There is hidden treasure in Stafford County. If you aren’t determined, you’ll never find it. It lies just east of Larned or south of Great Bend, off of Highway 19, one mile north on 219. When the black top ends, Seward begins. Wind around on the dirt roads, west and then north; look for the steeple. At the north end of Main Street sets a brick Romanesque edifice -- St. Francis Xavier Church.

On March 7, a six-week restoration of the church interior was completed by Trinity Restoration of St. Joseph, Mo. With the exception of repairs to the bell tower four years ago, no work had been done on the church since the parish centennial in 1986.

"It was time," stated Father Rene Guesnier, OSB, pastor. "There was a place behind the high altar where there was space between the ceiling and the walls. The walls were cracking above the windows. Things were just falling."

Major repairs were necessary to the ornate tin ceiling, the upper crown molding and the plaster walls. "When we walked in, the walls were white and the ceiling was yellow." said Stephen Clayton of Trinity Restoration. "You couldn’t even see the design of the tin ceiling. There was also some major moisture damage in one corner above the choir loft."

After extensive plaster work, the ceiling was painted white to set off the pattern in the vaulted ceiling. The remaining interior colors were chosen to compliment the hues in the stained glass windows. A design at the base of the tin ceiling, just above the molding, was hand-painted in gold. A pattern of fleur-de-lis, diamonds and a band of gold was stenciled to run the length of the walls. The gold above and below the windows enhances the color scheme as the patterns flow toward the sanctuary, the two side altars and the high altar.

"When I talked to the people at daily Mass and told them the church needed this, they said we’ll pay for it," stated Father Rene. "We even received a $10,000 donation from a former parishioner who now lives in California. We were able to do this without getting into our funds." The parish is now looking forward to its 125th anniversary in 2011.

Trinity Restoration is a family business. Steve Clayton and his five sons have worked on more than 35 churches in Kansas, Missouri and beyond. "We maintain a clean work site and schedule our time around daily Mass," said Clayton. "We make sure the church is clean for daily Mass and we do a thorough cleaning before Sunday Masses." The company is in the process of opening an office in central Kansas.