Children's Choir Festival / Black Rock Historical Trail Traveling Museum

On Sunday, April 22, 2012 the BRAC was filled with angelic voices and organ music.    We were lucky to be the only museum to host the Children’s Choir.

Here’s a video: http://youtu.be/oJew034tMCY

And, this past May 20, 2012 at 2 pm the BRAC was bustling with over 100 visitors.  We were the hosts to the Black Rock Heritage Tail Traveling Museum, featuring the War of 1812 events and historic locations and buildings in Black Rock’s Market Square District.  The founders of this amazing project are Warren Glover, Mary Ann Kedron (who spoke at the event), Bill Parke, Scott Glasgow, and Doreen DeBoth.

During the event, guests were encouraged to look around the BRAC at the artwork and then make their way to the front of the church where the Trail Traveling Museum was located.  The BRAC is one of 10 sites along the historical trail.  Also, people were allowed to tai their picture with war of 1812 soldiers!

http://www.blackrockhistoricalsociety.com/warof1812trail.html

With already so much going on, it’s exciting to see what else is going to happen this summer!

2012 Tour Schedule

BRAC Docent led Tours 

June 2: 11am-1pm

July 7: 11am-1pm

August 4: 11am-1pm

September 1: 11am-1pm

October 6: 11am-1pm

 

Preservation Buffalo Niagara Tours

June 23, 2012: 1-3pm – Black Rock Tours

July 21, 2012, 1–3 pm – Black Rock Tours

September 22, 2012, 1–3 pm – Black Rock Tours

October 20, 2012, 1–3 pm – Black Rock Tours

Preservation Buffalo Niagara!

Mary Holland 2012 Preservation Award WinnerBuffalo Religious Arts Center, Buffalo, NYRecognized for Stewardship

Mary Holland 2012 Preservation Award Winner
Buffalo Religious Arts Center, Buffalo, NY
Recognized for Stewardship

Preservation Buffalo Niagara is recognizing outstanding preservation projects and those contributing to preservation efforts at its annual awards ceremony May 30, 11:30 AM in the Statler’s Golden Ballroom. Award categories were established to acknowledge distinguished contributions to our community through preservation activity. Recipients will be recognized in several areas including: preservation craft; rehabilitation/adaptive re-use; stewardship; neighborhood conservation; planning/reconstruction; and preservation journalism.

Volunteer Meeting

The Buffalo Religious Art Center is about to kick off the new season with a volunteer meeting this Saturday, April 28thin the church at 10 am.  We’re looking forward to see all our volunteers and hoping to see some new faces, as well!

One very exciting topic we’ll be discussing is the 100th anniversary of Saint Francis Xavier Church!

March Wedding

The Buffalo Religious Art Center hosted their first wedding this past March.  It was an intimate relaxed ceremony held in the evening.  A fun fact was learned during the signing of the marriage certificate, it was the judge’s first ceremony, as well.

The BRAC is looking forward to taking part in future happy events and working with more wonderful couples.  This first one was truly a pleasure.

A New Saint Comes to Live at the BRAC

This past August the Buffalo Religious Art Center acquired a new statue.  It’s the statue of St. Stanislaus Kostka (also spelled Koskkawhich).  For many years, he had resided in the basement of Assumption Church on Amherst Street.

St Stanislaus died at the very early age of 19, just after becoming a novice.  For this reason he isdepicted as a young man wearing a vestment (a long headdress worn by bishops and senior abbots as a symbol of office).  It was also said, that he was loved by children.  So, also many times, he is shown holding a child.

Display Cases!

Our progress continues!  Recently, we received four display cases.  At the moment we’re still figuring out where they will be located, but we do know what will fill them.

Two of the four are going to house two statues of the Infant of Prague.  The array of outfits are going to be the backdrop for the statues.  I literally gasped when I saw the outfits.  Their colors are brilliant.  I then pulled them from the plastic covers and felt the material.  They are made from only the best fabric.  The velvet on some was so rich.  And to think they were all handmade by older women of the church that the Infants came from – such patience.   I have to admit, I was a little envious of some of the dresses.  If only I was a little shorter 

More on the Infant of Prague:

http://www.pragjesu.info/en/history_infant_jesus.htm

Scholorship winner, Peter Gonciarz, brings 1932 Schlick organ to life

The Buffalo Religious Art Center was alive with the hum of pipe organ this past week.   Peter Gonciarz, a senior at Villa Maria College, showed off his talent by playing a variety of different pieces.  He began playing at age 13 when his church paid for organ lessons, and he has been playing ever since.  By now, he has played at a number of churches.

It was about a year ago that Peter called up the B.R.A.C. to ask if he could come play.  He had heard that the church still had it’s original 1932 Schlicker organ.  The organ was hand-made right at the Schlicker Organ Company in North Tonawanda.  Like other church organs, it was built for that church.  No where else would it’s sound ring truer.  That, matched with such a talented player, creates an incredibly angelic sound.

Guardian Angel Sculpture

Collection DetailsArtist: Vinc. Giacomo Mussner, Italy (signed)Year: 1930s-1940sMaterial: Painted wood, gold leafHeight: 69”Provenance: Saint Marry of Sorrows RC ChurchDonor: Alvera Robinson in thanksgiving for the bles…

Collection Details

Artist: Vinc. Giacomo Mussner, Italy (signed)

Year: 1930s-1940s

Material: Painted wood, gold leaf

Height: 69”

Provenance: Saint Marry of Sorrows RC Church

Donor: Alvera Robinson in thanksgiving for the blessing of her family

Year Acquired: 2009

Ferdinand Frohe: Stained Glass Windows

Collection DetailsArtist: Ferdinand A. FroheYear: 1929-1930Material: Stained glass (enameled)Height: Provenance: Queen of Peace Parish Donor: Gift of Mary HollandYear Acquired: 2009

Collection Details

Artist: Ferdinand A. Frohe

Year: 1929-1930

Material: Stained glass (enameled)

Height: 

Provenance: Queen of Peace Parish 

Donor: Gift of Mary Holland

Year Acquired: 2009

Wiegand Collection

Collection DetailsArtist: A. T. WinegandYear: 1950Material: Aluminum, bronze, marbleHeight: n/aProvenance: Designed for Our Lady of Loretto RC Church Year Acquired: 2010

Collection Details

Artist: A. T. Winegand

Year: 1950

Material: Aluminum, bronze, marble

Height: n/a

Provenance: Designed for Our Lady of Loretto RC Church 

Year Acquired: 2010

Judaica Artifacts: Ten Commandments

Collection DetailsArtist: UnknownYear: Early 20th CenturyMaterial: BrassHeight: 41”Provenance: Temple Beth El Donor: On loan from Temple Beth El Year Acquired: 2009 

Collection Details

Artist: Unknown

Year: Early 20th Century

Material: Brass

Height: 41”

Provenance: Temple Beth El 

Donor: On loan from Temple Beth El 

Year Acquired: 2009

 

Medieval & Renaissance Choral Music at BRAC

by Doreen E. DeBoth

The Buffalo Religious Arts Center (formerly St. Francis Xavier RC Church at East & Amherst Sts.) was the venue for the Western NY Chorale on Sunday afternoon.

Under the musical direction of Herbert Tinney, sixteen members of the group with heavenly voices sang pieces that were written in the eleventh through the sixteenth centuries. Some were sung in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin with soloists interspersed throughout the program.

Halfway through Tinney stopped to give the audience an in-depth explanation of the evolution of music that took place during these centuries and to explain stories that were within the musical piece.

This style of music has a very calming and spiritual element that inspires peace within the listener. The twelve figures in the mural above the chorale was the perfect backdrop for creating a setting for this. They are painted in the Beuronese style that was founded by Benedictine monks at the end of the nineteenth century.

Characteristic of this style was to create a tranquil place of worship. The band of motionless figures above was repeated in the choir below as they were very still, only moving their mouths while singing.

An audience of about thirty attended the performance which will be repeated on Tuesday, May 19 (8 pm) at Parkside Lutheran Church, located at 2 Wallace Avenue in Buffalo. The Chorale would like to come back to BRAC for another performance, only this time including music played on the historic 1932 Herman Schickler organ.

If you would just like to take in the murals and artifacts of the Center, you can take a tour on Saturday at noon, Sunday at 1 pm or large groups can book reservations for weekdays by visiting their website at buffaloreligious arts.org/.

National Historic Register

by William Koch

The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is pleased to announce that the former St. Francis Xavier Church, Rectory and School have been added to the National Historic Register as of August 20th, 2009.

This National Historic Register recognition highlights not only the architectural significance of the complex, but also its importance to the history of Buffalo.  All three buildings on the St. Francis Xavier Complex were included in the designation.

The parish of St. Francis Xavier dates from the 1850’s, but the oldest structure is the sturdy three story school built in 1894.

The Romanesque Basilica style church, designed by Max Beierl of the locally prominent firm Lansing and Beierl, was completed in 1913 and contains stunning murals by Benedictine Monk Fr. Raphael Pfisterer and unique stained glass windows by F.X. Zettler. These windows were made in Munich, Germany.

St. Francis Xavier Church closed as a parish in 2007. Since then the Buffalo Religious Arts Center has been caring for the maintenance and preservation of these three buildings.
The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.