Father Kevin’s Posts

In our series of articles on St. Anne’s beautiful stained-glass windows, we conclude our time in the south wing of the church. Knowing a bit more about these beautiful works of art will, we hope, enhance your prayer and worship here at St. Anne.

The six small windows at the top of the wall remind us of the Gospel writers and of a central tenant of our faith. Above the middle window we see the Greek letters Alpha and Omega. These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and have traditionally been used to remind us of a central truth about Jesus. In Revelation 22:13, just a few verses from the end of the Bible, Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Our belief in the Trinity assures us that Jesus was with the Father and the Holy Spirt from creation and will restore all things in the end. The upper, left-most window shows a winged man, the traditional depiction of Matthew. To its right, we see a winged lion which depicts Mark. Continuing to the right, after passing the alpha and omega windows, we find the winged ox, Luke’s symbol and finally an eagle to represent the Apostle John. Why these symbols? The Church Fathers found inspiration from Ezekiel 1:5-10 and Revelation 4:6b, 7. The text from Revelation in turn reflects the words of Ezekiel: “And in the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures: and this was their appearance: there was the likeness of a man in them.… And as for the likeness of their faces: there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four: and the face of an ox, on the left side of all the four: and the face of an eagle over all the four. Many early Christian commentators saw these texts as referring to the evangelists. For example, St. Jerome wrote, “The first face of a man signifies Matthew, who began his narrative as though about a man: ‘The book of the generation of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.’ The second [face signifies] Mark in whom the voice of a lion roaring in the wilderness is heard: ‘A voice of one shouting in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ The third [is the face] of the calf which prefigures that the evangelist Luke began with Zachariah the priest. The fourth [face signifies] John the evangelist who, having taken up eagle’s wings and hastening toward higher matters, discusses the Word of God.” Other interpretations of the symbols have also been suggested. What do they bring to your mind?

The Glorious Mysteries

Three large windows in the south wing help us remember the
mysteries we contemplate in the Rosary. The Joyful Mysteries are
depicted in the left-most window and the Luminous Mysteries are in
the center.
The right-hand window shows us the Glorious Mysteries and begins
in the center with the Resurrection of Jesus. Moving down, we see a
depiction of Jesus’ Ascension. Then, as if following the Lord’s rising,
our eyes look up to see the descent of the Holy Spirit at the top of
the window helping us to remember the glorious events of
Pentecost.
Returning to the middle row, we see the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary to the left and her Coronation to the right. As we
contemplate these mysteries may we remember all that God has
done for us and remember again, the love and mercy that allows us
to be children of God.