St. Peters Church Improvement

Church Improvement.
St. Peter’s Catholic Church at Harper’s Ferry, which has been closed for the past four months while extensive improvements have been made, was reopened for public worship last Sunday, when appropriate services were held. The clergy taking part in the service were: Rev. J. T. O’Farrell, Pittsburg; Rev. John Harney, Paulist, from Washington; Rev. J. B. O’Reilley, of the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Richmond; Rev. James Gilsenan, Martinsburg, and Rev. James E. Collin, Father O’Farrell singing the mass and Father Harney delivering the oration.

The entire interior of the church has been redecorated, the color scheme being amber and green, the oak wainscoting being finished in the natural grain to accord with the pews. The interior painting harmonizes with the new memorial windows, which are of green and opaque amber background, with appropriate figures and inscriptions. They are for the following families: Tearney memorial, back of the sanctuary, has the figure of St. Peter upon the main window, with two smaller windows on either side; in the church the altar containing sculptural figures and inscriptions are the gift of James Conway, for his mother and father and son John; to George N. and Elizabeth Lynch; Mary A. Higgins; Thomas P. and Bridget Burleigh [Boerley]; Michael Doran; Ditmeyer memorial; Miles memorial; Dailey and Applegate memorial; O’Beirne memorial; to Murtha Walsh; to Michael Bowler; one, the gift of Patrick Higgins; to Mary Murphy; and a triple window in the front of the church, to Joseph Barry and his wife. In the altar on either side are two marble statues of the Blessed Mother and Joseph memorials, the gift of parishioners, as are the new brasses and fixtures in the altar.

A set of Stations of the Cross which will be received later, are made in Munich, Germany, and is the gift of James Clark, of Cumberland. They are in high relief of stone composition, frames of old ivory; figures of delicate color with amber background, made to match the general color scheme.

The church is beautifully lighted by many electric globes running along the nave of the roof and dropping from the ends of the pendants, and around the arch of the sanctuary. The altar is also refurnished with a handsome velvet carpet.