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Window of the Month
Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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Window

Building Name: St. John's Episcopal Church

City: Detroit

Window Shape: 3 (arched)

Subject/Title of Window: Ruth

Brief Description of Subject: The Old Testament book "Ruth" tells the story of Naomi and Ruth.

Because of a famine in Bethlehem, Naomi, her husband, and two sons were forced to leave and settled in the foreign land of Moab where the sons married the Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Tragedy struck as Naomi's husband and sons died. With the famine over in her native land, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and told her daughter-in-laws that it would be best for them to remain in Moab as they would be treated as foreigners in Bethlehem with little chance of finding a husband. Orpah took her advice but Naomi said:

"Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Ruth 1:16 KJV

They arrived in Bethlehem during the barley harvest and Ruth was forced to glean. A man named Boaz gave her permission to glean his fields and he became impressed with her kind heart and loyalty to Naomi. He made arrangements to marry her despite the fact she was a foreigner.

Boaz and Ruth had a son named "Obed." Obed had a son named "Jessie," and Jessie had a son named "David", who became the King of Israel. Thus Ruth is an ancestor of Jesus.

In this chapel window Ruth is pictured as a gleaner holding stalks of barley. At her feet is a lily of the valley --- an omen of good things in her future. At the top of the window is her initial "R." Beneath that is a sheaf of barley. The shield at the bottom contains a sickle and a stalk of barley.

Inscriptions: HONORING ST. JOHN'S ALTAR GUILD 2006


Condition of Window: good

Height: ~64"

Width: 16"

Ruth
Ruth

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