SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES THROUGH STAINED GLASS

Recently in talking to younger children about different physical things they see in church, the stained-glass windows came up. They were intrigued to know that they were originally there to tell the story of salvation to those who were illiterate. A brief history of stained-glass windows in the Catholic Church follows, along with a depiction of our own church’s biblical scenes told through stained glass.

Stained-glass windows date back to the fourth century when they were used in churches to depict biblical scenes for an illiterate population. They were used as a teaching tool and would help to inspire and encourage people through this visual way of telling the story. The use of many vibrant colors and designs became an important part of the story for it enhanced the beauty and truth of the creative world we live in.

For the Catholic population, the stained-glass windows in Catholic Churches would showcase many different biblical scenes and saints, all by following and expressing the teaching of the Faith, and a wonderful means of education and inspiration.

For Christians, light represents God’s ever-giving grace and presence amongst us, and as the light flows through these windows they are a reminder to all of us, to be that light to those we meet in our daily lives. The red color in the windows represent sacrifice, the blue represents divine love, green symbolizes growth and life, with purple indicating royalty and penance, and gold, signifying heavenly glory.

Our own windows depict the following scenes: In the gathering area by the side entrance, where we have funeral viewings, the window depicts the Raising of Lazarus. At the main entrance, we see the depiction of the Wedding Feast at Cana and the Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Walking into Church we see the Presentation in the Temple with the prophet Simeon holding the Christ child, and the depiction of the Finding in the Temple. On the north side of the church, you see Jesus on the large panel as the Good Shepherd, along with smaller panels showing the Baptism of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Resurrection. On the south side, you will see the Coronation of Mary, along with the smaller panels depicting the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Immaculate Conception as the Assumption of Mary. Just outside of the front confessional is a depiction of Jesus healing a woman of her infirmities and forgiving her sins.
 
There is nothing better than to walk into Church, and let your eyes take you on a spiritual journey of salvation history as depicted in these stained-glass windows. Take your children along on the journey.