Saint Theresa of Avila Church
 West Roxbury, Massachusetts

Stained glass window over the main altar
first lancet ~ Saint Teresa of Avila
second lancet ~ Mary, the Mother of God 
third lancet ~ Jesus 
fourth lancet ~ Saint John, the Beloved Disciple
fifth lancet ~ Saint John of the Cross.

A detailed description of this beautiful window follows.  
To see a photograph of our Tabernacle Tower, click here: Tower  

The stained glass window in the Sanctuary 
The stained glass window behind the altar of St. Theresa’s Church is a thing of beauty.  It is also a treasure trove of Christianity, history, and ancient legends. 
Early mosaics, wall paintings and windows were created at a time when few people could read.  As a result, artists catered to the masses by bringing faith and truth to them in pictures. 
St. Theresa’s window recreates much of the early Christian and Byzantine eras and even goes back to the time of Noah and Moses. 
Near the top is the figure of God the Father holding an orb, or sphere, topped by a cross.  These symbolize power and the spreading of the Gospel throughout the world. 
Just above, on either side of God, are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega.  These are reminders of the revelation to Saint John :  “ ‘ I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God, “ Who is and Who was and Who is coming, the Almighty.”
God is sitting on a rainbow, a reminder of the covenant with man- - -a promise to Noah after the flood: “Never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood….I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.”
On each side of God is an angel swinging a censer with burning incense.  It is a sign of honor and prayer that goes back to the time of Moses.  In the book of Exodus, the Lord explains to Aaron and Moses how to build an altar and to make incense and keep it “pure and holy.”  The rising smoke was a reminder of prayers ascending to God in Heaven and it became a mark if Divine honor. 
Below God, the four Evangelists are lined up in a row, a Byzantine innovation.  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, writers of the Gospels, are known as Evangelists from the Greek word meaning “one who announced good tidings.”
Their representation as a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle apparently stems from the Prophet Ezekiel who wrote 5 centuries before Christ of his vision of “living creatures” with those characteristics.  Saint John had a similar revelation except one of his creatures was a calf instead of an ox: “And they do not rest day and night, saying “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God Almighty, Who was, and Who is, and Who is coming.”
In her book, The Saints Around Us, Ruth Schell described the Apostles in the window, starting at the left:  Matthew, a winged man because his Gospel deals with the human side of Christ; Mark, a lion, because he emphasizes the royal and kingly dignity of the Risen Christ; Luke, an ox, because he emphasizes the sacrificial nature of Christ’s ministry; John, an eagle, because his gospel stresses the divine natures of Christ and the eagle rises closer to heaven than any other creature.
Between the figures of the apostles are stars and planets representing the universe and heaven, and flames representing divine inspiration.
Paintings of the Crucifixion took centuries to develop.  For nearly 300 years under Roman domination Christians remembered Christ’s sacrifice with pictures of a lamb, a sacrificial animal, and possibly, a bare cross.  It wasn’t until the sixth century that the figure of Christ was added.
Eight hundred years later the Church allowed the use of patron saints and founders of religious orders in the paintings regardless of when they lived.
The right side of Christ was always the “good” side.  His followers were always on His right, His enemies on His left.  The custom was extended later to put the major character on the right and the lesser on the left, as in our painting: the Virgin Mary on Christ’s right and Saint John the Evangelist on the left and on the outside St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.
Above Christ in the window, in Latin, is the title ordered by Pontius Pilate: :Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
Over that is the dove of the Holy Spirit, a name derived from the words of John the Baptist when he baptized Jesus: “ I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting upon Him.”
The dove had been a symbol of good tidings and peace since the time of Noah, who used doves to see if it was safe to leave the ark after the flood.  The dove was considered holy by the Jews whose laws forbade eating them.  Doves were used as sacrifices as in the case of Mary and Joseph who brought two doves for the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple .  Beside the dove and above Christ’s arms are angels holding representations of the sun and moon.  Their use goes back centuries to when they were signs of Apollo, the Sun God, and Diana, the Moon Goddess.  St. Augustine viewed their use as symbols of the two testaments: the Old (the moon) could only be understood by the light shed on it by the New (the Sun).
The sun and moon also could refer to a description of Mary in early liturgies: “Beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun.”
Below Christ is a picture of a pelican , which, according to legend, has pierced its own breast to feed its young.  It is , of course, a reference to Christ Who gave His Body and Blood to feed us in the Eucharist. (The pelican is hidden from the front by the canopy of the altar wall , but can be seen at an angle.)
Mary and the Apostle John are next to Jesus and the Gospel says: “When Jesus therefore saw His Mother and the Disciple standing by whom He loved, He said to His Mother, ‘Woman, behold your Son.’ Then He turned to the Disciple and said ‘Behold your other.’  And from that hour, the Disciple took her into his home.”
Mary in the painting has fleur de lis around her and Madonna Lilies at her feet, both signs of purity.  John, author of the fourth Gospel, holds a quill and book.  Below him are a chalice and a serpent because his enemies tried to give him a poisoned drink.  God saved him. 
Beside Mary and John are St. Theresa of Avila , the patroness of our church, and her co-worker, St. John of the Cross.
St. Theresa holds a golden arrow with which her heart was pierced during a divine vision, which left her with a burning love of God.  A pierced heart is below her.
On the opposite side is St. Theresa’s helper in forming the Discalced Order of Carmel.  St. John of the Cross suffered persecution and imprisonment for his beliefs but never wavered in his devotion.  Below him are lilies and the Cross he loved.  

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