The Roman Catholic Parish of
St. Jude Thaddeus
6825 Gladys Avenue Beaumont, Texas 77706 409-866-5088
Fr. John H. Hughes, Pastor Fr. Michael Strother, Associate Pastor
Gordon Cabra, Deacon

Commentary on the Faceted Glass Windows of St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church

by designers and artists Patty and David Cargill

February 27, 1987

foreword--To help you with understanding this work of art, keep in mind the following:

Jesus is shown in the color yellow to unite Him with the original altar, ambo and lectern--which were made of brass, the bronze tabernacle, and the bronze "Bread of Life" statue behind the altar. The round circles, mostly of frosted glass, seen in all of the lower windows represent the angels.

The artists utilized a medieval technique of using three panels in each window, symbolizing the three persons in one God.

An Artist never works by himself. Whenever he expresses the word of God visually, I believe the Holy Spirit works through that person; and the viewer helps by adding to the understanding of the work, his own faith, guided by the Holy Spirit.

The round window on the west wall is the focal point for the drama. In John 12, Jesus says, "And I, once I am lifted up, will draw all men to me." It is our decision to raise Jesus above all things in our lives.

The upper windows are we, the church, past and present; saints and sinners, celebrating God's presence in us, obeying his will. The upper windows also remind us that we celebrate our lives in Christ's life, in sadness and joy. Looking from the back of the church forward, the upper windows change from the celebration of the sadness of the Crucifixion in the round window and the pain and sorrow we witness in our lives, to the celebration of joy we find in the forgiveness of the Mass and the gift of grace in our everyday lives.

At the front of the church, looking from the upper windows to those beneath, you sense a general relation of mood to the events in the lower windows. Awesome God of the Universe has completed his plan of redemption for his people. We are aware of the invisible presence of God's angels moving throughout and assisting in the lower windows.

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updated: 07/05/2008