Windows

Preface to the Parish Quasquicentennial Edition, 2010:

July 4, 1948 marked the 50^th Anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of St. Mary Church.  In preparation for this occasion, Msgr. John Bernard Weber commissioned the T. C. Esser Studio of Milwaukee to design and make a completely new set of stained glass windows for St. Mary Church, thus replacing the much simpler stained glass windows installed in the early years of the church (with the exception of the “Ave Maria” rose window in the choir loft, which remains to this day).  The T. C. Esser Company was well-known to Msgr. Weber for their excellent work at St. John Cathedral in Milwaukee and St. Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls. Later on, they would create and install the stained glass windows in the Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel in Yankton, SD. 

The windows were finished in 1945, at a total cost of $18,000.  When the windows were dedicated, a little booklet was published, The Story of the Windows, in order to assist parishioners in their understanding of the symbolism found in the windows. This edition of The Story of the Windows is published in 2010 on the occasion of the Quasquicentennial of the founding of St. Mary Parish by Bishop Martin Marty, Vicar Apostolic of the Dakota Territory, in 1885.

There is a framed memorial plaque in the ledge of the Confirmation Window, in beautiful calligraphy, which reads:

In honor of those who have given windows to Saint Mary’s Church

Donated by the W.C. Clark Family
Donated by Joseph J. Streff, Jr.
Donated by the S.R. Weber Family
In Memory of Bertram Honrath
In Memory of Henry and Catherine Kolbeck
In Memory of Sophia Kroack
In Memory of John B. and Catherine Rodenbur.

THE STORY OF THE WINDOWS

Preface to the first edition:

In this brief treatise on the new stained glass windows the first point to remember is that the parish church is our spiritual home besides being the House of God. We do whatever we can to make our homes beautiful and attractive, because the most sacred ties we have on earth are centered there. Similarly, the church is sacred, because it is the center of the spiritual life of the family and because God dwells there. That is why the bishops, priests and members of the Church have, through all the ages, made their edifices beautiful and fitting monuments to the God Who dwells in them and to the faith which is in their hearts.

The success of a stained glass window is largely a matter of a proper combination of light and color. The artist in stained glass aims to tame light by the use of color and by the proper combination of both produce something beautiful. The windows in St. Mary’s Church are the of the highest artistry in stained glass, finished on a tapestry background conceived by the French artists in the late 13^th or early 14^th century.

Our Lord explained the truths of religion in symbols and the early Christians used this sign language. The Church, the great respecter of traditions, continues the use of the early Christian symbols as her universal language, and the story of the windows in St. Mary’s Church is that of the symbols wrought in them.

As members of this parish, this church is your spiritual home. From the cradle to the grave every great spiritual event of your lives is centered in and about it, making it sacred to you. It must, therefore, be a source of pride to you to understand the furnishings of your church. You are proud of the furnishings in your homes, so you should be proud of those in your church home, the home of God and all His children. They are significant of the mysteries which at all times fill God’s house. When you come here let the circle of the symbols of the Church remind you of what God has done for you and of what He wants you to do for yourself.

The windows on the east side of the church portray how, step by step, God brought about the great events which led to the establishment of the Church, His Kingdom on earth. They show how He made available the unending graces of the Redemption. Those on the west side show what we must do in order to avail ourselves of those unending graces. We must use the sacraments for they are the means which God has given us to save ourselves.

Love your parish church. It is the dwelling place of God. It is your spiritual home.

SANCTUARY ANGELS:

On entering the church and looking toward the altar one sees the twin windows with the angels swinging censers toward the main altar, where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. They point out the reason for your visit to the church. You come to adore the Blessed Sacrament, and they like arrows pointing the way, show that you are to turn your attention toward the tabernacle. This is the true language of symbolism, not pictures for the sake of pictures, but pictures which clearly point out some lesson.

EAST SIDE WINDOWS:

The first window, on the epistle side of the sanctuary, is symbolic of the Holy Eucharist.  At the top the Sacred Host is illustrated with the Greek monogram XP, equivalent to the English chi rho.  The monogram is found frequently in Church symbolism and dates back to the days of the catacombs.  From the Host rays of light descend into the branches of the tree of life, showing that the Eucharist is the source of life for the souls of men. The fountain in the center is symbolic of the Eucharist as the fountain of living water and the deer on either side drinking from the fountain illustrate the longing of the Christian soul for Jesus as described by the psalmist in Psalm 42, 1:  “As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.”  The entire symbolism discloses the Holy Eucharist as the source of spiritual life and nourishment for Christian souls.

The second window on the east side, in the nave of the church, is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  At the top if the dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit through Whose power the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin and through Whose miraculous power she conceived her Divine Son.  The two towers in the background symbolize Mary as the “Gate of Heaven” – one of the many titles she receives in the Litany of Loreto. The central figure, also taken from the litany, indicates the Tower of David and the circular emblem on the tower contains the letter M for Mary.  Below are the lilies of purity and the roses of love, and at the bottom is a shield made up of the national colors of red, white and blue honoring the fact that Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, is the Patroness of the United States of America.

The next five windows are dedicated to the principle seasons of the Liturgical Year:

ADVENT:  The next window is reminiscent of the ancient Advent hymn, Rorate Coeli: “Ye heavens, open from above, that clouds may rain the Just One.”  At the top of the window is the Greek monogram of God, the Father in Heaven, from Whom emanate the rays of grace.  In the center is portrayed the drops of dew raining down from Heaven to give sustenance to the rose tree below, indicating the tree of Jesse, or the House of David, from which line the Blessed Virgin sprang and from whom the fruit of the dew came, Jesus Christ, the Rose of Judah.

CHRISTMAS/EPIPHANY:  At the very top of the window is the Star of Bethlehem sending down its brilliant rays upon the stable at Bethlehem.  In the stable is a little crib and in it a rose, symbolic of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the blossom of Jessie’s stem and the Christmas rose.  Beneath are the three crowns of the Magi from the East, who came to adore the newborn Son of God. The three crowns are also symbolic of the dogma of Our Lady, who remained a virgin before, during and after the birth of her Son, Jesus Christ.  As simple as the symbolism is in this window, it is also most effective.

PASCHALTIDE:  Equally simple and just as effective as the Christmas window in the lesson it teaches, is the next window, that of the Easter season.  Pictured in it is the victorious Lamb, the Risen Savior bearing the banner of His victory over the powers of death and hell.  From His side flows a stream of blood, symbolic of the blood and water which flowed from the Sacred Heart of Christ after it was opened by the soldier’s lance.  It descends into the chalice, which is the chalice of the new and eternal covenant and in which the blood of Christ is daily offered in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the remission of the sins of men.  Below is the Easter lily, indicating the joy of Paschaltide and the purity of the newly baptized.

PENTECOST/SUNDAYS AFTER PENTECOST:  The next in this series of windows is the one representing the season of Pentecost. The symbols are the traditional fiery tongues, in which form the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, the spokesmen of the infant Church, through which the graces of redemption are distributed to all men.

FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING/LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST:  The throne is the Throne of God, standing above the universe.  From it the three persons of the blessed Trinity rule God’s kingdom.  It also represents the Throne of Christ the King, Who will come at the end of time to judge the living and the dead.  Beneath it the three classes of saints in Heaven are represented by the (five) flaming lamps of the virgins, the crown of the confessors and the palms of the martyrs.  The entire composition represents the ultimate triumph of God’s kingdom.

WEST SIDE WINDOWS:

The next seven windows represent the seven Sacrament of the Church:

BAPTISM:  The first window, on the gospel side of the sanctuary, is the first of the sacramental series, or the baptismal window.  In the top of the symbolic picture is the Holy Spirit in the traditional form of a dove as He descended upon Our Lord at His baptism in the Jordan.  Just beneath is the seashell, portraying the shell used by John in the baptism of Our Lord.  From it gush the waters of baptism into the symbolic font in the bottom of the picture.  The rays descending from the Holy Spirit represent the graces of the sacrament.

CONFIRMATION:  The next window on the west side, in the nave of the church, is dedicated to the Sacrament of Confirmation.  At the top of the window are shown the tongues of fire representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Because the sacrament makes us soldiers of Christ, the symbols of the warrior, the sword and shield, are included, with the shield bearing Christ’s monogram, because we fight for Him. The oil stock below indicates the holy oil used in conferring the sacrament and on either side are the palms of victory which will be the award of those who win the good fight.

HOLY EUCHARIST:  The next window that of the Eucharist, is eloquent in its simplicity. The Sacred Host signed with the monogram of Christ appears at the top and the chalice stands beneath, combining to indicate the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ as offered in the Mass while the grapes and fronds of wheat at the sides show the materials from which the bre3ad and wine of the sacrifice of the Mass are made.

The window containing the symbols of the sacrament of penance has the cross at the central theme. From the crosses flow the graces of redemption which come through the sacrament. The crossed keys denote the power of binding or loosing which the priest exercises in the tribunal of penance. Below the rays indicate the abundance of graces which flow forth from the sacrament.

At the top of the window symbolizing the sacrament of extreme unction is the figure of the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove bearing the olive branch of peace, indicating the soul is about to make its peace with God. The tiny hour glass beneath shows that there is only a little time left before the soul shall meet its Maker. Life is nearly over. The Book of Life is opened and the candles reflect their light upon our good deeds and also our bad ones. The oil stock below indicates that the sacrament is one of those administered by anointing with holy oil.

The sacrament of Holy Orders is clearly indicated in the next window by the instruments of the priesthood. The chalice and the Sacred Host used in the Mass, the stole which is the badge of the priestly order, the Missal and on its pages the Greek letters A and O signifying that our faith is the beginning and the end.

Last of the windows on the Gospel side contains a brief sermon on Christian marriage. At the top is the monogram of Christ, from which emanate the rays of grace in the form of a cross. With the graces of Christ descending upon them the husband and wife, indicated by the two crowns, are united as symbolized by the clasped hands before the priest, indicated by the stole. This union of man and wife solemnized in the grace of Christ is to last all during life, as is shown by interlocking rings at the bottom.

PARISH HISTORY IN THE SACRISTY WINDOWS

The windows in the sacristy of the church portray the material history of the parish of St. Mary’s and the diocese of Sioux Falls. In this window the central figure is the old frame church which was built in the early ‘80s. In the lower corners of the window are panes dedicated to Father Juetting, the first past of St. Mary’s , who commenced the building, and to Father Weixelberger, who succeeded the pioneer pastor after the former’s death.

PARISH HISTORY IN THE SACRISTY WINDOWS

The central theme of this window is the front of the present church building, erected under the supervision and direction of the present pastor, Rt. Rev. Monsignor B. Weber, in 1898. A pane in the window is dedicated to the Monsignor, and there is also one for pioneer bishop of the diocese, Bishop Marty, and another for the present Bishop, William O. Brady. Later it is planned to replace two of the panes with dedications to Bishop Thomas O’Gorman and Bishop B.J. Mahoney, in order to have the chronology of the diocese complete.