The next time you are at church, take time to walk around and look at the dozens of gleaming brass plaques. They are inscribed with the names of former and present parishioners who are responsible for buying many of the church’s treasures.
 
The plaques vary in size and age and can be seen on almost every pew, under stained glass windows, near statues, on chalices and other Mass items, under the Stations of the Cross and tucked into nooks and crannies throughout the church.
 
“You can read them now,” said Mike Barrett, one of five parishioners who took on the monumental task of cleaning 257 plaques in honor of St. Clare’s 90th anniversary. “You can see the names of many of the church’s early founders.”
 
A few surprise donators include William Clay Ford, Henry and Anne Ford, the Louisell family and the Chrysler family.
 
The project took almost a year and required more than 100 man hours. Joining Barrett, who removed and reattached most of the plaques, was Bob Ternes. He had the labor intensive job of shining and lacquering each plaque. Mike Peltz helped Barrett remove and reapply the shining plaques to their spots. Kurtis Williams and David Mietty launched the project by putting together a detailed spreadsheet identifying every plaque and its status.
 
“With Bob’s expertise, we kept costs down. It would have cost $4-$5 a plaque to hire it out,” Barrett said.
 
Added Ternes humbly, “It gave me something to do.” 
 
Barrett said, “We’re happy to again recognize those people who contributed to so many beautiful items in our church.”