. Peter’s School, “was awesome,” Henkle said. “He poured his heart into it.”

The monument was built by Advanced Restoration and lead contractor Jordan Dimmer, who Henkle said were “there from the beginning.”

The Angel Mary statue, which had been stored in Father Pat Wendt’s garage through the years, was sent to a company in Peoria, Ill., for restoration while construction was ongoing.

She arrived back in Port just in time to be placed in the monument for her unveiling on Aug. 21.

“It was a long journey, to be sure,” Henkle said. “But it’s pretty amazing.”

Styles said the monument is everything she had hoped for.

“It turned out phenomenal,” she said. “It blends in with the building. It’s at the entrance. I think a lot of students will have their pictures taken there in the years to come.”

And, she noted, the fact the statue is now at ground level adds to its charm.

“Before, you could look up to her but you couldn’t get up close and personal,” Styles said. “Now it’s there to welcome the students back to school. I’m just very happy we were able to save her.”