Immaculate Conception Church in Lansing

Built in 1885 and renovated in 1978, the Immaculate Conception Church reaches up from the heart of Lansing's Main Street. It is a church of extraordinary craftsmanship and rich in area history. Rising 110 feet, the church steeple still houses the 1885 bells, bells which can be heard ringing before mass every Sunday.  Inside the church, the main altar is staggering in both its size and level of detail. Hand-carved from butternut, tucked with hundreds of gold leaf appliques, and adorned with religious statues and symbols, it is an exceptional work of art. The brightly colored stained glass windows behind the altar, in the entryway, steeple and sacristy date to the original construction of the church and were carefully restored in 2010. The stained glass windows in the church proper were installed in the 1950s with the windows on the west wall depicting the life of the Virgin Mary and the windows on the east honoring various saints.

Make sure to also visit the new handicap accessible religious education center attached to the church's west side. This center is state of the art, with many bright classrooms, offices and gathering places. Especially unique is the shared wall between the church sanctuary and the education center, which is raised during mass to allow individuals with less mobility participate in worship. Hanging on display in the education center's main room are four very special stained glass windows. Originally set between the church chapel and sanctuary,they are Frank Lloyd Wright's high crown, zinc design. Unusual in their material - most stained glass windows are framed with lead - and their construction - each metal piece has interlocking ends instead of the traditional square edge butt joint - the windows are exceptional works of art. There are very few artisans in the world today that could create or repair such a design.   

In the lower level of the education center a portion of the wall has been framed in glass to show the limestone foundation. Because the ground elevation between North Street and Main Street is over twenty feet, workers hand-digging the foundation trench in 1884 had to use a step-down foundation method. See part of this labor intensive construction as well as the new, smooth concrete foundation (underpinning) for the education center.
 
Contact the pastor at the church office563-538-4171 to request a guided tour. The mass schedule and weekly bulletin can be found at the website listed above.