DONATIONS TO CHURCH MUSEUM COMING IN

A German Bible donated by Msgr. Joseph E. Gosche of Perryville, a thick Latin missal published in 1923, and a worn sash from the St. Vincent Young Ladies Academy's 1889 Golden Jubilee were among the artifacts donated last weekend to the museum being organized at Old St. Vincent's Church.

B.W. Harrison, a board member of the church who was in charge of accepting donations to the museum last weekend, was pleased with the variety of contributions.

"People in the community still have things they will be bringing in," he said. "I still have a lot at home."

Among the items donated was a wedding photo taken at the church's altar in 1941, and a gavel made from a staircase retrieved when St. Vincent's School was razed in 1972.

The school was located next to the church, a site currently occupied by a parking lot.

Also donated were cast figures of angels that once were part of the church's interior.

A "Last Supper" painting that once hung in the 142-year-old edifice has been added to the collection. The latter, found rolled up somewhere, was used as a reference for making the "Last Supper" sculpture that now adorns the church's altar, Harrison said.

Another donation is a chart showing the development of Catholic churches in the area, beginning with the founding of St. Vincent's in 1827.

A brick and a hand rail from the old grade school were brought in.

An unusual donation was a "clapper," the wooden noise-making device once used by altar boys during special services prior to Easter. It replaced the ringing of bells in these solemn services.

Msgr. Richard Rolwing of St. Mary's Cathedral said the clapper was no longer employed after Vatican II.

Two scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings and other memorabilia pertaining to the renovation of the church, completed in the 1980s, now have become part of the museum collection.

Among the other donations are some candleholders and two hand-made coats of arms that appear to date back to the first half of the 19th century.

Also brought in was an undated photograph showing people entering the church while floodwaters were only yards from the front door. The picture was taken by Cape Girardeau photographer Paul Lueders.

A pen and ink drawing of the church by Cape Girardeau artist Mark Farmer also was contributed.

Whole sacks full of contributions haven't been sorted through yet, Harrison said.

"The university has offered to help get it all organized and catalogued."

The sash from the Young Ladies Academy once belonged to Harrison's late wife, Hazel. The Bible donated by Msgr. Gosche, the pastor of Old St. Vincent's Church when the renovation movement began, belonged to his mother.