Two Churches
Joining as
ONE Family
Together in Love
OUR
STAINED GLASS WINDOWS
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH
Historically,
Stained Glass Windows with their sparkling light and radiant colors
have been used by the Catholic Church as a teaching tool while at the
same time providing spiritual inspiration to all who view them! In fact they were sermons which "reached the heart through the eyes instead of entering at the ears." For centuries, the story of our Faith has been passed on through our Stained Glass windows.
The patron saint of our church is St. Thomas Aquinas, therefore most of our windows have either an Eucharistic or a Dominican theme.
CHURCH CHOIR LOFT:
As you climb the stair up to our choir loft the first window has a Franciscan theme. My God and My All was St. Francis of Assisi's favorite Meditation Prayer. DEUS MEUS ET OMNIA. The bottom of the window contains three Franciscan vows ~ Poverty (entrusting their lives to God's providence and accepting only the use of necessary things) ~ Chastity (renounces the goods of marriage as well as any act against virginal purity.) ~ Obedience (to do whatsoever the legitimate superior in the order commands so long as it is something good and licit.)
Entering the choir loft you first see our organ which was built in 1988 by the Wicks Organ Company.
Behind the organ in all it's jeweled splendor is our Rose window....
A Rose Window is a circular window with a design radiating from the center and is filled with stained glass. The term comes from the resemblance of the window to a rose and its petals. Rose windows are also called Catherine windows after St. Catherine of Alexandria who was sentenced to be executed on a spiked wheel as they also resemble a wheel. The origin of the rose window is probably the Roman oculus. These large circular openings let in both light and air, such as the opening in the top of the dome of the Pantheon. Over time the large circular opening moved from the dome of the church to the walls and was filled in with glass.
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A close up of our Rose Window.
The window in the Choir Loft which is covered in Fleur-de-lis. Fleur-de-lis is French for Flower of the Lily. It is both a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity. The three petals indicate the Holy Trinity, with the band on the bottom symbolizing Mary. Tradition indicates that without Mary you can not understand the Holy Trinity since it was Mary who bore The Son.
