Stained Glass in the St. Joseph Chapel tells a story of salvation (part one in a series)

“From stories from the Sisters of St. Joseph, we know that the stained glass was created in France and, more incredibly, French artisans traveled to America to install them!” said Father David Huemmer, chaplain at the St. Joseph Retreat & Conference Center. “The chapel and motherhouse were built in 1957 and the stained glass was created by Jean Barillet, Peintre Verrier in Paris.”

“The stained-glass windows were imported from France, a country famed for the artistic beauty of this product. Blue and rose are the predominating colors which the artists have skillfully constructed of small diamond-shaped pieces of stained glass. The truly artistic beauty of these is seen only when the sun shines through the glass, giving colors of myriad hues which enhance the loveliness of the chapel.” –excerpted from the Dedication of the Motherhouse souvenir book, 1957

For the first five years that the retreat center has been open, this is all that was known about the beautiful glass of the chapel.

“Sister Rosie Coughlin told me there was a booklet about the stained glass, but I couldn’t find one in the items left behind by the Sisters of St. Joseph,” Father Huemmer said. “Later I wrote to the archivist of the Congregation of St. Joseph who shared the original 28-page Iconography of the Stained-Glass Windows booklet.

“This document had been typed on a typewriter and included handwritten notes and markings. Scripture was written in English and French!” said Father Huemmer. “As you can imagine, it has taken some time to recreate the 28-page document using computer word processing. Then, we asked St. Maria Goretti Parishioner Sara Musick to photograph new images of all the stained glass as well as the St. Joseph Chapel.”

The updated Iconography binder is available for guests to review. It is kept in the lectern bookshelf just outside of the Chapel.

“Now that we have descriptions of the stained glass, as well as new images, our marketing specialist has begun incorporating the artwork into our website, in blog posts like this one and digital graphics as well,” added Father Huemmer.
 
The Sanctuary, the part of the chapel where the sacrifice of the mass is offered, features six stained glass windows. The three western windows are Eucharistic in theme. The first features the Multiplication of Loaves. The second details the Institution of Blessed Sacrament. And the third depicts the Agony in the Garden. Jesus at prayer sees an Angel appear to Him whilst the Apostles sleep.

“In celebration of the National Eucharistic Revival, we’ve connected some prayers and scripture with these images in graphics that we’ll use on social media and on our digital sign,” added Father Huemmer.

The three eastern windows reflect the first three Glorious Mysteries.  The first one is the Resurrection. The second is the Ascension. Jesus, in glory, is raising up the Heaven before the Apostles. The third window is Descent of the Holy Ghost. 

The other two Glorious Mysteries can be found in the Nave portion of the Chapel, which is the central part of a church building, intended to accommodate most of the congregation.

“A cool thing about the window placement is how the sun shines through them,” Father added. “As the morning sun rises, it illuminates the eastern windows, especially the Resurrection window which reminds us of the Risen Son. The sun sets through the western windows emphasizing the Last Supper and reinforcing the idea that the Eucharist was instituted in the evening.”

These unique features demonstrate the thought that the artisans and the Sisters put into the placement of the windows in the St. Joseph Chapel.

Images and descriptions of the Sanctuary Stained-Glass can be found on our website at this link https://www.stjosephretreat.org/sanctuary