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Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: St. Mary's of Redford Church

City: Redford

Window Shape: 3 (arched)

Subject/Title of Window: Virgin Most Faithful

Brief Description of Subject: The Clerestory windows are designed to let light into the Church and all have the same design --- a wide border of stylized lilies and three medallions. The center medallion will contain a symbol for an avocation found in the Litany of Loreto. The avocation in this window is "Virgin Most Faithful, Pray for us."

Pictured in the center medallion is the Immaculate Heart of Mary which consists of white lilies sprouting from the top --- her virginity, flames from the top --- burning love for God and humanity, sword through the heart --- Simeon's words to Mary at the Presentation "and thy own soul a sword shall pierce," band of white roses --- purity. The suitability of this symbol is described in the 1750 book "The Illustrated Litany of Loreto" by Franz Zavier Dornn and illuminated by the Klauber Studio. Translated in 1878 from Latin by Thomas Canon Pope:

Virgin Most Faithful
Be thou faithful unto death. Apoc.ii.10

In this picture is represented a heart, and, in the heart, Mary, as significant of her fidelity. Mary, indeed, in accordance with the accompanying sacred text, may justly be styled the "mulier fidelis, et cor ejus fidele --- a believing woman, and her heart faithful." Why should she be so called? Because she faithfully adhered to the engagement she entered into on pronouncing the word "fiat --- be it done." For, in pronouncing "fiat," she made a species of promise to her Spouse, the Holy Ghost, that she would preserve the purity of her body unblemished by any stain; and to the Divine Father, that she was willing to become the Mother of His Son, and, as a consequence, would undertake His care with the utmost solicitude. Now, both promises were faithfully fulfilled by Mary. .... Mary, who as a mother, "fidelis usque ad mortem --- faithful unto death," stood by the side of her suffering Son, Christ, and yearned that all the sufferings which He endured, in the body, she would suffer in heart and soul.

Height: ~64"

Width: 36"

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