In all of my research to find fascinating Stained Glass, I do find that stained glass was predominately through our religious past. Here is another to share with you!
The windows at St. James Anglican Church tell the story of
Christ’s life from the Annunciation to the Ascension. The man responsible for their existence is
Rev. Canon George W. Findlay, rector of the parish from 1927 to 1951. It all
started with the East Window …
By the 1940s, mortgages had been paid off and the
parishioners decided to turn their attention to beautifying the ‘new’
church. Rev. Findlay suggested that
stained glass be installed in the East Window, to honour “the men and women who
served, suffered, and died in the service of God, King, and Country.” Rev.
Findlay had been impressed with windows he had seen in Toronto and invited
their creator, Meikle Studios, to submit a design. When he visited the church,
the studio representative suggested that stained glass be installed in the 14
aisle windows as well. Conceptual designs were drawn up for them, with the
upper and lower panel designs being formalized, and the center panel left for a
Biblical scene that would be designed when the window was commissioned.
Fundraising for the East Window began in September of 1944,
and the window was unveiled on November 11, 1945; a fitting gift from the
congregation. The cost was $1,460.17
Canon Findlay drew up a list of 14 pivotal events in
Christ’s life to suggest to parishioners who wanted to donate a window and
stipulated that they had to be installed in the correct order in the story
sequence. The first aisle windows to be donated were the pair illustrating ‘The
Women Come to the Tomb” and ‘The Emmaus Road’.
This was the beginning; interest and excitement increased as
the remaining windows were installed over the next decades. After Canon
Findlay’s death in 1952, his family donated ‘The Birth of Christ’ and ‘The
Presentation at the Temple’ in his memory.
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Behind the Baptismal Font, at the nave entrance, is a double
panelled Baptistery Window designed and created by Winnipeg’s Leo Mol, the
world-renowned artist and sculptor. These are not part of the story sequence
but are important representations of periods in Christ’s life. The left panel
shows John the Baptist baptizing Christ with water from a scallop shell (the
symbol for St. James); the right shows Jesus welcoming three children to Him.
The most recent windows to be added are two small panels
beside the Baptistery Windows (Abbey Most windows were created by Meikle
Studios (of Toronto), but it no longer exists. Westmacott Art Glass Studio of
Winnipeg created two of the aisle windows as well as the large West Window in
the gallery (balcony).
Art Glass). As all of the story windows are complete, these
illustrate concepts in Christianity:
• The chalice symbolizes faith, sacrifice,
redemption, the Eucharist, the cup of salvation
• The dove expresses innocence and purity and
signifies the Holy Spirit and presence of God; rays of light of divine power
indicate the Holy Spirit, and also declare the innocence of the departed.
Adapted from Through a Glass Brightly —
The Heritage Windows of St. James Anglican Church
by the late Reverend Canon John D. Caird
That's all for now folks! May sunshine fill your day!! Please check back often!
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