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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: Holy Mary

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 "Holy Mary, Pray for us."

Pictured in the center medallion are olive branches and the inscription "Oliva Speciosa," which is a quote found in the Vulgate at Sirach 24:19 and translates as "fair olive tree," (Douay-Rheims). The suitability of this symbol is described in the 1750 book "The illustrated Litany of Loreto" by Franz Xavier Dornn and illuminated by the Klauber Studio." Translated in 1878 from Latin by Thomas Canon Pope.

HOLY MARY
Blessed be the Lord, who hath so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men. Judith, xiii. 24.

The picture represents the name of Mary expressed with olive branches. But why should olive branches be employed? For this reason --- because the Sacred Scripture seems to allude to the name Mary when it says: "Oleum effusum nomen tuum" --- Thy name is as oil poured out; and, in another place: "Olivam pulchram vocavit Dominus nomen tuum" --- The Lord called thy name an olive tree, fair and beautiful. Now, as oil possesses the qualities of healing and strengthening, so the salutary name of Mary heals, invigorates, and strengthens. Again as oil, mixed with other liquids, floats on the top, so, after the name of God, the name of Mary is greater than all other names. Finally, as the olive branch which the dove brought to the ark was the sign of peace, so the wrath of God is assuaged when He is appealed to with confidence under the invocation of Mary.

Inscriptions: Oliva Speciosa
Translation from Latin: Olive Tree


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