If you enjoy the art of stained glass you’ll love our new stained glass window in the Chapel of St. Joseph.
The Church has always encouraged artists and the use of sacred art to help not only transmit the beauty of the transcendent, but to bring us who behold such masterpieces into the beauty and majesty of God Himself. That is the goal of this window: to invite us to share in the wonder of God’s interior life, God’s life shared with us, and our lives transformed into holy women and men in our midst. Here are just a few of the elements that our design hopes to transmit:
God’s Trinitarian life as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a life of love—creative and generative love. As the Father shares with all of creation the gift of His only Son, Jesus furthers this gift by offering Himself from the waters of His baptism to the altar of His Cross to the fruits of His resurrection. By sending the Holy Spirit, God furthers His great blessings to us in the sacramental life of the Church, most clearly when we are bathed in the waters of our own baptism and nourished in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Baptism envelopes us into God’s life while the Eucharist feeds us as we walk along the way God lays out for each of us who believe.
And what is “the way†that God desires for each of us? We are invited to be holy, to live our lives conformed and bonded to Christ’s own life. As we gather during our worship of God and celebration of the Eucharist, we are renewed in holiness. As we approach the sacrament of Christ’s Body & Blood, our daily lives are transformed and we are then empowered to be holy, to live saintly, dedicated lives to God and the Church.
In particular, our window depicts such things: the central image being that of the Trinity… then flowing into the Eucharistic Feast of our own gathering. Depicted in the lower portion of the window are the various people and professions that were popular at our establishment as a mission church in 1927 (thus the mention of Pope Pius XI). Thankfully—25 years later—Bishop Gibbons established us as a parish church, always connected to the Universal Church. Twelve holy women and men grace the upper panel as guides for us. Each one tells a story of holiness in their particular actions, devotions and ministries. Very soon, we will publish an aide to help each parishioner and visitor to delve into the theology of our new window and the stories that make it so inspiring. Our hope? That our parishioners may find this window an inspiration…a window into God’s own life…and a window into the life to which God invites all: holiness.
