St. Gerard statue is back in one piece

By Shelia M. Poole

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

St. Gerard is back in one piece.

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Patrick McPartland , Western New York Catholic The statue of St. Gerard was repaired by master craftsman Russell Reel of Antiqueworks (www.antique-works.com). Located near Atlanta, Antiqueworks has provided antique restoration to some of the most prestigious antique dealers and auction houses in the world for more than 20 years.

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Several weeks ago, the 7 1/2-foot marble statue of the saint was decapitated as it fell while being unpacked at Mary Our Queen Catholic Church in Norcross. The accident happened after the statue had completed a safe journey of hundreds of miles from its former home at St. Gerard's Catholic Church in Buffalo, N.Y. The church held its last Mass in 2008.

"We're so blessed," said the Rev. David Dye, pastor of Mary Our Queen, which is buying the nearly century-old church, dismantling it and moving it to Georgia. "A marble statue like this is like glass. It could have shattered into lots of pieces. It was only the head, and it was a clean break. It's a clear sign that God wants the church built right here."

The statue's restoration was the work of Russell Reel, the owner of AntiqueWorks in Cumming. Reel, who said he has restored hundreds of statues over the years, read about the accident and decided to offer his services.

The head's weight, which Reel estimated at 70 pounds, provided the greatest challenge. He put a stainless steel rod in the body of the statue and placed the head on the rod.

Reel said he stood on an 8-foot ladder to do the job. "I had to carry that head up and down the ladder about 15 times to get everything just right," he said. He used special adhesives to attach the head and other materials to fill the voids. In all, the project took about 25 hours.

"I really enjoyed working on it," Reel said.

Now that St. Gerard is back in shape, the focus turns to raising the funds needed to buy and relocate the Buffalo church. So far, Dye said, Mary Our Queen has raised between $3 million and $4 million. The entire project could cost $15 million and take up to two years.