Elliot retiring after decades of restoration craftsmanship
By Robert Elliot
I often view myself as a footnote to history, though a privileged one. My hands have worked in the homes of billionaires, grand hotels, and resorts. That work has been featured in magazines such as Architectural Digest and in the book Palm Beach Splendor: The Architecture of Jeffery Smith. After more than three decades of service to the architectural and sacred treasures of our region, I am announcing my retirement.
Grateful as I am for any accolades directed toward my efforts – including the Keeper of the Plains Award for architectural achievement and the Bene Award for Sacred Spaces – the greatest privilege of my life’s work has come from being entrusted with so many sacred places and artifacts of our Catholic Church.
The Catholic Diocese of Wichita and its surrounding dioceses have been the sources of both the steepest challenges and richest rewards. These rewards were not financial, but rather the opportunity to be of service to God and his people. I am grateful for that trust.
Long and winding road
My story actually begins with a piece of history. I am a descendant of John Eliot, who founded the Roxbury Latin School in 1645. He was a pioneer who printed the first Bible in the colonies – translated into the Algonquian language – more than 100 years before the first English Bible was printed in this hemisphere.
That pioneering spirit led to my own family’s start in the Church. My father, Alvin Elliot, was a convert, and my parents were a founding family for Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Dodge City. I was baptized and confirmed at Sacred Heart, and later, my daughter, MaeLauren, was baptized at Wichita’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. My wife, Theresa, and I attended The Chapel of the Sorrowful Mother in St. Francis Hospital and were married at St. Catherine of Siena. We also attended Blessed Sacrament while our children were in school, and I later moved to St. Anthony after its restoration. There have been so many dear priests along the way; I thank each of them and the cherished parishioners I have known for walking with me.
Today, I live in the Philippines and attend St. Isidore the Laborer, a parish built in 1794, with my fiancée and her family. Looking back, my faith journey has been a long and winding road marked with peaks and pitfalls along the way. Like the churches I have helped to renovate, I am in constant need of renewal.
Restoration and preservation
This journey hasn’t been without its trials, such as the quiet disappointment of sometimes seeing local mastery overlooked in favor of outside prestige. I have made it a personal mission to prove that our community possesses the talent and devotion required for our most sacred tasks. Because I believe sacred work must be performed at the highest level – often beyond the immediate means of a parish – it has been my honor to pour my heart, soul, and every available resource into ensuring that things were done right – frequently going far beyond what was asked or expected to make that happen. It has been part of my stewardship.
Most of my accomplishments in the realm of restoration and preservation have relied on the skills of others, both mentors and apprentices. Helping fellow craftsmen and women realize their potential has been one of the unforeseen joys of my vocation. Restoring our Church’s treasures has added meaning to my work and life.
Although I am stepping back from active restoration, I look forward to remaining available to our parishes for consultations to ensure our sacred heritage is preserved with the care it deserves. I thank everyone who, during the preceding 30-plus years, helped form my legacy with their endorsements, funding, physical work, and encouragement. Without you, what would I have become?
Robert Elliot still considers himself a parishioner of St. Anthony’s Church in the Diocese of Wichita. He attends San Isidro Labrador Parish Church (the Diocesan Shrine of St. Isidore the Farmer) established in 1749 in the town of Pulilan, Philippines.
