Stained glass windows tell a story
As a photographer in the Catholic press (now retired, but continuing as a freelancer), one of my favorite hobbies is photographing stained-glass windows. Since many of my assignments take place inside of Catholic churches, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to capture beautiful, artistic representations of saints and biblical events.
“Give drink to the thirsty,” one of the corporal works of mercy depicted in a stained glass window at Good Shepherd Church in Chilton.Sometimes, the scenes and saints represented in the windows are obvious: Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Wedding at Cana.
Other times, it takes a bit of research. For example, St. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, is often depicted with a lily.
As a story on the University of Dayton website explains, “The lily is associated with St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, through an ancient legend that he was so chosen from among other men by the blossoming of his staff like a lily.”
St. Joseph was also a carpenter, so he is often depicted with a carpenter’s square.
Another fascinating, yet uncommon practice features a theme for stained-glass windows inside a church. One of my favorite churches with themed windows is found in the Diocese of Green Bay: Good Shepherd in Chilton.
The windows gracing this 107-year-old church depict the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. (The parish, then known as St. Mary’s, was established in 1878. The original church was destroyed by fire in 1915 and rebuilt in 1916, with the new windows added in 1928. It was merged with other churches in 2005 to create Good Shepherd.)
I photographed the windows in 2019, while interviewing parishioner Teresa Weber. Each window includes a title (for example, “To Give Drink to the Thirsty) below the scene. However, it is not clear who is depicted in every window.
Recently, I contacted Sandy Winkel, business manager at Good Shepherd Parish, and she reached out to parishioner Herb Buhl. In 2012, Buhl contacted Steve Frei of Emil Frei Stained Glass Company of St. Louis to learn more about who is depicted in the windows. Steve is the great-grandson of Emil Frei, who created the windows.
Buhl said that the parish’s golden jubilee booklet, published in 1928, stated that the stained-glass windows were actually made in Munich, Germany at the cost of $6,000.
“These windows are so beautiful … your great-grandfather and his crew did a fantastic job,” Buhl wrote to Frei.
“The windows on the right side of the main church body represent the seven corporal works of mercy,” said Buhl. “The left side are the seven spiritual works of mercy. … One thing that has us baffled about the windows representing the corporal and spiritual works is the names of the saints in them. Can you possibly help us identify them?”
Only a few saints were identified at that time, including St. Martin of Tours, who is depicted cutting his Roman army cape in half, in the “To Clothe The Naked” window; and St. Stephen the Martyr in the “To Forgive Injury” window, depicted being stoned to death.
Buhl said more detailed information about the windows were lost. “Frei also sends (window details) to the National Archives, but information from before about 1940 never made it to the National Archives and was lost in a fire at the Frei facility,”
A more extensive description of the windows was created in 2015, but it concedes that some of them are based on educated guesses. Here is that list:
Pray for the Living and the Dead: Seems somewhat generic, showing a bishop (miter in lower corner) celebrating Mass; Jesus on the Cross; God the Father and an angel taking someone to heaven.
To Forgive Injuries: St. Stephen the first martyr; also shows St. Paul (then Saul) in the background. Stephen is stoned and his attackers lay their garments at the feet of Saul.
To Bear Wrongs Patiently: Possibly St. Rita or St. Barbara. The woman identified as a saint by the halo is driven from her home by her husband; two children try to restrain her.
To Comfort the Sorrowful: Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bring spices to anoint the body of Jesus. They learn from a young man that Jesus is risen..
To Counsel the Doubtful: Jesus speaking in the synagogue at Nazareth. Notice the scrolls in the window.
To Instruct the Ignorant: St. Patrick preaching in Ireland. Likely also the image of St. Bridget, with long red hair, who was a pupil of St. Patrick and her parents in the background, her father was a Celtic Chieftain, here clothed in skins.
To admonish the Sinner: A pope is ministering to a Turk or Muslim leader. Likely St. Pius V or St. Gregory X, given the timeframe is likely between 1200 and 1550.
To Feed the Hungry: St. Elizabeth of Portugal, most likely as she is depicted with a loaf of bread for her ministry to the poor and hungry. (She) was the great niece of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and is usually depicted with a crown.
Give Drink to the Thirsty: No clear clues. Note, however, one of the symbols of St. Elizabeth is a pitcher.
Clothe the Naked: St. Martin giving a portion of his cloak to a beggar, whom he learns in a dream is really Jesus Christ.
To Ransom the Captive: (No details.)
To Harbor the Harborless: Here we have a saint depicted as a queen taking the homeless into shelter. St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a queen and is the patron of the homeless and nursing services.
To Visit the Sick: Window depicts what appears to be a wife of a crusader (background) receiving the Eucharist.
To Bury the Dead: Depicts the Dormition (falling asleep) of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Likely St. Peter and St. John are also in the window.
Below is a slideshow of the stained glass windows. If you’re traveling through northeast Wisconsin and you enjoy the beauty and stories depicted in stained-glass windows, stop by Good Shepherd Church. Here is a link to the parish website, which includes Mass times.
