Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: First Presbyterian Church

Studio Name: Connick (Charles J.), Ltd.

City: Pontiac

Window Shape: 2 (rectangle)

Date of Window: 1952

Subject/Title of Window: Parable of the Sower

Brief Description of Subject: As viewed from the outside, the space for this aisle window extends quite a bit higher and is topped with a Gothic arch. For viewers inside the Church, a balcony obscures vision of the middle part. This window makes up the lower portion and is called "The Parable of the Sower". The upper portion of this space is the window titled "Music".

The Parable of the Sower is found in Luke 8:1 - 15. A farmer sowed his seed. Some fell by the wayside and were eaten by birds, some on rocky ground and died from lack of moisture, some fell on thorns and were choked by the thorns as they grew, and some fell on fertile soil and produced a bountiful crop. Jesus explained that the seeds were the Word of God and the various grounds represented people. Those that hear and do not listen are like the grounds that produced no crop while those that hear and accept the Word in their hearts will be like the fertile ground that produces an abundant crop and will gain salvation.

Description of this window by Connick Associates:
"The theme --- Our Lord's Parable of the Sower. The man sowing the seed is symbolized in the central medallion, while that which fell by the wayside is indicated in the barren symbol at the left, and that which fell on good ground is represented by the fruitful symbol at the right.

The colorful foliated field provides a rich pattern in support of this theme, with symbols of the white lily of purity in smaller medallions above and below."

The donor of the window was Harold Fitzgerald, Editor of the Pontiac Press. This donation was a gift to his wife in memory of her mother. He stipulated that he wanted the initials "MM" to appear at the bottom in the form of the last part of the first "M" to form the first part of the second "M". This is seen in the gold colored piece of glass at the bottom of the right lancet.

The maker's signature appears at the bottom of the center lancet as "Connick Associates 1952".

Inscriptions: As he sowed some fell by the wayside
Other fell on good ground a bare fruit


Height: 7'

Width: 6'10"

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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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