Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: First Presbyterian Church

Studio Name: Connick (Charles J.), Ltd.

City: Pontiac

Window Shape: 2 (rectangle)

Date of Window: 1954

Subject/Title of Window: The Children's Window

Brief Description of Subject: As viewed from the outside, the space for this west aisle window extends quite a bit higher. For viewers inside the Church, a balcony obscures vision of the middle part. This window occupies the lower part and is called "The Children's Window." The upper portion of this space is the window titled "Cherubim."

The Pastor Reverend W. Marbach informed Connick Associates that "... it is not possible to have the intense light of the east side on the west side of the building because of the building which is 15 ft. from our wall." Connick Associates wrote out the following note to their designer of this window: "The west side is very deeply shaded by the neighboring building. We must use just as light glass and as little painted texture as possible on this side, and a great deal of rough-textured or corrugated glass to pull down and reflect in just as much light as we can."

Money for this window was raised by the children of their Sunday School. The theme chosen was Christ's teaching on how to give and how to pray.

Left lancet: Teach Me to Give --- The subject is from the "Sermon on the Mount" found in Matthew 6:1 -4. Jesus teaches that those that proclaim their giving in public receive their reward on earth, while those that give discretely reap their reward in heaven. This medallion takes as an example the child that gave Christ the food to feed 5000 in the miracle of the multiplying of the loaves and fishes. "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish" John 6:9
Center lancet: The Good Shepherd --- Arguably the most beloved Psalm, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me besides still waters; ... Thy rod and thy staff comfort me" Psalm 23 RSV. The medallion depicts the Lord as a shepherd against a background of a green pasture and still waters. In one hand is a staff and in the other, He is comforting a lamb.
Right lancet: Teach Me To Pray --- The subject is from the "Sermon on the Mount" found in Matthew 6:5 - 15. Jesus teaches that when you pray do not be like hypocrites that pray in public, rather do so privately. The medallion depicts a child in the posture of prayer.

Connick Associates notes that "the colorful field provides a rich pattern in support of this theme, with symbols of the white lily of purity in smaller medallions above and below." The maker's signature appears at the bottom of the left lancet as "Connick Associates 1954 Boston."

Inscriptions: Teach me to give
The Lord is my shepherd
Teach me to pray
Presented by the Church School 1953


Height: 7'

Width: 6'10"

The MSGC is a constantly evolving database. Not all the data that has been collected by volunteers has been sorted and entered. Not every building has been completely documented.

All images in the Index are either born-digital photographs of windows or buildings or are scans of slides, prints, or other published sources. These images have been provided by volunteers and the quality of the material varies widely.

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