Milford chronicle., 1959-04-24
Stained Windows
At St. Johns


and his brother, John, in a boat
with Zebedee, their father, mend
ing their nets: and He called them.
And Immediately they left their
nets and their father, and followed
Him" (Matthew 4. 21-22). The only
other window on the Epistle side
of the Church depicts the scene
when "the mother of the sons of
Zebedee came to Christ with her
sons; and worshipping she made a
request of Him -. Command that
these my two sons may sit, one at
thy right hand and one at thy left
hand in thy kingdom" Matthew:
20, 20).
On the Gospel side the first win
dow shows the manifestation of Our
Lord to the Apostles who f'seeing
Him walking upon the sea, thought
it was ghost ana cried out
Then He Immediately spoke to them
and said to them: Take courage; !;
it is /; do not be afraid" mark
6, 1851. The next window pictures
st. John as he took his place at the
foot of the Cross on Calvary. The
next one shows ST. John as he ran
to the tomb on Easter Sunday
morning: Peter therefore went
out and the other disciple and they
went to the tomb. The two were
running together and the other dis
ciple ran on before, faster than
Peter, and came first to the tomb" ["
John 20, 3-4). In the next window
st. John is shown as tradition tells
us he was thrown into a caldron of
boiling oil from which he emerged
unscathed. The final window-the
only one in the sanctuary-s shows
st. John in the act of writing the
fourth gospel; the opening words
of which are quoted in the windew:
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God; and
the Word was Cod.
Incorporated in the large win
dows is some of the information St.
John gives us in his Apocalypse.
"The seven stars are the angels of
the seven churches, and the seven
lamp stands are the seven church
es". II heard behind me a great
voice, as of a trumpet, saying:
What thou seest write in a book,
and send it to the seven churches,
to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to
Pergamum and to Thyatira and to
Sardis and to Philadelphia and to
LaOdicea'."
Besides the large windows there
are also four smaller ones. On one
side of the main entrance to the
Church is pictured Christ as the
King of the Universe. On the other
side the Blessed Mother is portray
ed as the Queen of Heaven and
Earth. In the vestibule at the side
of the Church one window shows
st. Bernadette, the Patroness of the
Church in Harrington; and the
other window shows st. Francis
deSales, the heavenly Patron of the
Diocese of Wilmington.
The glass used in the windows
came from not only this country
but also from England, France,
and Germany. All the work done
on the windows was by hand; no
machinery was used. The only diff
ference between work done today
and that of say nine centuries ago
is that the glass and the lead are
now purchased ready for use,
whereas in earlier centuries these
items would be made by the arti-
sans themselves. Cutting the glass
is now done by means of glass cut
ters while in previous centuries it
was done by means of hot irons.
Previously, too, one artist did
everything; now separate artists
are oftentimes used for the various
operations-designing cartooning
(the term used for the full sized
drawing of each window in char
coaD glass painting, cutting, glaz-
ing, and setting.
Much of the glass used is known
as "pot metal" glass because its
color is added while the glass is in
molten form The rest of the glass
is known as flash" glass which is
color. All the red garments worn
by st. John are ruby flash-red on
white or red on gold. The outer
garments on Our Lord are white
flash on white. The Inscriptions are
gold pink glass-made with real
gold. The golden torches and the
wings of the angels and the names
of the churches are made from a
stain of silver nitrate crystals.
Many of the windows have been
donated as memorials to deceased
relatives. The public is cordially
invited to inspect the new windows,