Our Story · Stilwell, Kansas
From our home in small-town Kansas, we help parishes across America find, restore and build the altars, rails, statues and furnishings that lift hearts toward God, so that nothing made for the altar is ever forgotten.
Our Story
Fynders Keepers began with a simple conviction: the sacred things of the Church are too precious to be lost. When a parish closes or renovates, its altars, rails and statues can find a new home where they are needed and loved. And when a church longs for its beauty back, it can be rebuilt with care, one piece at a time.
2001
We began serving churches in 2001, helping parishes buy, sell and trade sacred furnishings, and connecting churches that must part with treasured pieces to churches that will cherish them.
Through the years
Altars, tabernacles, statues, rails and candlesticks from closing and renovating churches have been carefully rehomed in sanctuaries across the country: more than 9,000 pieces placed in churches so far. Alongside that work, we design and build new furnishings in marble and wood, made to stand for generations.
2017
In Kansas City, Kansas, our founder was invited to the Cathedral of St. Peter to help bring a new all-stone altar and matching ambo to life, designed from the cathedral's own high altar and baptismal font. About four tons of white, Carrara-like marble were ordered with J.C. Stone of Houston, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann consecrated the altar on May 13, 2017.
A communion rail from Connecticut.
A rood screen from Maine.
Statues from Italy.
One sanctuary, made whole
2018
Father Raymond Hager was searching for a communion rail. We located one, along with a matching ambo, at a closed church in Connecticut, found an old rood screen in Maine that became the heart of a new reredos, and connected the parish with a studio in Italy for new 5-foot statues of St. Barnabas and St. Louis.
“Things just kept falling into place, one thing after another,” Father Hager told the St. Louis Review.
2022
Based on photographs of the church's historic high altar, we built a new high altar and reredos in marble, oak and walnut, with a matching ambo and freestanding altar, and custom hand-carved statues and reliefs made in Italy. In January 2022, Liturgical Arts Journal featured the project in its “Before and After” series.
Today
Today we serve clergy, parish leaders and restoration teams across the country, from New York to California, with installation available anywhere in the USA. Our home is still Stilwell, Kansas, where visits are by appointment.
Home
Our home is Stilwell, a small town in southern Johnson County, Kansas. Across this state, limestone churches rise above the wheat, built by faithful families who gave their best to God, and many still welcome the faithful to Mass every Sunday.
That heritage shapes how we work: honest advice, fair dealing, and deep respect for the traditions of the Church and the craftsmen who came before us.
Our goal is simple: helping churches preserve the beauty and dignity of sacred spaces.
Craftsmanship & Restoration
Many of our projects begin with an old black-and-white photograph and a pastor's hope. We study what was lost, then design and build it again in marble, quartersawn white oak, walnut and mosaic, fitted to the church it belongs to.
When we were introduced to this project, there were no altars. Guided by photographs of the church in the 1960s, we completed a sympathetic restoration: a new high altar with wainscoting, and a custom altar and communion rail in quartersawn white oak, marble and faux marble.
After almost 100 years, the original high altar returned. We built it again from old black-and-white photographs, using the original relief found in the crawl space below the sanctuary.
Notable Projects
New all-stone altar and matching ambo for the cathedral sanctuary.
High altar, ambo and front altar recreated from antique photographs, with statues and reliefs hand-carved in Italy.
New Gothic high altar, altar of sacrifice, altar railing and choir-loft rail in quartersawn white oak, with a vintage pulpit and St. Anne shrine.
Custom marble high altar, procured, delivered and installed.
New altar of repose, front altar of sacrifice and pulpit in quartersawn white oak, with custom mosaics.
Altar rail, ambo, altar of repose and altar of sacrifice, with a custom tabernacle, angels and pedestals.
Testimonials
The beauty of the finished altar is amazing. The work of the carpenter is impressive.
We asked them to make an altar just like it for us, and we are very pleased with the result.
Things just kept falling into place, one thing after another.
In the News
Stories from the Catholic press and the architects we've worked alongside.
The Leaven
The story of the cathedral's new marble altar and ambo, from the first design to its consecration by Archbishop Naumann.
St. Louis Review
How St. Barnabas Parish found its communion rail, ambo and rood screen, with help from Fynders Keepers.
Liturgical Arts Journal
“The project was executed by Fynders Keepers Brokerage based out of Stilwell, Kansas…”
K4 Architecture + Design
“The sanctuary, reimagined in collaboration with EverGreene and Fynders Keepers, reflects Italian Renaissance influence…”
Begin your project
Whether you're searching for a single statue, rehoming furnishings from a closing church, or dreaming of a new high altar, we would be glad to help. Every custom project is quoted individually.
Visit by appointment · Stilwell, Kansas
Email · info@fynderskeepers.com
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