The Church of St. Denis in Manasquan is offering "Lenten Reflections," an online retreat with some of its stained glass windows for the faithful who can't get out to church or who would like to take part in the reflective aspect of the season.
The church has 21 stained glass windows that depict saints, scenes from the Gospels, images from Holy Week and Easter, and portraits of the Good Shepherd and the Immaculate Conception.
Four of the windows are featured in the online retreat: the scene of the Prodigal Son being welcomed home by his father; the depiction of Christ curing the blind man; the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.
The Rev. William J.P. Lago, St. Denis's pastor, told The Gazette by email that he selected the four scenes with a Lenten journey in mind.
"We do reflect in our Lent about our need for a Savior and think about returning to the Father, like the Prodigal Son, into the arms of a loving Father," he said. "In Lent, we read the Gospel of the cure of the man born blind and think of our inner sight enlightened by Christ. And our holiest three days revolve around the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and lead to the Resurrection."
The text-guided retreat invites participants to think of the way the window affects them before moving on to the commentary and questions for each window. All the photographs in the retreat and in the complete online gallery of the windows were taken by Bob Wehner.
According to the history of the windows written by Jean DeSantis and provided on the church's web site, three sets of windows were made for the church, which was completed in 1911. The first set might have been made around 1909 by the Von Gerichten studio, which was based in Munich, Germany, and also had a studio in Columbus, Ohio.
The second and third sets were made when the church was renovated in 1956 and in 1980, DeSantis said.
It is likely that the third set included the stained glass depiction of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the Native American beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980. (She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.)
When Von Gerichten, the company which made the earliest windows, collapsed during the financial crash of 1929, many of its contracts were picked up by Hiemer & Company Stained Glass Studio, DeSantis said.
Hiemer & Company was founded in 1931 in Ohio by Edward Hiemer, a glass designer for Von Gerichten in Ohio. The company moved to Paterson, New Jersey in 1933, and then to Clifton, New Jersey in 1949, according to information on the company's web site, hiemco.com.
The company web site also features the stained glass windows over St. Denis's front door as an example of window renovations.
Fr. Lago said he had done a similar online retreat at his last parish. When a St. Denis parishioner intrigued by the windows proposed taking pictures and educating people about the windows' subject matter and history, he thought the online retreat would highlight the season as well as the history project, which is ongoing.
"I think it is something that someone homebound or desk bound can appreciate during their Lent," he said.
The retreat and the stained glass windows are at www(dot)churchofstdenis(dot)org.
The church has 21 stained glass windows that depict saints, scenes from the Gospels, images from Holy Week and Easter, and portraits of the Good Shepherd and the Immaculate Conception.
Four of the windows are featured in the online retreat: the scene of the Prodigal Son being welcomed home by his father; the depiction of Christ curing the blind man; the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.
The Rev. William J.P. Lago, St. Denis's pastor, told The Gazette by email that he selected the four scenes with a Lenten journey in mind.
"We do reflect in our Lent about our need for a Savior and think about returning to the Father, like the Prodigal Son, into the arms of a loving Father," he said. "In Lent, we read the Gospel of the cure of the man born blind and think of our inner sight enlightened by Christ. And our holiest three days revolve around the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and lead to the Resurrection."
The text-guided retreat invites participants to think of the way the window affects them before moving on to the commentary and questions for each window. All the photographs in the retreat and in the complete online gallery of the windows were taken by Bob Wehner.
According to the history of the windows written by Jean DeSantis and provided on the church's web site, three sets of windows were made for the church, which was completed in 1911. The first set might have been made around 1909 by the Von Gerichten studio, which was based in Munich, Germany, and also had a studio in Columbus, Ohio.
The second and third sets were made when the church was renovated in 1956 and in 1980, DeSantis said.
It is likely that the third set included the stained glass depiction of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the Native American beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980. (She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.)
When Von Gerichten, the company which made the earliest windows, collapsed during the financial crash of 1929, many of its contracts were picked up by Hiemer & Company Stained Glass Studio, DeSantis said.
Hiemer & Company was founded in 1931 in Ohio by Edward Hiemer, a glass designer for Von Gerichten in Ohio. The company moved to Paterson, New Jersey in 1933, and then to Clifton, New Jersey in 1949, according to information on the company's web site, hiemco.com.
The company web site also features the stained glass windows over St. Denis's front door as an example of window renovations.
Fr. Lago said he had done a similar online retreat at his last parish. When a St. Denis parishioner intrigued by the windows proposed taking pictures and educating people about the windows' subject matter and history, he thought the online retreat would highlight the season as well as the history project, which is ongoing.
"I think it is something that someone homebound or desk bound can appreciate during their Lent," he said.
The retreat and the stained glass windows are at www(dot)churchofstdenis(dot)org.
Comments
Post a Comment