Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Studio Name: Willet Hauser Architectural Glass

City: Detroit

Window Shape: 6 (gothic arched, more than 2 vertical sections)

Subject/Title of Window: Communion of Saints

Brief Description of Subject: From the Guide to the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Copyright 1958, Archdiocese of Detroit.
"This window, all but filling the north transept, is a revival of what is called a 'Worship of Praise' and is found in many of the great cathedrals of Europe. Its five great lancets, reaching to the roof of the church, are filled with a galaxy of colors. Here are ruby and amethyst, emerald and glorious blues highlighting many reverent faces. The artists of the Willet Studios spent more than a year in the creation of this window alone."
 
"The central portion pictures Christ enthroned .... and vested in His richest regal robes. Above His throne, God the Father looks down in benediction. Beneath the resplendent Christ are the adoring angels; beneath them, saints .... In the side panels are the human family, the holy men on one side and holy women on the other. They reach out reverently to share the ineffable glory of the Saviour. Fathers and sons, kings, philosophers, monks and prelates press forward to the Beatific vision. St. John the Baptist (in camel's hair clothing) and St. Joseph are near to Christ; St. Joseph bears the budding rod (which symbolizes 'chosen by God' from Numbers17 where God chose Aaron's rod among the 12 tribes by having it flower). In the opposite panel are the adoring woman; ..... nuns and abbesses, martyrs and virgins, and at the apex the Blessed Virgin Mary with the sword of sorrow piercing her heart (from Simeon's words to Mary at the Presentation). In the extreme side panels is the angelic host on guard, protecting the heavenly abode from evil. In the traceries, cherubs fill the heavenly blue."
 
"Below the main window are five small panels". Each tells a story from the Bible. Going from left to right.
 
Panel one: The entire story of Noah is covered in Genesis Chapters 7,8, and 9. Pictured here: When the flood had subsided Noah, along with his wife, his sons and their wives, built an altar and made a burnt offering of clean cattle and fowl. God was pleased and made a covenant with him that he would never again destroy mankind with a flood and signed the covenant with an arc of light (rainbow).
 
Panel two: The story of David and Goliath is covered in 1 Samuel 17 ----- In this scene David has already killed Goliath and is about to cut off his head.
 
Panel three: The Temptation in the Desert is covered in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John. Just after being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus went into the desert to fast for forty days. Weakened and hungry the devil came to tempt him but Christ resisted finally telling him (Matt 4:10-11) "Be gone Satan, for it is written the Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil left him, and behold angels came and ministered to him." 
 
Panel four: Jeremiah was one of the most important prophets of the Old Testament. God was furious with his chosen people as they were not living up to their end of the Covenant. Through Jeremiah, God told the Israelites they would suffer greatly and Jerusalem would be destroyed unless they returned to obeying the commandments, especially to stop their idolatry. They did not listen to Jeremiah and Jerusalem was destroyed and the Israelites forced to move to Babylonia. This panel shows God pointing to Israelites worshipping a false God and Jeremiah weeping for what he knows will happen to Jerusalem.
 
Panel five: I believe this picture refers to the "Davidic Covenant" --- through the prophet Nathan, God promises David that he will have a son that will succeed him as king and build a permanent home for God, also a descendant of David will be the promised Messiah. What I see in this window is an arc of light that symbolizes the Covenant, David praising the Lord with his harp and his wife Bathsheba and their son, Solomon, praying to the Lord. Solomon will succeed David as King, built the Temple of Jerusalem and the Messiah was from the House of David. There is however a distinct possibility that the women in the picture is Hannah with her son Samuel. When Samuel grows up he will be the prophet through which God will select David to succeed Saul as the King.

Height: ~30'

Width: 18'

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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