Inside Renovations
Renovation at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Tipton, Missouri is near completion. The doors were closed after Mass on August 18, 2024, and renovation began as artisans, tradesmen, and workers were busy restoring our church to its original architectural style. Mass was said in St. Andrew’s school gym for eight months with the last Mass being held on Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025. Parishioners met after Mass that evening to take everything over to the newly renovated church where the first Mass would be said on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025.
The church was not yet finished, but the parishioners who entered the doors for the first time on Easter morning witnessed all the magnificent changes that had taken place over the past eight months. There were tears of joy, huge smiles, and jaw dropping expressions on the faces of those attending. On May 3, 2025, the new Altar was blessed and dedicated in a beautiful ceremony. The side Altars arrived on August 29, 2025, and the HVAC unit covers will be finished within the next month. These final changes will complete the renovation.
Blessed is an understatement for the parishioners at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Tipton, Missouri. The church is filled with beauty from the stained glass windows, the Stations of the Cross, and statues, both old and new. The sense of peacefulness that surrounds someone while spending time in this church is profound.
A special thank you to Fr. Viviano for your leadership and direction which made this renovation possible. We are forever grateful for you and your words of wisdom. May all the current parishioners, previous parishioners, St. Andrew’s School alumni, and visitors always feel welcome in this church and grow stronger in their faith. Looking forward, may this church and the church community form the heritage which will inspire future generations to love and serve our Lord.
~ 2/27/25 ~
Ongoing Renovation at St. Andrew Catholic Church!
Exciting progress continues at St. Andrew Catholic Church! Since late November, many improvements have been made, and the renovation is moving along smoothly. We remain on track to return to the church by mid to late April. Below is a timeline of completed and ongoing projects:
- December: The church attic was insulated, enhancing energy efficiency.
- January 2025: Conrad Schmitt Studios completed the stunning painting and design work.
- Early February: Prime Scaffolding dismantled and removed the scaffolding.
- Mid-February: ARSI successfully removed old tile and abated asbestos.
- Flooring Upgrades: Parish volunteers installed ⅝” plywood throughout the church to reinforce the original 1800s plank floor. Preparations for concrete boards were completed, allowing tile installation to begin the week of February 17, 2025.
- Balcony Restoration: Volunteers are hard at work refinishing wood trim and installing a new staircase.
- Organ Enhancements: The organ speakers are being painted, and the speaker grills are being replaced.
- Vestibule Updates: The front entrance floor is being resurfaced in preparation for new tile.
- Improved Acoustics: A new sound system is being installed for enhanced audio quality.
- Sacristy and Server’s Room: Beautiful hardwood floors are being installed.
- Stations of the Cross: These sacred pieces have been carefully repaired, cleaned, and re-hung.
- Church Bathroom Renovation: Two smaller bathrooms are being combined into one larger, more accessible facility.
Thank you to our dedicated volunteers and everyone contributing to this transformation. We look forward to worshiping together in our beautifully restored church this spring! For a visual of our progress, check out our latest videos!
~ 11/27/24 ~
Phase II updates!
Conrad Schmitt generously donated the gold leafing of the cross above the front door.
~ 9/18/24 ~
Phase II began mid July 2024!
Sunday, July 21, 2024, was a big day at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Tipton, Missouri. Several parishioners met after the 8 a.m. Mass to remove some pews and build scaffolding complete with a lift to hoist the organ and baby grand piano up to the choir loft, restoring the music to its original location as our restoration project entered Phase II. Parishioner Danny Jo Knipp was the thought process behind the scenes with a team of ready and capable volunteers. This painstaking and complex move took approximately six hours to complete. The following Saturday, Irene Gerke’s funeral was held in her home church and the music sounded amazing! The organ, piano and choir will remain in the choir loft after the renovation is completed.
Just as a bit of history: in 2021 the Church was struck by lightning, which dealt the final blow to the Baldwin organ donated by the Ewald Fischer family in the 1970s. To fill the void in our liturgical music, a new Viscount organ was purchased in late 2021 for $38,000. Fortunately, insurance covered $25,000 of the cost, with the remainder funded by parishioners. Additionally, the George and Edna Huhmann family donated our baby grand piano to St. Andrew Catholic Church in Tipton in 2018.
On Sunday, August 18, 2024, Mass was celebrated for the last time in the Church. Immediately following the service, a large team of volunteers began removing the remaining 40 pews. Parishioners were encouraged to adopt these pews and repurpose them. The following week was spent clearing all other items from the Church, including the stations and statues, and preparing the School’s gym to store essential items for celebrating Mass over the next eight months. Wooden fixtures were taken to Marshall Custom Woodworks in La Plata, Missouri, where new altars are being designed and fabricated.
Asbestos Removal Services, Inc. (ARSI) from Jefferson City, Missouri, arrived on Monday, August 24, and removed the carpet, padding, and subfloor, revealing the old red, ivory, and black asbestos tile floor. The tile flooring will be removed at a later date as the renovation continues.
The first Mass in the gym was held on Wednesday, August 21, with school children and parishioners in attendance. Velma Franken, age 98, passed away, and her funeral was the first to be held in the gym on Saturday, August 24, 2024.
On Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Prime Scaffolding (www.primescaffold.com) arrived with a semi-truck loaded with heavy scaffolding. By the end of the day on Friday, September 13, the scaffolding was erected. Conrad Schmitt (https://conradschmitt.com) arrived on Monday, September 16, 2024 and is prepping to start the painting transformation.
As a reminder from this past weekend’s Mass, Father encourages everyone to return their pledge cards. This will enable the Renovation Committee plan for raising the remaining $1 million of the $2.3 million needed to complete the renovation.
~9/20/24~
Many hands make light work
There is an old proverb: “Many hands make light work” that was proven once again here at St. Andrew’s! On Sunday, August 18th, Evan Garber and a dedicated group of volunteers from St. Andrew’s parish gathered to remove 46 church pews. A long list of helpers joined throughout the afternoon.
Carla Knipp and Ruth Ann Self were responsible for moving floral arrangements, books, and other smaller items. Emily Brant managed the list of reserved pews, ensuring that when someone came to pick up their pew—starting at 1:30 PM and concluding at 4:30 PM—we could track who received one of the 32 long pews or 14 small pews available. The long pews measured 19 feet and were split at the 8-foot mark, while the short pews measured 6 and 9 feet.
Throughout the afternoon, the volunteers worked diligently to dismantle the church pews for removal and also assisted in moving the altar and baptismal font. By 4:30 PM on Sunday, all but four pews had been picked up; the remaining four were collected the following day, August 19th, after 5:00 PM.
Most of the pews had been reserved, with a few set aside for shortening and refinishing. These will be available for purchase at the annual Thanksgiving Festival. Brian Huhmann has been commissioned to restore a few pews for the choir loft, while Carl and Helen Kliethermes, Marin Kliethermes, and Emily Brant are working on shortening and refurbishing several pews for the Thanksgiving Festival auction.
So, in addition to seeing the pews at our upcoming Thanksgiving Festival, be on the lookout throughout our community for how they are being used! At least one has found purpose in a coffee shop in a nearby town.