The west window captures the scope of Jesus’ “Great Commission.” (Mt 28:18-20).
The artist described her motivation for this work: “Now that the Church is experiencing a renascence of conscience directed toward the necessity of actually entering into the daily life of the world as it is today, into every reality, I felt that we must present some of the stereotypes that will serve as symbols of TODAY.”* The top half of the three panels of this window depict symbols of the priest’s life and ministry; along the bottom are buildings representing the Nations of the World.
To highlight certain parts of these windows, secondary sections have been deliberately diminished in brightness.
TOP OF CENTRAL PANEL
The symbols in this part of the window depict the Trinity and the Church. A seminarian needs to nurture a deep relationship with the three persons of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who send him and accompany him as a priest. His vocation is discovered in and nurtured by the Church.
To the upper left is the hand of Christ, pointing the way as He gives the commandment to the Eleven: “Go, make disciples of all Nations” (see Mt 28:18-20). In the upper right is a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Between the Hand and the Dove is the Eye of God the Father (in blue glass), completing the symbolism of the Blessed Trinity.
The Church is shown as a Ship below the pointing finger of Christ (in the lower right); in its sails are the Greek letters Alpha and Omega.
TOP OF THE LEFT PANEL
A white stole surrounds a shell. The stole is a narrow band of cloth which a priest wears around his neck, a sign of the authority which the priest receives in the sacrament of Holy Orders to act in the person of Jesus Christ. The shell and drops of water are symbols of the Sacrament of Baptism, the beginning of sacramental life in the Church.
TOP OF THE RIGHT PANEL
A golden priest’s stole surrounds symbols of the priest’s ministry: a Bible, source of preaching and teaching, and a Host and Chalice, signs of the Eucharist, which extends salvation to all places and time.
BOTTOM OF THE LEFT PANEL
Two buildings represent India and the Far East: the Taj Mahal (on the left), the funeral mausoleum for the wife of a wealthy Indian ruler, and a pagoda (in the lower right), a Chinese word which means “eight-sided tower.” The igloos and the green-blue icebergs (right) represent the Arctic.
BOTTOM OF CENTRAL PANEL
The New York city skyline and the United Nations Building represent not only the United States, but all other areas of the world not shown.
BOTTOM OF THE RIGHT PANEL
The Eiffel Tower in Parish, France (left) and the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany (center) represent Western Europe. The Church of St. Basil, Moscow (right), represents Eastern Europe.
The artist depicted a dark cloud looming over the church in Russia. At the time this window was made the Cold War was at its height. In her notes the artist wrote that this part of the window could also refer to “the yet unconverted ... though in that case there may be such a cloud over the whole world.” Huts (below) represent “that great continent of unrest and growth, Africa.”*
“The space age, with all it implies of possibilities, is indicated by the missile and the ‘Gemini’ capsule. The future, too, must be won for God.”*