St. Joseph, part 1

Ioana Belcea
Aug 10
3 min read

On August 31, 2023 flames engulfed the church of St Francis destroying the roof and severely damaging the interior. St. Jospeh is the oldest Catholic parish in Salem, tracing its roots to 1853 before Oregon was a state. The present church was dedicated in 1953 and has a large and diverse community with Masses in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Latin. During the rainy afternoon of the tragic day, Father Jeff Meeuwsen, pastored his flock and celebrated Mass outdoors alongside Archbishop Sample. They mourned the loss, gave thanks and celebrated the resilience of the people and endurance of faith. Archbishop Sample reminded the congregation the fire “may have burned the building, but the church is her people.”

(OSV News photo/Abigail Dollins, courtesy Statesman Journal)

By December of 2023 renovation was already under way. Little by little the building started rising quite literally out of its own ashes. Under the direction and labor of the architectural and construction teams, steel framing and ceiling arches, vaulted arches along the nave and other new features, and much more breathed new life into the old damaged structure. The new interior design while honoring the faith and history of the community and space, brings a fresh, contemporary interpretation to the liturgical space. It is not a mere re-construction but a re-novation in the sense of making something new while preserving the old.

We were called on this project in the spring of 2025. In 2017, while pastor at St. Joseph, Father Todd Molinari, now Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Portland, had created the artwork for the mural to enlivened the altar wall, which was painted with significant changes to his original design by artists from Conrad Schmitt Studios. Needless to say, the fresco, together with the rest of the interior decoration was destroyed by the fire.

In collaboration with Father Todd, we proceeded to create a decorative program for the church which included ornamental elements in the apse, nave and side chapels. These we executed with the participation of a team of talented artists during six weeks in January and February of this year (2026).

When we arrived on site, the construction crews were still working on the interior finishes which included wall plastering and sanding, trim and ceiling painting and wood staining for the rafters. Through coordinated effort facilitated by the project manager we were able to move forward with minimal delays.

We chose a restricted palette of teal, malachite, two shades of ochre, a light and a darker blue and red, with detail in 23k gold leaf. Starting in the nave, the vertical elements raise the sight from the lower register upward through use of flowery garlands that culminate in a flight of birds, symbolically freeing the spirit in its flight toward heaven. The same verticals mark the progression not only upward but also forward toward the apse. The horizontal elements carry inscriptions descriptive of the scenes in the stained glass windows above. Decorated with geometric patterns they slow down and ground the motion toward the front, allowing the eye to linger and take in the hand painted details.

The transverse arch at the entrance of the chancel or apse, framing the altar, also known as the triumphal arch, symbolizes the transition from the earthly congregation (nave) into the heavenly sanctuary. On this arch we placed a text in gold leaf and three medallions, one for Mary, one for Joseph and at the crown, one for Christ.

The fields of color in the entire church are painted with lime paint. We chose this natural, eco-friendly product because it creates a soft, cloud-like, and textured finish with depth and a beautiful discreet sheen.

Moving into the sanctuary proper, the color palette changes. The vaulted ceiling is an intense darker blue studded with 23k gold leaf stars. Friezes on the side walls move the eye toward the altar. The ornaments are more complex, with stylized floral motifs and birds referencing an earthly paradise. The altar panel proper on which the original crucifix will hang has a vine ornament crowned by a chalice, both eucharistic references..