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	Enriching young and seniors: all in between! Submitted by Eileen, Catholic My first time at St. Alphonsus was the year the saving group asked the Archdiocese to lease and restore it to natural beauty. Watching this vibrant group of sixty volunteers decide every twist and turn has developed our Group into strong friends and professionals including inner city school youth, seniors who were confirmed here, as well as tourists whom discover stained glass for the first time! Seeing the wide eyes of tiny tots as the Muggivan School Irish Dancers kicked high, loving the warm handshakes of seniors so proud showing you their marriage rosary used at the former church create lifelong memories our city will never forget. In closing, Hope House -- around the corner -- and this Magazine corridor all truly appreciate the amazing donated electric wiring, restoring of the famous "Belles", and kids art events that provide stress relief for tough times. You will never find a more worthy building for this Year's Grant recipient. Fondly to AMEX for this wonderful partnership, Sincerest regards, Eileen P Comiskey, Attorney. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	a wonderful building Submitted by Kat, New Orleans St. Alphonsus is a beautiful piece of architecture and is used for many community and cultural events. The grant money would be invaluable for restoration and preservation of this important building. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Save This Treasure Submitted by Di, New Orleans LGD This 150 year old structure, the church for the Irish Catholics living in St. Alphonsus parish for many years and now an Art and Cultural center, contains many priceless religious art treasures that are in danger of being lost forever due to the deteriorating condition of the building. The spacious interior, constructed without the many columns most often seen in large churches, provides an open, inviting showcase for the unusual stained glass windows, paintings and frescoes, some of which are attributed to Antonio Canova. Art such as this is no longer being created. It must be saved for future generations. In doing so we would honor the immigrant parishioners who sacrificed to fund the erection of such an impressive place of worship as well as the talented artists and craftsmen who built and decorated it. In Europe, this building would be a "destination" to be visited and enjoyed. With the proper restoration it could be a "destination" in New Orleans. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Old Beauty... Submitted by anita, New Orleans St Alphonsus is such an amazing building in New Orleans. It had been great through the past few years, prior to Katrina, to see it come back, and get repaired - I drove past it daily to get home from work and it was great to see the old beauty start to come back. Then Katrina happened and this beauty in the remaking was damaged. I had seen the renovations inside, and was happy with the progress, and then was stricken to see the change after the storm. Hopefully, St. Alphonsus will qualify for your grant and can be a hub of community activity, as it once was and was starting to become, once again. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	The Original St. Patrick Church Submitted by Louise, New Orleans Originally to be named St. Patrick Church, this amazing, historic 150 year old location has truly earned a place on the National Historic Registry. The dedicated group, Friends of St. Alphonsus has and continues to bring this gem to the people of the neighborhood, city, nation and hopefully the world. The recent information on the Canova fresco's that grace the ceilings as hovering clouds, make it imperative that the word continue to spread so the renovations of these museum treasures be preserved for the future generations. The diligent, hard working men, women and children of a century ago that toiled, sweated, prayed and celebrated needs to be honored. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	St. Alphonsus - A Treasure to the Community Submitted by Aimee, New Orleans St. Alphonsus holds a dear place in my own and my family's heart. My great grandparents donated a beautiful stained glass window to the church in the late 1800's. They were Irish immigrants who were not only parishioners of the church, but neighbhors in the community - the "Irish Channel". This church was not built with only bricks and mortar, but with a great love from its faithful. It's so hard to describe the beauty of this place, it is truly a place worth saving and restoring. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	On Death's Door Submitted by Armand, St. Alphonsus St. Alphonsus was slated for demolition and destined to become a parking lot in the 1980's. Two women, one Catholic and the other a Jewish lady, stepped in and rescued this jewel of the Irish Channel. They unleashed an array of dedicated volunteers that have not only rescued a piece of New Orleans culture, but through hard work and determination have brought the facility back to life. When you walk into its interior the stained glass, frescoes, carved wood work and its awe-inspiring presence reaches out to you and brings you back to a different world. A world where hard work and faith meant something in the lives of everyday people. This hard work and faith gave birth to St. Alphonsus and we as its great grandchildren are charged with helping it through its old age. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	The ties that bind Submitted by Suzanne, Lower Garden District About two years ago through a colleague at Tulane University, I became involved as a volunteer working on desktop publishing and design projects for the Friends of St. Alphonsus. As fate and coincidence would have it, my husband reminded me that upon his arrival to New Orleans from Guatemala in the mid 1970s, he was enrolled as a student at Redemptorist High School and attended many a mass at St. Alphonsus Church during his freshman year. Of Italian and Spanish decent, my husband was taught English at the school and made many friends at St. Alphonsus with whom he still has contact with to this day. Much to both his and my delight, we were thrilled to learn of the Historic National Landmark status of St. Alphonsus Church, and became active members of the Friends of St. Alphonsus in hopes of preserving this historic building and its ceiling paintings by famed Italian artist, Domenico Canova. This collection of paintings, which is also the largest known existing collection of frescoes by this artist, is worthy of restoration as many of the other paintings by Canova have been forever lost as a result of the demolition of buildings in New Orleans in which Canova was known to have worked. Aside from my personal connection through my husband to St. Alphonsus Church, I am as a fine art major overwhelmed by the architectural and artistic beauty of this site in New Orleans. With each visit I make to St. Alphonsus Church there is a new discovery waiting to greet me and I certainly urge everyone to visit this spectacular site and explore its historic, architectural and artistic offerings. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Memories Submitted by Bonnie, New Orleans I grew up mainly in the 9th ward. My aunt married a Redemptorist alumni back in the 50's and they lived on the corner of Fourth and Annunciation. I remember going to mass there and across the street at St. Mary's. When I was old enough to walk the 9 churches on Good Friday, this was one that I would do. I moved into the St. Alphonsus Parish in 1991 and have been a member of Friends of St. Alphonsus since. St. Alphonsus has given me a lot of new memories as I grow older and I have made a lot of friends through the many activities held there. St. Alphonsus is a great asset to the neighborhood and the City as a whole. It helps anchor the area with ongoing activities addressing many cultural aspects of the Irish Channel. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Faded Elegance Submitted by President/FOSA, New Orleans, La Even in a city blessed with many beautiful, historic landmarks, this building stands out amongst them all. The essence of art, architecture, history and FADED ELEGANCE. Without exception, all guests who enter the Center are totally in awe. This includes not only locals and regional tourist, but also art aficionados and seasoned world travelers who have visited the great cathedrals and churches in Europe. I am honored to lead a very dedicated board which each and every one of have made major sacrifices of their time and resources to help maintain this National Historic Landmark. Our Canova Society works diligently to stabilize, and hopefully in the future restore, the magnificent Canova frescoes. With his works lost forever by the demise of the French Opera House, the St. Louis hotel and the Garden District Robb mansion, the preservation of these works of art are even more crucial. Please Visit our Center and see why this place of historic beauty must be saved for future generations to enjoy. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	A Beautiful Cultural Center Submitted by Elizabeth, New Orleans This is a gem that has fantastic volunteers working to preserve it. I believe it is truly the best recipient for the grant! Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Not Only the Jewel, But the Heart of the Irish Channel Submitted by Liz, New Orleans, Louisiana St Alphonsis church has a long history of being the heart of the Irish Channel and is a place where everyone that every lived, worked or went to school in that neighborhood still feel like they are home when they visit. And even today many functions are held there to "bring everyone home". New Orleans post Katrina cannot loose such a place. It's neglected beauty still shines not just like a jewel, but like a light in the window of your home inviting you to come in and rest. Much has been done over the last 18 years by a small group called the Friends of Saint Alphonsus (FOSA) to stabilize the building for the future generations to come, but even those who took it for granted in its glory days while attending mass or other functions, and are still around today, cannot enter its doors without tingling at it's breathtaking beauty. Each day FOSA discovers more about its history, the generation of people who loved it, and the priceless works of art that it protects. This magnificant historic landmark must not only be saved, but it must be restored to it's prior glory. The jewel, no, the heart of the Irish Channel. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Redemptorist and St. Alphonsus to Jesuits and Loyola Submitted by Joe, My wife and I were students at Loyola in the 50's. We fell in love and wanted to get married. She was reared in the Prysbterian church, but wanted to convert to become a catholic. Father Molloy, who was going to officiate at the wedding, began to give instructions to Lynette. The matter of baptisms came up during the instructions. Surprisingly, her mother, who was catholic but married outside the church, revealed for the first time, that when Lynette was an infant, she went to St. Alphonsus and asked the Redemptorist baptize Lynette. We were happily married with six children for 42 years until her death. I hope there will always be a St. Alphonsus. It is very gratifying that so many New Orleanians are interested in helping to preserve St. Alphonus. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	An Endangered Treasure Submitted by Mark, New Orleans St. Alphonsus is a historic, architectural, and artistic treasure. The art work it contains is important locally, nationally, and internationally. This is a prime example of the type of building and art which will never again be created. It must be preserved, restored, and maintained! Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Good Fridays and Stange Saturdays Submitted by Cher, New Orleans I love St. Alphonsus. It's now an art and cultural center. But, it's still a beautiful church. It is directly across the street from St. Mary's, another beautiful church built in the 19th century. In that century St. Alphonsus was the Irish church and St. Mary's was the German. It is a tradition in New Orleans to visit nine churches on Good Friday. Both St. Alphonsus and St. Mary's are on our route. But, I also remember about 8 years ago on a wonderful Saturday in summer when Anne Rice, the famous author, held a book signing there to help raise money for restoration and preservation of St. Alphonsus. Only in New Orleans!! Cher, New Orleans resident Comments (0) \| Comment on this story