Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

Click any image to enlarge.

MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: Holy Name Church

Studio Name: Detroit Stained Glass Works, The

City: Birmingham

Date of Window: 1955

Subject/Title of Window: Tridentine Mass

Brief Description of Subject: This window illuminates parts of the Tridentine Mass (Latin Mass), which was first codified in 1570 at the Council of Trent. It gets its name from the Latin name for that city --- Tridentium. The tridentine Mass comes in three different varieties, Low Mass, High Mass, and Solemn High Mass. Some of the words of the Mass are taken from Scriptures. The Douay-Rheims translation from Latin has been used here.

Christ plays an integral role in the Mass as he is both the High Priest and the one sacrificed. During the Mass, the priest acts "in persona Christi," in the person of Christ. In the Latin Mass, when the priest is facing the altar (back to the congregation), he is acting in persona Christi.

The main scene appears to be the priest reciting the Lord's Prayer, which Christ initiated at the Sermon on the Mount. Christ is pictured with his hands lifted up with palms facing up. This pose is known as "orans" or "praying." The priest, facing the altar, hence in persona Christi, is in the identical pose. The prayer is addressed to "Our Father who art in heaven." At the top of the window, heaven, is God the Father, with outstretched arms, radiating his Divine light to earth.

Most of the rest of the window illustrates parts of the Mass using either the Holy Spirit, angels, members of the congregation, or the hands of the priest.

HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit, in the form of a descending dove, is seen at the top , under the outstretched arms of the Father. The Holy Spirit is invoked in many parts of the Mass, for example, in the Minor Elevation (just before the Lord's Prayer), the priest says, "O God the Father almighty, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory."

ANGELS

The words of the angels to the shepherds at the Nativity are said at the start of the Gloria, "Glory to God in the highest. And on Earth peace to men of good will," (Luke 2:14).

Just after the consecration, the priest, facing the altar, will offer up to God the Body and Blood of Christ with the words, "command these our offerings be borne by the hands of the Holy Angel to thine altar on high."

CONGREGATION

Members of the congregation are seen standing, kneeling, praying, and making offerings. One pair is seen holding up their flaming hearts. This comes from the part just before the Preface. The priest tells the congregation to lift up their hearts to the Lord, and they respond, "We have lifted them up to the Lord." These words are from Lamentation 3:41, "Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens.

HANDS OF THE PRIEST

Right hand on a book. With the Book of Gospels open to that day's reading, the priest, with his thumb, makes the sign of the cross on that Gospel. (He continues using his thumb to make the sign of the cross on his forehead, lips and heart).

A cruet adding water to a chalice. This occurs at the start of the Offertory. The priest says, "O God ... grant that, by the mystery of this water and wine, we may be made partakers of His divinity who vouchsafed to become a partaker of our humanity."

Lifted hands around a censer with the incense rising. Just after the adding of the water to the wine, the incensing of the altar, congregation, and the bread and wine, takes place. The priest says, "May this incense which thou hast blessed, O Lord, ascend to thee ..." Followed by words from Psalm 140:2 - 4, "Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight; the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice ..." 

Hands, palms down, over a chalice and host. This occurs just before the Consecration. The priest asks the Lord to accept the offerings and may we be "numbered among the flock of the elect."

Right hand raised and left hand under his breast with a triangle in the background. This is the start of the sign of the cross that a priest would make at the Benediction at the end of the Mass.

Hand holding possibly a shell with water dripping down. This would symbolize Baptism. This would not occur in a Tridentine Mass as an unbaptized person was not allowed in  the Church.

Hands together with palms up and fingers touching. Unidentified.

This window was designed by Margaret Bouchez Cavanaugh when she worked at the Detroit Stained Glass Works.

Height: 30'

Width: 32'

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.

If you have any questions, additions or corrections, or think you can provide better images and are willing to share them, please contact donald20@msu.edu