Stained Glass Tour

Visitors to Our Lady of Mercy are often struck by our beautiful stained glass windows. It is rare to find a newly built church with any stained glass at all, much less stained glass of such quality. The windows and much of the fixtures in the Church are the gift of St. Augustine's Church and Cardinal Bernadine. In the main body of our church there are 10 windows depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The richness of the colors and the incredible detailing make these works of art an inspiring part of our worship space. They are arranged in chronological order, beginning

on the left side of the church with the window closest to the rectory and ending with the front window on the right hand side.

The west side of the church:

The Last Supper

Jesus is seen elevating the bread with a paten underneath. The cup is on a table in the background. The faces of the twelve apostles reflect their distinctive personalities and ages. Peter, an older balding man with a gray beard, is kneeling in the lower right portion of the window, while Judas is seated in the lower left panel. Judas is the only apostle without a halo.

Agony in the Garden

Jesus is kneeling in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. In the foreground, the apostles are asleep on the ground, Peter with a sword. An angel has come to minister to Jesus, offering him a cup. Especially beautiful is the background of trees against a starry night sky.

Christ Is Risen

Jesus is emerging from the tomb. The wounds are clearly visible on his hands and feet and he is dressed entirely in white. He is carrying a banner signifying triumph. The two Roman soldiers left to guard the tomb cringe in fear on the left side of the window, their swords, spears, and shields useless against the risen Christ.

Peter is Given the Keys

Once again, the wounds on his hands and feet indicate that this is the risen Christ. While looking into the eyes of a kneeling Peter, Jesus points to three sheep, telling Peter to “feed my lambs.” Peter holds in his hand the “keys to the kingdom” just given to him by Christ. To further stress the idea of Peter as the first Pope, the artist chose as his background the basilica of St Peter’s in Rome.

Mary is Crowned Queen of Heaven

Jesus is seated on a throne wearing a crown and holding an orb topped with a cross, signifying dominion. With his other hand he is placing a crown on a kneeling Mary, naming her Queen of Heaven. A dove, representing the Holy Spirit, is hovering nearby. Especially interesting are the five chubby faces of the “cherubim” which tell us that this scene is taking place in heaven. During mass, the most eye-catching windows are the ones around the tabernacle. All of these windows involve images of music and musicians. In St. Augustine’s Church they were in the rear, near the choir loft, but at OLM they form a beautiful backdrop for the altar and tabernacle.

The three windows high above the tabernacle depict three figures from our tradition closely associated with music: King David, St. Cecilia, and Pope Gregory the Great. Next time you’re in the church, see if you can identify them.

King David

As a shepherd boy, soothed his father’s sheep by playing his harp and singing. In this window he is holding a harp. The Old Testament reports that David loved to sing and improvise his own accompaniment. Many of the 150 songs in the Book of Psalms are attributed to David.

Pope Gregory the Great

Can be easily identified by his miter (the distinctive hat worn by bishops and popes). Gregory was a great reformer of the church, but his best known work was in the field of music. As he traveled around the Catholic world in his day, he was delighted by the music he heard. He decided to collect and publish this music for Mass. This collection was used as the music for Mass throughout the world for centuries. We know it as “Gregorian Chant.”

St. Cecilia

Is the patron saint of music and musicians. She was a young woman from a wealthy Roman family in the early days of the church when Christianity was an illegal religion. Tradition says she played the organ and sang continually in her heart

to God. As a Roman Christian she was condemned to death. A soldier struck her

three times in the neck with his sword, but she lived for three more days before she

died, singing songs of praise to God.

The windows below these three are images of angels playing different instruments. There are also two of these angel windows in the Priest’s Sacristy.

The Annunciation An angel appears to Mary to tell her that she will bear a son by the Holy Spirit. The purple coloring and texture of the angel’s wings are particularly beautiful. There is also a dove, representing the Holy Spirit, emitting a ray of light which lands on Mary’s head.

The Presentation Mary and Joseph bring their firstborn son to be dedicated to God at the temple in Jerusalem. A prophet named Simeon tells them that the boy is the Messiah of the Lord. Note the rich drapery of Mary’s gown. Joseph is carrying a cage containing the required offering of two turtledoves.

Finding Jesus in the Temple When Jesus was twelve, the family traveled to Jerusalem for a festival. They were on the way home when they noticed that Jesus was not with any of the relatives. They rushed back to Jerusalem and found the boy sitting with the teachers, asking questions and astounding everyone with his understanding. Note the Hebrew letters on the books and scroll. As in the other

windows, Jesus’ halo always contains a cross.

The Giving of the Beatitudes This takes place on the shore of Lake Galilee. Note that everyone’s eyes are riveted on Jesus as He gives them the eight secrets to happiness. His audience consists of men, women, the old, the young, the rich and the poor, but they all find an incredible peace listening to Jesus’ teachings.

Jesus Blesses the Children The group sits under an apple tree as Jesus teaches that “you must become like a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven”. Notice the peaceful faces of the mothers as they listen to Jesus’ words. Coincidentally, this window is closest to our Children’s Chapel.