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Windows & Relics

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Stained Glass Window Tour

Visitors to Our Lady of Mercy are often struck by our beautiful stained glass windows. It is rare to find a newly built church with any stained glass at all, much less stained glass of such quality.  The windows and many of the Church fixtures are the gift of St. Augustine’s Church and Cardinal Bernardin of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

There are three sets of windows:

I. Two large windows in the Narthex framing the Baptismal Font on each side
II. Ten windows inside of our church evenly framing the main body of the church
III. Two sets of windows in the Tabernacle area

The two large windows near the Baptismal Font are of the Nativity and the Ascension of our Lord.  In the main body of our church there are 10 windows depicting scenes from the life of Christ arranged in chronological order.  When facing the altar, the first window scene begin on the left side of the church with the window closest to the exit door weaving its way around ending at the St. Joseph side (the side where the piano is located).

I. The Two Large Windows in the Narthex

The two largest stained glass windows are in the narthex on either side of the Baptismal Font. Like most older churches, St. Augustine (from which the windows were taken) was cruciform, or in the shape of a cross. The “cross piece” of the church, called the transept, was the location of these two magnificent windows.

The window on the Eola Road side of the font depicts Christ entering our world at the Nativity.  The bright colors of the robes of the Magi, on the left side of the window stand in stark contrast to the muted earth tones worn by the humble shepherds on the right.

The other window depicts Christ leaving our world at the Ascension.  Jesus, standing on a cloud and flanked by two angels, is at top of the center panel. He is surrounded by the apostles and His mother, Mary.

II. Stained Glass Windows on the East Side of the Church

Below are 5/10 of the stained glass windows in the body of the Church. When facing the altar, the following tour of these beautiful windows will begin on your left starting from the Exit door and working its way around through the St. Joseph side, the side where the piano is located.

1. The Annunciation

This beautiful window portrays the archangel Gabriel who appears to Mary to tell her that she will bear a son by the Holy Spirit.  Notice the purple coloring and texture of the angel’s wings are particularly beautiful. There is also a dove, representing the Holy Spirit, emitting a ray of light which illuminates Mary’s head.

2. The Presentation

In this window, Mary and Joseph bring their firstborn son to be dedicated to God at the temple in Jerusalem.  A prophet named Simeon tells them that the boy is the Messiah of the Lord. Note the rich drapery of Mary’s gown. Joseph is carrying a cage containing the required offering of two turtledoves.

3. Finding Jesus in the Temple

The scene in this stained glass window portrays the biblical story of when Jesus was twelve, the family traveled to Jerusalem for a festival.  On the way home, they noticed that Jesus was not with any of the relatives. They rushed back to Jerusalem and found the boy sitting with the teachers, asking questions and astounding everyone with his understanding.  Particular attention should be noted on the Hebrew letters on the books and scroll. You’ll also find, as in the other windows, Jesus’ halo always contains a cross.

4. The Giving of the Beatitudes

This takes place on the shore of Lake Galilee.  See how everyone’s eyes are riveted on Jesus as He gives them the eight secrets to happiness.  His audience consists of men, women, the old, the young, the rich and the poor, but they all find an incredible peace listening to Jesus’ teachings.

5. Jesus Blesses the Children

When you look at this window, you’ll find the group sits under an apple tree as Jesus teaches that “you must become like a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven”.  Notice the peaceful faces of the mothers as they listen to Jesus’ words. Coincidentally this window is closest to our Children’s Chapel.

II. Stained Glass Windows on the West side of the Church

Below are the remaining 5/10 stained glass windows in the body of the Church. This next set of beautiful windows is located on the right side of the church when facing the altar, ending at the wall where St. Joseph is, the side of the church where the piano is located.

6. The Last Supper

The scene of the Last Supper in this window shows Jesus elevating the bread with a paten underneath.  The cup is on a table in the background. The faces of the twelve apostles reflect their distinctive personalities and ages.  Peter, an older balding man with a gray beard, is kneeling in the lower right portion of the window, while Judas (the only apostle without a halo) is seated in the lower left panel.

7. Agony in the Garden

In this window, we find Jesus kneeling in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.  In the foreground, the apostles are asleep on the ground, notice Peter with a sword.  An angel has come to minister to Jesus, offering him a cup. Especially beautiful is the background of trees against a starry night sky.

8. Christ is Risen

Jesus is emerging from the tomb.  See how this beautiful window portrays His wounds; clearly visible on his hands and feet and he is dressed entirely in white.  Jesus is carrying a banner signifying triumph. The two Roman soldiers guarding the tomb cringe in fear on the left side of the window, their swords, spears, and shields utterly useless against the risen Christ.

9. Peter is Given the Keys

There are lots of detail in this window.  We once again see the wounds on Jesus’ hands and feet indicating that this is the risen Christ.  While looking into the eyes of a kneeling Peter, Jesus points to three sheep, telling Peter to “feed my lambs.”  Peter holds in his hand the “keys to the kingdom” just given to him by Christ. To further stress the idea of Peter as the first Pope, the artist chose as his background the basilica of St Peter’s in Rome.

10. Mary is Crowned Queen of Heaven

The beautiful scene this window depicts starts with Jesus seated on a throne wearing a crown and holding an orb topped with a cross, signifying dominion.  With his other hand, he is placing a crown on a kneeling Mary, naming her Queen of Heaven. A dove, representing the Holy Spirit, is hovering nearby. The five chubby faces of the “cherubim” tell us that this scene is taking place in heaven.

III. Stained Glass Windows in the Tabernacle

The windows which form a beautiful backdrop for the altar and tabernacle are images of angels playing different instruments, as a side note, there are also two of these angel windows in the Priest’s Sacristy.

Then there are the three windows high above the tabernacle depicting three figures from our tradition closely associated with music, namely, King David, St. Cecilia and Pope Gregory the Great.

King David [LEFT]  As a shepherd boy, soothed his father’s sheep by playing his harp and singing. In this window he is holding a harp. The Old Testament reports that David loved to sing and improvise his own accompaniment. Many of the 150 Psalms are attributed to David.

St. Cecilia [CENTER] is the patron saint of music and musicians. She was a young woman from a wealthy Roman family in the early days of the church when Christianity was an illegal religion. Tradition says she played the organ and sang continually in her heart to God. As a Roman Christian she was condemned to death. A soldier struck her three times in the neck with his sword, but she lived for three more days before she died, singing songs of praise to God.

Pope Gregory the Great [RIGHT] can be easily identified by his miter (the distinctive hat worn by bishops and popes). Gregory was a great reformer of the church, but his best known work was in the field of music. As he traveled around the Catholic world in his day, he was delighted by the music he heard. He decided to collect and publish this music for Mass. We know it as “Gregorian Chant.”

Relics & Saints of the Day

Beneath the altar is a golden reliquary, which simply means a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept.  The word relic comes from the Latin relinquo, literally meaning I leave, or I abandon. A relic is a piece of the body of a saint, an item owned or used by the saint, or an object which has been touched to the tomb of a saint.  As Catholics we don’t worship the relics.  We venerate the relics of the Saints because of the way they loved; the way they lived their lives inspire us.  Clothing and personal effects of the Saints were also enshrined stemming from the widespread belief since St Paul in Acts 19:11 through the centuries of the early Middle Ages, that the wonder-working power of God through the Saint was to be found not only in the entire body but also in every part of it and in objects that had been in contact with his person.  More information on the 3 types of relics and scriptural resources are at the end of the page.

The custom of putting relics under altars goes back to the time of the catacomb when Mass was often offered over the tomb of a Saint, of martyrs, because they gave their life as a testament that Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead; they wouldn’t denounce Jesus or their faith in Him and were killed for it.

Our beautiful reliquary is a memorial gift from Christine and Bill Holbrook in memory of Bill’s brother Daniel.  We are grateful to the Holbrook family for such an incredible gift.

The reliquary is similar in shape to the great reliquary at the Cathedral in Cologne holding the relics of the Wise Men.  Our reliquary is Christ surrounded by the Apostles.

List of Relics Entombed in Our Reliquary
  • “teche” Italian word for casket containing the relics of Saint Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist) and Saint Clare
  • “teche” Italian word for casket containing the relics of Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian
  • relic of Saint John Vianney
  • relic of Saint Edward the Confessor
  • relic of Saint Richard
  • relic of Saint Jerome
  • relic of Saint Maria Goretti
  • relic of Saint Lucy
  • relic of Saint Magdalene
  • relic of Saint Mary Alacoque
  • relic of Saint Nicholas
  • relic of Saint Patrick
  • relic of Saint Stanislaus
  • relic of Saint Philip Neri
  • relic of Saint Rose of Lima
  • relic of Saint John Neuman
  • relic of Saint Sebastian
  • relic of Blessed Padre Pio
  • relic of Saint Valentine
  • relic of Saint Veronica
  • relic of Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini
  • relic of Saint Pius X
  • relic of Saint Elizabeth Seton
  • relic of Saint Martha
  • relic of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, SJ
  • relic of Saint John Berchman
  • relic of Saint Martin DePores
  • relic of Saint Alphonsus Liguoori
  • relic of Saint Gerard Majellen
  • “teche” Italian word for casket containing the relics of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Elizabeth and Saint Zachary
  • relic of Saint Stephen, 1st Martyr
  • Blessed Edith Stein

Three Classes of Sacred Relics

  1. The first-class is a part of the saints body. It is this type which is placed in an altar stone.
  2. The second-class is a piece of the saints clothing or something used by the saint.
  3. The third-class is an object which has been touched to a first-class relic.

Scriptural Passages

Isn’t the veneration of relics optional for Catholics? Must the Catholic faithful really esteem the bodies of the saints?

Once and for all, the Council of Trent (16th century) responded to the claims of the reformers that both the veneration of the saints and their relics is contrary to Sacred Scripture. The Council taught: Also the holy bodies of the holy martyrs and of the others who dwell with Christ . . . are to be honored by the faithful.  There are several scriptural passages that support the veneration of relics. For example,

  • Exodus 13:19. The Israelites took Joseph’s bones when they departed Egypt.
  • 2 Kings 13:21. The bones of Elisha came in contact with a dead person who then was raised to life.
  • 2 Kings 2:13. The same Elisha took the mantle of Elijah and fashioned a miracle with it.
  • Acts 19:12. The Christians of Ephesus, by using handkerchiefs and cloths touched to St. Paul’s skin, effected the healing of the sick.

The relics of the saints and their veneration is just another in the long line of treasures which Jesus Christ has given to His chaste bride, the Church. These relics summon us to appreciate more profoundly not only these heroes who have served the Master so selflessly and generously, but especially the love and mercy of the Almighty who called these His followers who are living a blissed out unending life in His eternal kingdom.

Let’s also pause for a moment.  Perhaps in our technological age, the whole idea of relics may seem strange.  Remember, all of us treasure things that have belonged to someone we love– a piece of clothing, another personal item, or a lock of hair.  Those “relics” remind us of the love we continue to share with that person while he was still living and even after death.  We are very proud to say, “This belongs to my mother,” for instance.  Our hearts are torn when we think about disposing of the very personal things of a deceased loved one.  Even from an historical sense, at Ford’s Theater Museum for instance, we can see things that belonged to President Lincoln, including the blood stained pillow on which he died.  With great reverence then, we treasure the relics of saints, the holy instruments of God.  In all, relics remind us of the holiness of a saint, of a hero, and his cooperation in God’s work; at the same time, relics inspire us to ask for the prayers of that hero and to beg the grace of God to live the same kind a faith-filled life.