|
|
|
Previous |
Next
|
| History
of the Stained Glass Windows at Sacred
Heart Church |
 |
Beginning
on the north side of our beautiful church, we now look at the
stained glass windows that are high on the wall starting from
the windows closest to the sanctuary.
These recall some of the canonized saints and dogmas of
the Church. The
first window is of Saint Charles Borromeo.
This window, contributed by the Sacred Heart School
Mothers Guild was specially dedicated by members to their
Pastor, Monsignor Charles K. Kennedy.
Saint Charles Borromeo is remembered as the father of
modern day education. Born
to a noble family at Lake Maggiore, Italy, Saint Charles studied
at the Benedictine abbey, as well as at Milan and Pavio, where
he received his doctorate in canon law in 1522.
His uncle was Pope Pius IV, who made him Secretary of
State and then Cardinal of Milan.
Saint Charles convinced Pope Pius to reconvene the once
suspended Council of Trent in 1562.
He is known as a promoter of clerical education, for his
compassion to the poor and founded a society for secular
priests, the Oblates of Saint Ambrose.
This society is now known as the Oblates of Saint Charles
(1578). He resisted
Protestantism and died in Milan on November 4th,
1584. He was
canonized a Saint by Pope Paul V in 1610.
Saint Charles Borromeo is the patron saint of learning,
catechists and the arts. He established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine which
contained 740 schools, 3,000 catechists, and 40,000 pupils.
He was the originator of “Sunday schools” 200 years
before the Protestants began theirs.
He promoted learning among the clergy and instituted a
literary academy in the Vatican.
|
| Return
to Top |
|
 |
To
the right of Saint Charles Borromeo is Saint John Vianney, Cure
of Ars. Saint John
Vianney was born at Dardilly, France on May 8, 1786.
He was drafted into the army in 1809 but later deserted.
A man with vision overcomes obstacles and performs deeds
that seem impossible. Saint John Vianney (also known as the Cure
of Ars) was a man with vision.
He wanted to become a priest.
But he had to overcome his meager formal schooling which
did not equip him adequately for seminary studies.
He entered the seminary at Lyons in 1813.
His failure to comprehend Latin lectures forced him to
discontinue. But
his vision of being a priest urged him to seek private tutoring.
After a lengthy battle with the books, Saint John was
ordained in 1818. Situations
calling for "impossible" deeds followed him
everywhere. As
pastor of the parish at Ars, John encountered people who were
indifferent and quite comfortable with their style of living.
His vision led him through severe fasts and short nights of
sleep. (Some devils
can only be cast out by prayer and fasting.)
Mark 9:25-29:
W “And when
Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the
unclean spirit, saying to it, “You dumb and deaf spirit, I
command you, come out of him, and never enter him again.” And
after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and
the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, “He is
dead.”But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he
arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked
him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said
to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but
prayer and fasting.” With Catherine Lassagne and
Benedicta Lardet, he established La Providence, a home for
girls. Only a man
of vision could have such trust that God would provide for the
spiritual and material needs of all those who came to make La
Providence their home. His
work as a confessor is Saint John Vianney's most remarkable
accomplishment. Saint
John Baptist Vianney was an extraordinary priest.
He was also known for his gift of “reading minds and
souls” and he was continually sought for his spiritual wisdom
and direction. In
the winter months he was to spend 11 to 12 hours daily
reconciling people with God.
In the summer months this time was increased to 16 hours.
Unless a man was dedicated to his vision of a priestly
vocation, he could not have endured this giving of self day
after day.
Many people look forward to retirement and taking it easy, doing
the things they always wanted to do but never had the time for.
But Saint John Vianney had no thoughts of retirement.
As his fame spread, more hours were consumed in serving
God's people. Even
the few hours he would allow himself for sleep were disturbed
frequently by the devil. Who, but a man with vision, could keep going with
ever-increasing strength?
Indifference
toward religion, coupled with a love for material comfort, seem
to be common signs of our times.
A person from another planet observing us would not
likely judge us to be pilgrim people, on our way to somewhere
else. Saint John Vianney, on the other hand, was a man on a
journey with his goal before him at all times.
Recommending
liturgical prayer, Saint John Vianney would say, "Private
prayer is like straw scattered here and there:
If you set it on fire it makes a lot of little flames.
But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and
you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public
prayer is like that."
Saint John Vianney died at Ars on August 4th and was
canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1925.
He was declared Patron of Parish Priests by Pope Pius XI
in 1929. His Feast
Day is November 4. |
| Return
to Top |
|
 |
The
next windows contains a picture of Saint Francis of Assisi, the kindly saint
of lover of animals . He was born
in 1182 to a wealthy merchant family in Assisi, Italy.
He spent his youth seeking pleasure and worldly things.
He entered the army as a soldier and was imprisoned in 1202.
Upon his release he returned to war in 1205. A vision of Jesus Christ at Spoleto caused his conversion and
he went on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1206.
Saint Francis is invoked as the Patron of Merchants because of his
family background. His father,
Peter Bernadone, was a wealthy silk merchant from Assisi. Although Saint Francis was originally given the baptismal
name of John by his mother during Peter’s absence from home, he returned and
insisted that young John be named “Francis.”
If was after Saint Francis’ conversion that he denounced his worldly
father in public, stripped himself of his clothes and dedicated his life to
God in a spirit of humility and poverty.
His was a true and heroic test of his faith for he not only renounced
his wealth and worldly ambitions but his family as well for the more important
Kingdom of God. He began his
simple life repairing churches in Assisi, worshiped at the Portiunula, a
little chapel outside of Assisi. He
founded the Franciscan Order in 1209 and received verbal approval for rule by
Pope Innocent III in 1210. After
several revisions, he received final approval by Pope Honorius III in 1223. He is remembered for building the first Nativity crèche at
Grecchia in 1223. Saint Francis
received the visible stigmata (the first known) on Mount Alverna in 1224.
He is also known for his love of animals and nature and wrote the
famous Canticle of the Sun. In
this beautiful poem, Saint Francis praises the Creator and all of creation.
Saint Francis preached all over central and southern Italy gaining
thousands of converts along the way. He
helped promote concern and respect for the land and animals of his native
region. Saint Francis of Assisi
died in 1226. He was canonized in
1228 and is known as the Patron Saint of Italy, Catholic Action and
ecologists. His Feast Day is
October 4th. |
|
Previous |
Next
|
| Return
to Top |
|
|
