The image on this window depicts St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr (celebrated on
November 22nd). It is believed that Cecilia was martyred sometime during the
second century A.D. Cecilia was from a wealthy Roman family; the regal clothes
she wears in this window are an allusion to her patrician lineage. It is
believed that Cecilia made a vow of virginity at a very young age as she desired
to devote her entire life to God. Her parents, opposed to her vow of virginity,
forced her to marry Valerian of Trastevere, however Cecilia converted Valerian
to Christianity and convinced him to respect and honor her virginity. Valerian’s
brother Tiburtius also converted to Christianity and the two in turn dedicated
their lives in service to others. In particular, the two brothers were known for
giving Christian burials to those who were martyred for the faith. Because of
their faith, Valerian and Tiburtius were martyred. Cecilia had the two buried
near her home on the Appian Way in Rome, an act for which she was arrested. When
she refused to denounce her faith by making sacrifices to false gods, she too
was martyred. Cecilia is often pictured with musical instruments; this is an
allusion to her forced marriage. According to legend, while Cecilia listened to
secular music being played at her wedding, she sang Christian hymns in her
heart. For this reason, Cecilia is associated with music and song; because of
this connection, images of Saint Cecilia are often found in churches near organs
and choir areas. There is no doubt that this is the reason why our window of the
saint is very close to the choir loft area (a place no longer used by our choir,
and that features only the facade of the original organ). The saint is also
pictured wearing a crown; it is said that she was crowned by an angel because of
her vow of virginity. Notice the martyrs palm branch laying on the ground near
Cecilia’s feet. Martyrs are typically pictured with such palms; it is pictured
here on the ground because Cecilia uses her hands to hold the musical
instrument. Cecilia is the patron saint of composers, martyrs, music, musical
instrument makers, poets and singers. This window was a gift ofthe St. Cecilia Society, and of Gustaf Nahngartner, Casper Berner and the
family of Joseph Kunz.
The regal clothes Saint Cecilia wears in this window are an
allusion to her patrician lineage. Cecilia is often pictured with musical
instruments; it is said that while she listened to secular music being played at
her wedding, she sang Christian hymns in her heart, hence her connection to
music and song. The saint is also pictured wearing a crown; it is said that she
was crowned by an angel because of her vow of virginity. Notice too the
martyrs palm branch laying on the ground near Cecilia’s feet.
Saint Vincent de Paul
The image on this window depicts Saint Vincent de Paul (celebrated on September
27th). Vincent de Paul was born into a poor peasant family in the southwest of
France in 1581. As a youngster he showed signs of great intelligence and was
given the opportunity to study in a school run by Franciscan friars. His
earliest inspiration to the vocation of priesthood was not particularly
laudable; he believed that by becoming a priest he could escape a life of
poverty, and so by the age of nineteen he was ordained. His early years of
priesthood were not particularly inspiring, as he made great efforts to
cultivate friendships with wealthy people and attempted to live as comfortable a
life as possible. During his mid-twenties he spent two years in captivity,
having been captured during a sea voyage and then sold into slavery by Turkish
pirates. Vincent managed to escape his enslavement after converting one of his
captors to Christianity. He returned to France and worked as a parish priest
during which time he experienced a personal conversion of sorts. After a period
of depression and a time when he even questioned his faith, Vincent experienced
a spiritual renewal that would profoundly affect his ministry for the rest of
his life. At that time he began to understand that as a Christian and as a
priest, his life and ministry should be dedicated to service to the poor. He began
to believe strongly in the great dignity of each human person as a child of God.
Vincent took on the task of reaching out to the sick, the poor, the marginalized
of society and to those who were complete outcasts. In service to the poor,
Vincent eventually established a community of men called the Congregation of the
Mission (today known as the Vincentians), a community of women called the
Daughters of Charity (an effort done with the help of St. Louise de Marillac)
and an organization of wealthy socially-conscious women called the Ladies of Charity. Another of
Vincent’s accomplishments was his work to improve seminaries so that young men
would be better prepared to serve as priests. Modern day followers of St.
Vincent de Paul continue to evangelize and to serve the poor; they
continue to work in seminaries preparing men for the priesthood. Vincent died in
1660 in Paris, France and was canonized 1737. He is pictured in our window
wearing the robes of a priest. He holds in his hands a small boy; the child
represents the poor and the sick whom Vincent tirelessly served. Vincent is the
patron saint of charitable societies, hospital workers, hospitals, lepers, lost
articles, prisoners and volunteers. This window was a gift of the
Orphan Society and Philipp Auer.
Saint Vincent de Paul is pictured in our window wearing the
robes of a priest. He holds in his hands a small boy; the child represents the
poor and the sick whom Vincent tirelessly served.
The image in this window depicts Saint Stanislaus Kostka (celebrated on November
13th). Stanislaus (1550-1568) was born into a wealthy Polish family; his father
was an official in the Polish government. As a teenager Stanislaus was sent,
along with his brother Paul and a companion named Bilinski, to a Jesuit school
in Vienna, Austria. At the school in Vienna Stanislaus joined the Sodality of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. The school’s Sodality was under the patronage of St.
Barbara, whom Stanislaus took as his own patron saint. For two years during
their time in Vienna, Stanislaus, Paul and Bilinski rented rooms in the house of
a wealthy Lutheran family. Unlike Paul and Bilinski, Stanislaus was known for
his great piety and devotion; his brother often teased him because of this and
at times their relationship was quite strained. When he was sixteen, Stanislaus
fell gravely ill with a fever and it was thought that he might die. Paul and
Bilinski refused to call a priest so that Stanislaus might receive the Holy
Viaticum (often called “the last rites”). It is believed that they did not allow
Stanislaus to receive the Holy Viaticum because they feared they would anger
their Lutheran landlord if they allowed a Catholic priest into the house.
Suffering with illness and distressed because of his inability to receive Holy
Communion, Stanislaus prayed to his patron St. Barbara “that he might not die
without receiving the Holy Viaticum.” One night shortly thereafter two angels
accompanied by St. Barbara appeared to Stanislaus and they brought him Holy
Communion. For this reason, our window pictures an angel ministering Holy
Communion to the saint. After that, Stanislaus thought he would die very soon,
but a few days later the Blessed Mother appeared to him and said “you will not
die; you must end your days in the society that bears my Son's name . . . you
must become a Jesuit." The Blessed Mother cured Stanislaus of the fever; shortly
after that he sought to enter the Jesuit Order, a desire rejected by his parents
and family and even initially by the Jesuits too. Nonetheless, Stanislaus was
persistent and eventually entered the Jesuit novitiate in Rome. While a novice,
Stanislaus again became sick; his illness severe, he died on the Feast of the
Assumption, August 14, 1568. It is said that the Blessed Mother appeared to
Stanislaus as he lay dying, at which moment he uttered “she is here, as she was in
Vienna . . . now she will take me with her.” Stanislaus is the patron of broken
bones, the last rites, novices and oblate aspirants. This window was a gift of the
Christian Boys Society.
Because he was staying in the home of a Lutheran family,
Stanislaus was not permitted to receive communion or the last rites when he was
gravely ill with a fever. However, the saint prayed to his patron St.
Barbara “that he might not die without receiving the Holy Viaticum.” One night
shortly thereafter two angels accompanied by St. Barbara appeared to Stanislaus
and they brought him Holy Communion. For this reason, our window pictures an
angel ministering Holy Communion to the saint.
Saint Balbina
The image in this window depicts Saint Balbina (celebrated on March 31st).
Frankly, little is known about Saint Balbina, who is said to have been martyred
in the year 130 A.D.. It is believed she lived a life of compete chastity, never
getting married. Some think that she lived an early form of religious life
similar to that of monastic nuns. After her martyrdom it is reported that she
was buried in the ancient catacombs of Rome. In modern day Rome there are three
different locations with memorials to Saint Balbina, but it is said that her
relics were eventually transferred to the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany–possibly
the reason that early parishioners of Most Holy Trinity, who were German,
venerated her and found it appropriate to dedicate this window to her (not to
mention that one of the donors was named Balbina). Balbina was the daughter of
Saint Quirinus who had been elected by the people as a Roman Tribune. The two
were martyred together during a persecution of Christians, an event recorded in
the account of the martyrdom of Saint Alexander, another saint about whom little
is known. Balbina is pictured in this window wearing fine robes, an indication
that she was from a wealthy family; she wears a laurel crown that symbolizes the
victory of martyrdom; Balbina holds the martyrs palm branch with her left hand
and chains and fetters with her right. The fetters, used to shackle the ankles
of those being led to martyrdom, are now a symbol of the Christian’s victory
over death. Balbina is the patron saint of those afflicted by scrofula (a form
of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes). This window was a gift of
Joseph and Balbina Zoll.
Saint Balbina is
pictured wearing fine robes, an indication that she was from a wealthy family;
she wears a laurel crown that symbolizes the victory of martyrdom; the saint
holds the martyrs palm branch with her left hand and chains and fetters with her
right.
Saint Martin of Tours
The image in this window depicts Saint Martin of Tours (celebrated on November
11th). Martin was born in the year 316 A.D. in the Roman Province of Pannonia
(an area that now includes modern Hungary). He died in the year 397 in Tours,
France. During his childhood, Martin’s parents were not Christians; his father
was an officer in the Roman military as well as an elected Roman Tribune.
Attracted to Christianity as a young teenager, Martin began his conversion
process by becoming a catechumen in the Church. As a catechumen, Martin began
his life-long commitment to serving others and to the avoidance of taking
advantage of the less fortunate. At the age of fifteen he joined the Roman
military and was assigned first to a ceremonial unit and then as a Cavalry
officer. One day as Martin was traveling by horse he came upon a poor beggar,
but having nothing to offer him, the Calvary officer-to-be-saint tore his own
tunic and gave one half to the misfortunate man. It is said that in a later
vision Martin saw that the beggar was actually Jesus himself. After a lengthy
catechumenate Martin was baptized at the age of eighteen; thereafter he refused
to enter into military conflict, citing his faith as the reason. Arrested for
cowardice, Martin was sent to jail with the promise that he would be placed on
the front lines in the next battle (a de facto death sentence). The battle
however, never occurred, and Martin was released and discharged from the
military. Martin lived at a time during which there were great struggles within
the Christian faith; heresies and divisions plagued the Church. Martin himself
was persecuted by Arian Christians who rejected his Catholic faith. For ten
years, between 361 and 371 Martin lived as a hermit in an area of France called
Ligugé. While he was a hermit his reputation for holiness spread throughout the
region and other men began to join him in his way of life; this community of
monks eventually became the Benedictine Abbey of Ligugé. When Lidorius, the
Bishop of Tours, died in 371 Martin was chosen to replace him. Although Martin
at first declined his election as bishop, he reluctantly accepted the ministry
when the people of Tours declared him their spiritual leader by popular
acclamation; he was consecrated as the Bishop of Tours on July 4, 372. Even as
bishop, Martin continued to live as a monk, but he never failed to lead his
people and to defend their causes. When he died, Martin was first buried in a
cemetery for the poor; later his relics were transferred to the Basilica of
Tours where they remained until being destroyed in a Protestant revolt in 1562.
Martin of Tours is the patron saint against poverty; he is the patron of
beggars, cavalry, equestrians, horses, innkeepers, reformed alcoholics,
soldiers, tailors and wine makers. This window was a gift of the
St. Martin Society.
Although Saint Martin first declined his election as
bishop, he reluctantly accepted the ministry when the people of Tours declared
him their spiritual leader by popular acclamation; he was consecrated as the
Bishop of Tours on July 4, 372.
The image in this window depicts Saint James the Greater, son of Zebedee
(celebrated on July 25th). Saint James is the patron of the Diocese of Brooklyn.
James, a fisherman like his father before him, was the brother of the John;
James and John were some of the first to be called to follow Jesus as his
apostles. According to Scriptures, Jesus gave James the name “Boanerges” or “Son
of Thunder;” it is believed that Jesus called him this because James had great
enthusiasm and zeal for preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God. This
James is called “the Greater” because he was called before the other apostle
James who is known as “the Lesser.” It is believed that James the Greater
preached extensively and went as far as Spain to bring the message of the
Christian faith to others. James was the first apostle to be martyred, a death
he endured by being pierced with a sword at the hands of King Herod Agrippa in
the year 44 A.D. When he died, it is said that his body was miraculously
transferred to Compostela, Spain where it was likewise miraculously entombed
inside a huge rock. Compostela became an important pilgrimage destination during
the Middle Ages, a place where it is said that many miracles have occurred over
the centuries. Because pilgrimages to Compostela and the grave of the saint
became so popular, people began to associate James with pilgrimages. In the
Middle Ages people would often bring back shells from places where they had made
pilgrimages as proof that they had been there; consequently, sea shells became a
symbol of James the Greater. In our window, James is pictured with a walking
staff and a gourd bottle; these too are symbols of those on pilgrimage (the
staff to help the pilgrim to walk long distances and the bottle so that he or
she might have an ample supply of water). The saint is also pictured with an
open book; in art, books and scrolls are typically held by the apostles. Because
of his missionary work in Spain and the presence of his tomb there, James became
known as the Patron Saint of Spain; he has been a symbol of the country and of
other places influenced by Spanish culture and language (“Santiago,” a form of
“Saint James” in Spanish, is a popular Spanish name and is the name of many
cities throughout the world). James is the patron saint of arthritis sufferers,
blacksmiths, equestrians, knights, laborers, pharmacists, pilgrims, rheumatoid
sufferers, soldiers, Spain and veterinarians. This window was a gift of
the St. Jacob Society and Elizabeth Ganter.
Saint James is pictured with a walking staff and a gourd
bottle; these are symbols of those on pilgrimage (the staff to help the pilgrim
to walk long distances and the bottle so that he or she might have an ample
supply of water). The saint is also pictured with an open book; in art, books
and scrolls are typically held by the apostles.
The image in this window depicts Saint Raphael the Archangel (celebrated on
September 29th). The name Raphael means “healer of God.” Raphael is one of the
Seven Archangels who stand guard at the Throne of God in heaven. He is first
mentioned by name in the Scriptures in the Book of Tobit. In the story, the
Archangel guides the young Tobiah, the son of Tobit, on a journey from Nineveh
to Media where the youth was to collect money owed to his father, who had many
misfortunes and had fallen ill and become blind. In Media a woman named Sarah
had been praying for relief from her misfortunes; Sarah had lost seven
consecutive husbands on their wedding nights when each was killed by the demon
Asmodeus. In response to the prayers of both Tobit and Sarah, the Archangel
Raphael, unknown to anyone as an Angel of God, was sent to guide Tobiah on the
journey from one city to the other. On the way, Tobiah was attacked by a large
fish while washing his feet in the Tigris River. The Archangel told him to seize
the fish so that they might use its gall, heart and liver as medicines. After
his arrival in Media, Tobiah was able to recover his father’s money and he
eventually married Sarah; he used the fish’s heart and liver as a weapon on
their wedding night and destroyed the demon Asmodeus. After he returned to
Nineveh, Tobiah rubbed the fish gall into his father’s eyes and the old man was
cured of his blindness. Raphael then revealed his true identity and returned to
heaven. The Book of Tobit, and the story of Tobiah and Sarah end after Tobit and
his wife died and were buried, Tobiah and Sarah returned to live in Media, and
Nineveh was destroyed because of its wickedness. In this window the Archangel
Raphael is seen holding a type of flask symbolizing a container holding medicine
he uses to cure disease. Tobiah the youth is seen holding a travelers walking
staff and a sack for the journey. The Archangel guides Tobiah by the hand.
Raphael is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye problems, those with
bodily ills, doctors, guardian angels, happy meetings, love, lovers, those who
suffer with mental illness, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, shepherds,
travelers and young people. This window was a gift of
the St. Rafael Society and Philip and Catherine Schmitt.
The Archangel Raphael is seen holding a type of flask
symbolizing a container holding medicine he uses to cure disease. The
youth Tobiah, who's story is told in the Old Testament Book of Tobit, is seen
holding a travelers walking staff and a sack for the journey. The Archangel
guides Tobiah by the hand.
