Stained Glass Windows remind Catholics of our heritage

Intermountain Catholic

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IC photos by Barbara S. Lee

The new Blessed Sacrament Church in Sandy is a fine place for quiet reflection. Its stained glass windows, designed and created by Jenkyn Powell and Son, illustrate the heritage of the Catholic Church, including our ties to the Old Testament. Pastor Msgr. Robert Servatius said parish input into the design of the new church and its artwork make the church unique and personal. The church’s crucifix is massive and lets natural light into the church from a window behind it. When the sun goes down, the crucifix is lit with small lights that give a suggestion of a halo. The altar furniture, the baptismal font, the pulpit and other items were designed and created by Deacon Tom Tosti of Park City. The Stations of the Cross, the tabernacle, the sanctuary lamp, the Paschal Candle stand, processional cross, altar candles, and the statues of Mary and St. Joseph came over to the new church from the old church, which has become the parish’s youth center. "Bringing these pieces over from the old church give us a sense of continuity from the old to the new," said Msgr. Servatius. The windows above begin the Catholic Church’s story with books of the Old Testament’s first five books, the Torah. At left is an image of Moses and the Ten Commandments representing the Book of Exodus. Second from left is a window illustrating the Book of Leviticus, which gave the Old Testament its laws. The Mary window, third from left, "represents the Mother of Jesus as the bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament," said Msgr. Servatius. At right is one of the windows illustrating the Evangelists – the New Testament writers. In this window St. Luke is portrayed with an upper detail of a ram, St. Luke’s symbol. On either side of the altar, windows representing symbols of the Eucharist, wheat for bread, and wine in abundance, are also illustrated in stained glass. The new Blessed Sacrament Church was designed by Ralph Stanislaw, architect. "Our New Testament stories have their roots in the Old Testament prophecies," Msgr. Servatius said. "It is good to remember not only our own story, but the stories of those who came long before us."