Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church

Studio Name: Loire (Gabriel) Studios

City: Allen Park

Window Shape: 2 (rectangle)

Date of Window: 1968

Subject/Title of Window: Sacred Heart Shrine, Incense

Brief Description of Subject: This is one of two windows in the Sacred Heart Shrine, both of which symbolically reference the Holy Hour of Reparations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It should be noted that St. Frances Cabrini had an abiding faith in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
 
Devotion to the Sacred Heart dates to early Christianity, however it was revelations to St. Margaret Alacoque (1647 - 1690) of Jesus' desire for a new devotion to his Sacred Heart that spurred its popularity and spread around the world.
 
In her autobiography, St. Alacoque relates that Jesus revealed to her that this new devotion was to "make reparations for the ingratitude of men. SPEND AN HOUR IN PRAYER to appease Divine justice, to implore mercy for sinners, to honor Me, to console Me for My bitter suffering when abandoned by my Apostles, when they did not WATCH ONE HOUR WITH ME." Jesus is referring to the incident in Gethsemane covered in Matthew 26, selected quotes (RSCVE) --- Verse 38, "Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death, remain here, and watch with me.'' Verse 40, "He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, 'So, could you not watch with me one hour? '"
 
Participants in the Holy Hour of Reparations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus are acting on the words of Christ to "Watch one hour with me" and "Spend an hour in Prayer."
 
This window depicts the rising smoke from the burning of incense. The Holy Hour devotion begins with the exposure of the Blessed Sacrament (body of Christ) and the burning of incense. This burning of incense symbolizes the prayers offered to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to make reparations for the ingratitude of men. Burning incense as a symbol of prayer is found in both the Old as well as the New Testament. In Psalm 141:2, "Let my prayer be counted as incense." (RSVCE). In Revelation 8:3 - 4 "And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; And the smoke of the incense rose with the prayer of the saints from the hand of the angel before God." (RSCVE).

Height: 93"

Width: 31"

Type of Glass and Technique: Slab or Faceted Glass (Dalle de Verre)

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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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