OUR VISION- It is my belief that the windows should
bear relevance to his life and mission, even while not figuratively
portraying him. Architecturally, we want to have the gaze of the
parishioners eventually come to focus on Christ and the cross, but
like all of our journeys, there is meaning in the indirect paths we
eventually take.
With these thoughts in mind, our
vision for the main window is:
St. Alphonsus grew up to a world of
opportunity- well educated, well spoken, cultured, deep rooted love
of music; his childhood was both privileged, yet disciplined, of his
own accord. He rose to practicing law at a very high level, and
eventually succumbed in small increments to some of the worldly
attractions success could provide. His balance of his own passion
with the structure that law, society, and even the Church provided
was toppled by God’s plan for him. His acceptance of God’s vision
for him, at the expense of his own perpetual discomfort and even
extreme illness was attested to by his determination to pursue his
beliefs. Ironically, his initial fall from a high profile legal case
was, in his mind, a reason to question whether his failure was due
to deceit on his part; paradoxically his ruin (in the eyes of
Society and the Church) at the end of his life was due to the deceit
of others. Yet he persisted in believing that the Order he founded
would someday be important, and while not rewarded in his lifetime,
such did come to pass.
When frustrated with an outcome that
offended his logical and moral sensibilities, St. Alphonsus was told
by his friend, "It would seem as if you placed all your trust here
below"; this enabled St. Alphonsus to be at peace. It is our goal
through these windows that those worshipping in your parish will
visualize where to put their trust.
This provided me with a framework of
reference, upon which to construct the main window. Geometry,
symmetry, and balance are all hallmarks of a highly developed
society, legal system, and quite often, our own lives. Into this
order, God injects HIS will and vision, which includes both joy and
suffering (but rarely in even amounts) for an ultimate purpose,
often unknown to us. In this window, we DO know the purpose, for our
eyes are led to Christ on the Cross hanging in front of it! In the
window, I envision neutral colors of various hues and shades,
incorporating flashed opal glass, comprising an ordered “structure”
perhaps containing reference to Alphonsus’ Neapolitan roots. The
geometry of the background was derived from drawings for the
competition to build the justice center of 19th century
Rome; the Palazzo di Giustizia. At the outer edges of the window are
the challenges, frustrations, and illnesses that plagued, yet shaped
Alphonsus’ spiritual journey. Deep blue-greens, deep blues, and blue
violet shades of glass suggest these events. As we move to the
center, behind the cross, uplifting colors are used, to conceptually
suggest the relief from suffering of one Saint’s journey, and to
celebrate the Resurrection and true gift of Jesus Christ. The shapes
used to convey the journey will be organic and undulating, to
contrast with the structure we try to impose. The opalescent art
glass (made in Pennsylvania by the Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass
Company) forming the structure will “glow” somewhat uniformly
throughout the day, and even into the early evening, whereas the
richly colored organic shapes will be created using mouth-blown
antique glass; which offers brilliance, and a dynamic, changing
appearance during different times of the day, the weather, and
season. The brilliance of this glass allows for interaction with
nature beyond, and some have remarked how the wind blowing the
adjacent trees creates a “flame” effect through the lighter orange
glass.
It has been my great privilege to be a
part of this important phase of St. Alphonsus Church’s history. It
is my hope that all who worship here will be moved in some way by
the windows; while all share the same glass types; the design and
glass selection allows everyone a personal interpretation, hopefully
making each window a unique viewing experience.
Mark Beard
Scintilla Stained Glass
77 Chapman Road
Doylestown, PA 18901
glassartist@tradenet.net
215-348-4880 phone
215-340-9206 fax
