Cathedral windows traveling for refurbishment

The timing was an unfortunate coincidence, said Hoefer’s Custom Stained Glass president and owner Scott Hoefer, whose South Hutchinson company is tasked with restoring the stained glass windows at Wichita’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

“No, it won’t be back for Christmas,” he said. “I feel really bad, because of all the windows to take out, the nativity was next in line.”

Nevertheless, perhaps the conspicuous contrast between the plexiglass in that spot and the intricate and ornate works of art that retain their places in the cathedral is particularly illustrative. Not only may it mark December 2024 and January 2025 in many memories as the Advent and Christmas in which the nativity window was missing, but it also serves as a striking example of how impressive the cathedral’s windows actually are.

As a professional who deals with such matters all day, every day, Hoefer said the Cathedral’s stained glass windows are in a class of their own. 

“They’re the best of the best,” he said. “A person that doesn’t do stained glass for a living may look at eyes and faces and think they are pretty, but they are remarkable. They are very beautiful.”

The restoration process, which involves the painstakingly careful removal and transport of the windows to the company’s facility, as well as extensive cleaning, repair, detailing, and replacement takes about eight weeks, Hoefer said. 

Immediately after that task is complete, the process repeats for the next window. 

He said it was a worthwhile undertaking for such good examples of the art form. “Ranking from one to 10, I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a 10, but your windows are about as close as it gets.”