For Gary David and his family, this upcoming Easter is slated to be a very special one. The artist and craftsman is planning to escort his 96-year-old mother to the church she grew up in, and the church her family has been a part of for generations, Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Dickeyville.

That Easter church service is going to be a special one for the church, as it will be the unveiling of the church’s remodeling, which includes new things like new carpet and paint.

But for the Davids, it will be the unveiling of two items that will span generations for the family - the new altar that Gary has created for the church, which will be lit by the church window installed behind the tabernacle that was created from a previous stained glass window that was formed from a window David’s great grandfather had sponsored in the church more than a century ago.

“It is a very exciting process,” David said, prepping for the three-day installation process for the new alter this week.

Gary got involved a year ago on the project when he was approached by Fr. Bernie Rott of Holy Ghost Church about creating a new alter for the church as part of their renovation. The church had a simple altar that was installed in the late 1960s that was simple, far less elaborate than the original alter it replaced - likely partly due to the mid-century style of the time with clean lines, as well as the simplicity that was brought on by Vatican II.

As part of the remodel, the parish council wanted to go back to the high-gothic style that would have been used when the church was erected.

So they came to David, a master woodworker who has done a number of altar projects in the region. Gary has done 12 altars for churches, including St. Thomas in Potosi, several churches in Galena, and locations in Dubuque and Cedar Rapids.

Utilizing some images of the previous altar, David got to work in creating something new, that not only reflected the old altar, but also evolved on what the interpretation of what the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit is now considered - with a dove descending from the Hand of God.

Th i s 1 3 th al tar has very special meaning for David. Gary’s mother was born and raised on a farm outside Dickeyville, her maiden name is Ginter.

There are four generations of Ginter’s in the church cemetery, and they were active members in building and supporting the church.

History was important during this refurbishment project for Holy Ghost. When they were doing work on the walls, a location of an original window behind the tabernacle was uncovered, and the church looked to place a new window there.

When work was done earlier on the church some windows had been removed from the sacristy and put into the basement of the Holy Ghost School. Those windows were pulled from storage, and given to a stained glass window specialist in La Crosse to make a new window for the space.

On one of the three windows, the donor was listed - August Ginter and wife - who happened to be David’s greatgrandparents.

The youngest of 13 children, August passed away in 1927, and Gary noted that four years shy of the 100th anniversary of his death, he will be recognized again with the new stained glass window.

Another of the sponsors for the three windows used to make the new window was Herman Ginter, August’s brother.

“All of them were buried in the cemetery,” Gary noted. “This is a close connection with my family.”

With so much family history a part of this story, David has spent more than 2,000 hours crafting the altar, which includes a baldachin, or a canopy that will sit over the altar.

This is an important element, as this is where the Hand of God and the Dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, are placed on the structure.

To give the Hand of God a level of gravitas, David carved and painted the symbol, joking he hasn’t artistically painted in three decades, but the hand, and the clouds it extends out from look pretty good in final form.

From there, the Dove will come out, from a box built by parishioner Bob Johns.

“Every detail was painstakingly thought about,” Gary said. “It was all about doing this right.”

And that takes time. For the four columns that rise up to carry the baldachin, there are Corinthian capitals that each took one week to make, and then columns with words of wisdom carved in.

The hours working on such a massive project are stresses to the mind and body - Gary joked that he has had to see a chiropractor quite a few times for adjustments during this project, what with the hours carving and joining, or carrying massive items, like those columns (which weigh 200 pounds each).

The family connection was important, but also the work that the church and the community are undertaking - in addition to the church renovation, Holy Ghost is working with the Kohler Corporation on a grant to repair and revitalize the adjacent Grotto.

“We can take it for granted, but that Grotto is a major attraction,” David said, and notes the plans for the church to help increase tourism into the area with their efforts.

David started installing the altar Tuesday, and expects it to be principally completed by Thursday, with electrical work for lighting and such to follow after that.

“I am going to be very relieved when we have it completed,” Gary said, noting efforts like Porter Wagner on the project, including getting volunteers to move the massive sections of the project into the church Monday.

“ It will be a bit of a fingernail biter,” David quipped about the work to assemble the massive fixture this week.

At 70, with his time spent working on the colored wood objects he and his son have been making, and attending shows across the region, this 13th altar may be Gary’s last. Whether or not it is, it most likely be his grandest.

Weighing in at approximately 200 pounds, the columns for the Holy Ghost Church altar were gently brought into the Dickeyville church Monday.