By Rachael Sutherland Special to the Intermountain Catholic
OGDEN — A stained glass window that adds both beauty and privacy to Saint Joseph Catholic High School’s chapel was blessed in a ceremony on Sept. 22.
The window, crafted by a student, was installed in the door to the chapel – a small, simply furnished room that has served as a place for quiet prayer and reflection for the students and faculty for years.
Primarily the work of St. Joseph Senior Oswald "Ozzy" Cruz, the window was the result of collaboration among students, faculty and volunteers. It was donated to provide privacy for those using the worship area.
The original window in the chapel door was clear glass, which was covered with a thick piece of paper after St. Joseph Counselor Joe Cravens mentioned that he felt exposed when he went into the chapel for reflection.
"Anyone who walked by could see into it, and I just felt a little more privacy was important," Cravens said.
To replace the blank paper, teacher Adrienne Robbins last year enlisted the help of Class of 2013 graduate Rashail De-Minck to design a window covering. De-Minck drew a representation of the Holy Trinity, and the shield added privacy to the chapel.
Although the Holy Trinity shield drawn on the paper was an improvement, Ozzy Cruz, a senior, suggested another improvement to Robbins. "I told her that it’d be really cool if it was stained glass," he said.
With Robbins’ encouragement and guidance, and the help of friend Thomas Emenger, Cruz decided to create a stained glass window for the chapel.
"It was the right thing to do for the school and the community," Cruz said. "I wanted to give back as a student of St. Joe’s."
Through his previous involvement with Youth Impact, Cruz had experience working with stained glass. After deciding to create the window, he spent seven months, including his summer vacation, going to the Youth Impact building in Ogden to work on the project.
Jan Hall, Youth Impact’s arts and crafts coordinator, oversaw the glass work and contributed to the donation. Financial support for supplies and materials was provided by St. Joseph Catholic High School, Jan Hall and Adrienne Robbins.
Once Cruz completed the window, another St. Joseph’s student, junior Elise White, offered to paint symbols and a Latin inscription onto the stained glass. The inscription explains the Holy Trinity, and reads "The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God."
When the project was completed, Steve Evans, a St. Joseph supporter, installed the window in the chapel door.
Father Ken Vialpando, pastor of Saint Joseph Parish, conducted the Sept. 22 blessing ceremony. Afterward, he praised the dedication and effort that went into the stained glass window. "This project is something we can all aspire to every day," he said. "On behalf of the clergy, I want to thank everyone involved."
St. Joseph Principal Patrick Lambert also expressed his gratitude for the project. "Ozzy was the pivotal person to the success of the project. He did a great job coming up with the idea and actually following through. It’s an absolutely beautiful window. … It’s so nice to see students leaving such a positive mark on campus."
Rachael Sutherland is a junior at St. Joseph Catholic High School.
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