RESTORE AND RENEW 

What is perhaps the most striking feature of St. Ignatius Church, St. Thomas Manor is that over the past centuries of good and bad weather, good and bad management, of war, disease, earthquakes, winds and financial panics, it still stands very much as it has since 1798.  If you brought a Rip-van Winkle back from the dawn of the 19^th century they would know what they were looking at.  It is the same four part structure with some small extensions. The walls, from one to three feet thick give the impression that it can stand forever as it has on its own.
           
The building is so substantial that it spreads out the weight so small cracks, a rotting board or eroding bricks don’t cause immediate and lasting damage to the whole building. What we do not see in that solid exterior is all the efforts made over the centuries to rebuild, restore and secure these ancient structures.  Without upkeep, over time those little problems would become big problems.

 At first glance the 1690 one story brick residence (east wing), the 1697 brick chapel now the sanctuary and sacristy, the 1741 manor house and the 1798 church appear to need little work. They are substantial buildings, whose brick may at times be held together more by weight than by mortar. We stopped painting or lime washing the brick about a century ago. The various rooves have evolved first wooden shakes, to tin, now asphalt shingles but they are not what gives these buildings their character.