Another milestone has been reached in the renovation of Windsor's Our Lady of Assumption Church.
The church at 350 Huron Church Rd. closed in 2014 due to safety issues, but reopened last year after a new roof was installed and asbestos was removed.
Scaffolds were removed from the front half of the church after a portion of the interior renovations were completed Thursday.
Parishioner and fundraiser Paul Mullins says around $1.4-million has been spent restoring the interior aesthetics and structure —including wiring, lighting and new stairs for the bell tower.
"The plaster has been repaired and painting has been completed so that the stars are back up in the ceiling and the stencils are just beautiful," he says. "It is really a wonderful result."
Mullins says fundraising is ongoing, but work continues to push forward with an eye on the back half of the church.
"If we're able to continue to get the support that we've had, we hope to be able to continue with the plaster repairs in a couple months and have the painting completed in that whole side of the church by the end of the spring," he added.
He says it feels good to see the church returning to its former glory.
"The results are beautiful to be able to see and enjoy," he says. "To get the reaction of those who haven't had the chance to see it before now is really very gratifying."
Mullins says an additional $275,000 is still needed to complete work on the east aisle ceiling and wall.
The next two phases included the centre and west aisles, along with the sanctuary at a cost of around $3-million.