PASTOR’S NOTES

So often we find ourselves in familiar surroundings with the result we pay little attention to details. As Catholics we attend the Eucharist in many different churches. Most of them have the same features in their apses and naves. Over the centuries they have introduced elements which focus the faith community’s attention on certain dogmas. For instance, the Stations of the Cross assist the believer in appreciating the debt we had which is redeemed by the Christ. He walks from Pilate’s Palace to Calvary’s Hill. As we reverence the Real Presence in the Tabernacle, light a candle at a Marian shrine, or enter the confessional to receive absolution, we might leave one universal feature unnoticed: the stained glass windows.
Our earliest churches constructed when the Emperor Constantine called for the end of the persecution of Christians contained windows filled with ornate patterns of thinly-sliced alabaster set into wooden frames, giving a stained glass like effect. Evidence of stained glass windows in ecclesial structures in Britain can be found as early as the seventh century. Romanesque and Gothic architecture required large expanses of glass. Two examples of the period still draw millions of visitors who are in awe of the beauty of their windows: Chartres and Canterbury Cathedrals. With the coming of the Renaissance we witness the development of a classical style. In France, much of the glass of this period was produced at the Limoges factory, and in Italy, at Murano, where stained glass and faceted lead crystal are often coupled together in the same window. (I recall with great appreciation visiting their factory in Venice, where various family members have followed the traditional craft of their ancestors.) Unfortunately, at a time when artistic creativity was at a height, the tragedy of the reformation and the age of revolution caused thousands of masterpieces to be destroyed. A revival took place in Europe at the dawn of the modern age. In the United States two names stand out. John LaFarge, who invented opalescent glass (his son became a famous social reformer: the Jesuit priest who authored The Manner is Ordinary); and Louis Comfort Tiffany. Among those early well known artists in this media were van Doesburg, Piet Mondrian, and a personal favorite many of whose works can be found in New York’s Museums and the United Nation: Marc Chagall.
Throughout its history stained glass has served the Church as an instrument of catechesis. The presence of certain images tells us much about the faith and the particular use of the structure which contains the artistic representations. Some examples that I can present relate to places I have seen, where I have studied, and where I have served. In the Chapel of Saints Peter and Paul of Saint Joseph’s Seminary, high above the sanctuary are the images of the Doctors of the Church reminding both faculty and students of the wisdom that has guided the Church from the likes of Ambrose, Augustine, and Aquinas. The founders of the seminary called for the windows above the seminarians’ stalls to emphasize various events in the Savior’s life, below them were Old Testament equivalents. Because of a strong bias towards history when I was part of the construction of a modern home for Our Lady Star of the Sea, I expressed a desire to feature the key figures in the evangelizing of our world. We began with characterizations of Peter and Paul of the Church’s first generation, then Saint Patrick representing the community’s missionary efforts, Saints Francis of Assisi and Dominic recalling the advent of the mendicant period, then their spiritual sons: Saint Anthony of Padua, the advocate of the poor and Saint Thomas Aquinas, the patron of the educational efforts of the church, then moving to our shores, Saint John Neumann, the immigrant who started parochial education and encouraged Eucharistic devotion, Saint Elizabeth Anne Seton who formed one of the most prominent religious communities to embrace the needs of the young and care for those who are ill, finally, we pictured the Lily of the Mohawks, the now Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.
The sad reality is that for many it is hard to appreciate the art or the teaching in these images unless they are in the Church. (That might be a lesson in itself.) In the original design of the Church dedicated to Mary, (it was recently reconstructed), the patronal window was placed in the tower over the altar. With internal lighting, the Blessed Mother could be seen by all who passed by the church on their way home. Because of the tremendous value of the artistic efforts of the past the Archdiocese of New York has been careful to reach out to churches both within its province as well as outside the area to utilize the stained glass of once vibrant communities. For instance, the windows of our newest Dutchess County Church came from the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in Harlem. Because of the recent canonization in 1962 of Saint Martin de Porres appropriate images could not be found. Therefore, an old German artisan with his daughter brought to life the contributions of the saints and holy men and women of America: North, South, and Central. Their depiction taught everyone who viewed them of the rich traditions we have in this hemisphere. For example, Father Miguel Pro is shown in a brown suit typical of the 1920’s and 30’s with a cap. He could not be seen in his religious vesture in his native Mexico since it was a time when the Church was being persecuted and anti-clericalism was rampant. Indeed, the government took him, put him on trial, and executed him. As he stood before the firing squad, he cried out “Viva Cristo Rey!” “Long live Christ the King!”
Our own Church contains beautiful stained glass representations of events in the life of Christ, beginning with the Nativity and concluding with the Resurrection. As I reflect upon the images I have some favorites. Near the confessional there is the figure of Jesus holding one child while another clings to Him. A detail that caught my attention was the presence in the hand of the child of a toy. When the Lord welcomed the children to himself he did not demand that they be different than they are. So often today we expect them to carry burdens they cannot bear. When we were young our parents provided for us. They gave us a sense of security. They enabled us to enjoy our existence. Today, children know too much about possible lost employment, foreclosure possibilities, and relationship disruptions. They cannot deal with these realities because they have absolutely no control of these situations. Across from this window is one of the Savior at the door. Quickly we recognize that there is no way He can enter. Only the person inside can open the door. The artist’s work wants us to realize that for the grace of God to reside in us we must open the door of our hearts.

As we rest and worship here at Saint Stanislaus Kostka and the other churches we visit let us reflect on these gifts of faith and art.
Vivat Jesus

Fr. Brian