St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson has produced a book featuring descriptions on all 34 of their newly installed stained glass windows at the parish. (Photo provided by Rick LaBont)JEFFERSON — Stained glass windows grace the most majestic basilicas and cathedrals, as well as the humblest of chapels around the globe. They have the ability of transporting one’s mind to another place and time with just a glance in their direction.
The 34 stained glass windows at St. Francis of Assisi Church take parishioners and those who gaze upon them through key moments in the Bible, as well as recall the life of their patron saint who founded the Order of the Friars Minor (Franciscans) in the 12th century.
The story the windows tell has now been preserved in a book which details each depiction in each window in the church and bell tower.
Father James Stuhrenberg, pastor, and a select committee determined which Biblical scenes would be depicted on the church’s new stained glass windows.
There are seven Old Testament windows, 18 New Testament windows, and nine other windows including scenes depicting angels and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the seven virtues, as well as a window depicting St. Michael the Archangel, Our Lady of Guadalupe and scenes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi.
Father Stuhrenberg and the committee worked with Statesville Stained Glass Inc. and artist Les Wicker over five years to create the windows.
“In 50 years I won’t be here but the stained glass will,” joked Father Stuhrenberg. “I have always loved stained glass. It helps the church look holy and helps children have something to look at. It also has another purpose: to teach.”
“The windows are such a huge part of our church, both the story of the window and the wonderful colors,” said committee member Rick Labonte. “There are things in the windows that I was not aware of until they were pointed out… I felt strongly that documentation was needed so parish members would be able to read the stories behind the windows and why the scenes were chosen.”
Vickie Herman assisted her pastor by serving on the committee and assisting him with writing and editing the commentary for the book.
“Father James put a lot of thought and planning into each stained glass window (that was created). It was fascinating to me to hear him talk about how he directed the artist to put certain things a certain way in the windows,” Herman said.
Documenting the selection and description of the windows was important to her. “I think the stained glass windows in our church create a sacred and holy atmosphere. Our goal in writing this book was to leave a written account to help inspire and educate future generations about these magnificent pieces of art.”
Bob Gallagher, retired CEO of Good Will Publishers in Gastonia, helped sponsor the publishing project.
“I wanted to be involved in this project because St. Francis of Assisi Parish holds a special place for my family due to my dear mother’s deep-run roots in Ashe County,” Gallagher said. “My wife Jackie and I now reside part-time in these beautiful mountains. We are fortunate to have found a spiritual home in St. Francis Parish.”
Gallagher says that as a building, St. Francis Church is most inspiring “because it’s a church that looks like a Catholic church. The beautiful windows remind us of the great events in Salvation History and lead our hearts and minds to the central point: the tabernacle – where Jesus Himself is honored and adored.”
“And the very same Mass that is offered daily in the great cathedrals throughout the world is also offered in this beautiful little church in the mountains of North Carolina,” he noted.
The 34 stained glass windows were funded by more than $178,000 in donations from parishioners.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Come and see
Interested in seeing the windows? St. Francis of Assisi Church is located at 167 St. Francis Place in Jefferson. The parish plans to print more books and offer a version in Spanish in the future. Questions? Contact the parish at 336-246-9151.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new film on the life of St. Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun whose visions of Jesus led to the Divine Mercy devotion, will have a one-night-only showing Oct. 28 on more than 700 screens across the United States, including locations in North Carolina.
The 90-minute movie, “Love and Mercy: Faustina,” will also have some features about St. Faustina surrounding it, according to Marian Father Chris Alar, who is seen on-screen during the film.
Shot in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, “Love and Mercy: Faustina” was filmed twice, with the actors speaking in English or Polish, said Father Alar. “That makes it fairly unique,” he added.
The movie was directed by Michal Kondrat, who may be familiar to some Catholics as the director of “Two Crowns,” a 2017 film biography of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest who died in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.
Father Alar said Kondrat had read the diaries of St. Faustina and was interested in developing a film based on the life of another Polish saint.
The filmmaker approached the Marians of the Immaculate Conception – Poland’s first native-founded religious order for men back in 1670 -- which as a congregation has a special devotion to St. Faustina. It was a member of this order who weaved his way through Nazi- and Soviet-occupied Eastern Europe to journey to the United States and spread the word of the nun, for whom he had been her spiritual director.
After some initial storyboards, the Marians brought out a documentary on St. Faustina the congregation had produced in the 1980s, “Divine Mercy: No Escape,” to flesh out added details, Father Alar said.
He added news of the Divine Mercy devotion – which is simply “love in action” – is “great and powerful and incredibly necessary,” because St. Faustina was told by Jesus the message for the end times: “’If you don’t pass through the doors of My mercy, you must pass through the doors of justice.’ Very few people are aware of it. Even Catholics.”
Father Alar called the Divine Mercy devotion “technically, the fastest grassroots movement in the history of the Church, and its growth has been phenomenal.
“Compared to other movements in the Church, like the Sacred Heart, it’s incredible what has been done in such a short period of time,” he noted. “That being said, it still is not known by many people, because many people are not practicing their faith. If they were practicing their faith, they’d hear about it in church.”
Father Alar wanted to caution potential viewers about one theme the runs through part of “Love and Mercy: Faustina” they may find problematic: the suicide of the painter who, at St. Faustina’s direction, painted the image of Jesus with red and white rays emanating from His heart to represent the blood and water that flowed from His side after being pierced in His side during His crucifixion.
The painter, Eugene Kazimierowski, was indeed a Mason, as the film noted, “but he converted” before being called upon to paint the Divine Mercy image, Father Alar said. It is also true that he painted himself as Judas, but “not because he was siding with Judas and wanting to betray Christ, but because he was a sinner and wanted to repent of his sins.”
As for the suicide, “what isn’t said in the movie, not out of despair or lack of trust in God’s mercy (did he kill himself). The Nazis were coming, and he was for sure in an area that the Nazis were occupying and he would have been taken prisoner,” Father Alar said. “And he had information about different things that the Nazis knew he knew. He knew for sure he would have been taken, detained and tortured. It’s never a good decision to take your life, but one that he did fully and freely of his own free will.”
— Mark Pattison, Catholic News Service
Get your tickets
“Love and Mercy: Faustina” will be shown starting at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, at the following locations around the Diocese of Charlotte:
- ASHEVILLE: The Carolina Asheville, 1640 Hendersonville Road, and Regal Biltmore Grande Stadium 15, 292 Thetford St.
- CHARLOTTE: Regal Stonecrest at Piper Glen 22, 7824 Rea Road
- CONCORD: AMC Concord Mills 24, 8421 Concord Mills Blvd.
- GREENSBORO: The Grand 12 - Four Seasons Station, 2700 Vanstory, Regal Greensboro Grande Stadium 16, 3205 Northline Ave., and Brassfield Cinema 10, 2101 New Garden Road
- SALISBURY: Tinseltown Salisbury, 305 Faith Road
- WINSTON-SALEM: The Grand 18 Winston-Salem IMAX, 5601 University Pkwy.
Go to www.fathomevents.com/events/faustina-love-and-mercy to confirm show locations and buy tickets, including group packages (minimum of 25 tickets)