Window
Building Name: St. Andrew Catholic ChurchStudio Name: Emil Frei Associates, Inc.
City: Saginaw
Window Shape: 3 (arched)
Date of Window: 1912
Subject/Title of Window: Baptism
Brief Description of Subject: From Faith in Stained Glass Saint Andrew Church booklet by Michael Bell, published August 15, 1976.
This is one of the windows of the apse. The apse, that is, the semi-circular area of the sanctuary which contains the altar, has been a usual feature of Christian churches since the first century. The first churches were usually converted Roman basilicas, buildings which were used for assembly halls or law courts. The place where the judge originally sat became the spot from which the priest came to preside over the Mass. In time the altar was moved from its central, free standing position and it was place against the back wall of the apse where it remained until the Second Vatican Council restored it to its original position. The apse of St. Andrew's is lit by nine small Gothic windows. Seven of them portray the seven sacraments; the first and last windows bear the "alpha" and the "omega", the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
One of Seven Sacraments: Baptism. Christ comissioned the apostles to "Go, therefore...baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). He himself submitted to a rite of baptism by water in the Jordan River. (Matthew 3:13, etc.) Amidst the ornate foliage which decorates the window, a hand pours down the waters of Baptism; so water has been the universal symbol of the sacrament of Baptism. Christ implied that he was the Living Water when he spoke in the Temple early in his ministry (John 7:38).
Condition of Window: Good
Height: 5' or 6'
Width: 2'
Type of Glass and Technique: Enamel Paint
Baptism
Baptism detail
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