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History
of the Sacred
Heart Church Stained Glass Windows©
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Prepared
by Deacon John Charters |
Research
assisted by Diane Charters
August,
2001 |
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When
the design for stained glass windows for Sacred Heart Church
were done, thirty families living in the parish in 1931
contributed for their installation.
The plans called for twelve stained glass windows
measuring 2 feet by 13 feet. |
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The main theme of the glass windows included the
Sacred
Heart of Jesus which is above the choir loft
overlooking the entire body of the church. This window is a large three part symbolic Sacred Heart
of Jesus burning with live and radiating rays of sanctifying
grace.
From the center of the Sacred Heart, the radiating rays illuminate the Seven
Sacraments of the Catholic Church.
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Starting
from the bottom left corner we see two “crossed keys.”
The symbol of the keys represent the binding or loosing of sin in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance. We
find in scripture: John
20:20-23: "When he had
said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
(Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the holy Spirit. Whose
sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are
retained." |
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Moving
up the left side, the next symbol is of Baptism.
The Holy Spirit is symbolized by the dove as it descends to the
baptismal
font. Matthew 28: 18-20: "Then
Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Go, therefore,
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that I have commanded you. And
behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."
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Our third smaller symbol is not one of the seven sacraments but it does
represent God the Father, all Seeing and watchful over his people Israel
(Old
Testament). The equilateral triangle as the Trinity and
the Eye reveals God’s omniscience.
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The next illustration is of
Holy Orders, those called to ordained
ministry. This is represented by the stoles hanging down from the Altar which has
the Eucharist upon it. Those who may receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders are:
Deacons, Presbyterate (Priests), and Bishops.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders, as seen in scripture and the tradition of
the Church, is specific in that the laying on of hands is used, not only to
give the Holy Spirit but to confer authority and spiritual powers:
John 20:21-22: "(Jesus)
said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you." and when he had said
this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit.
"2 Timothy 1:6 “For this reason, I remind you to stir
into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my
hands,” Acts of the Apostles
6:6 “They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and
laid hands on them.” (The first reference in scripture of Deacons in the
early Church).
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At the very top of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the symbol of the
Sacrament of Confirmation. Here we see the presence of the Holy Spirit in front of a
background of red, the precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and two turtle
doves. The turtle doves were used
by the Hebrew faithful as sacrifices. We
are to sacrifice ourselves to Christ (here seen as the Eucharistic presence)
as we confirm our baptismal promises. Confirmation
is the Sacrament of Christian maturity - You yourselves will not be the
speakers; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.
Matthew 10:19-20: "When
they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to
say. You will be given at that
moment what you are to say. For
it will not be you who speaks, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through
you."
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Going down the right side, the top symbol is that of the Sacrament of
Holy Matrimony. We
see the hands of a man and woman joined together as it was intended from the
beginning: Matthew 19:4-6
“Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them
male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must
separate.”
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Below Holy Matrimony is another reference to
God the Father
. This
one establishes the New Law of
the New Testament and this symbol helps us visualize “The Word Became
Flesh” as the Holy Spirit of God joins with the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ
seen again in the Holy Eucharistic presence.
It is the new covenant with God and his people, the church, and Jesus
as the bridegroom.
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We next come to the Sacrament of the
Holy Eucharist
. This
is a sacrament under the New Law. Jesus
Christ, is the source and summit of our Catholic faith.
He is the true living presence. Our
faith comes from our belief in Jesus Christ (source) and we become one with
Him in the Eucharistic Celebration (summit).
Matthew 26:26-28: “While
they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it
to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
"Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which
will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins."
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The last symbol on the bottom right corner is the
Anointing of the
Sick or Extreme Unction.
This sacrament of the Church is an acknowledgment of the frailty of
mankind who is to be redeemed through the mystery of Christ's own death and
resurrection. "By the sacred
anointing of the sick and the prayer of her priests, the whole church
commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, asking that He
may lighten their suffering and save them.
This sacrament of the living, when in the providence of God and
expedient for the welfare of the soul, sometimes restores health through the
aid given to natural or bodily forces or agents for the overcoming of
dangerous illnesses. It is of
importance that the faithful seek to receive this anointing as often as they
become ill and certainly whenever the threat of one's life is present because
of illness. James 5:14-15:
"Is anyone among you sick? He
should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and
anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will
save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up.
If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven."
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To the right and left of the Sacred Heart window are two smaller
stained glass windows. The one to
the left is of beautiful
Peacocks
which represent immortality. |
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On the right side is a
Chariot of Fire
.
This represents the coming of the resurrection with Elijah’s chariot
as he was raised to heaven on a fiery chariot.
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