This window is centered on an icon of Mary
holding her son Jesus, who looks at his mother with tender affection. Mary looks at us, who are the body of
Christ, the Church, with the assurance of her maternal love and
protection. At the end of Vatican
II Pope Paul VI declared, what had been in the heart of the Church since its
inception, Mary the Mother of the Church.
Radiating from the top of the icon are
four yellow orange small circles that represent the four hallmarks of the
Church that Christ founded: ONE,
HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC.
Radiating outward from the icon are twenty small light blue beads that
represent the twenty mysteries of the rosary, which is a contemplative prayer
on the life of Jesus and Mary on earth and their glory in heaven. At the end of the twelve yellow "beams" of light are twelve
royal blue circles each containing a bishop's miter and shepherd's staff. These
represent the twelve Apostles on which the church was founded by Christ
(foundation stones of the New Jerusalem - Book of Revelations.) The top bishop's miter is white
indicating Peter's (the Pope's) primacy among the Apostles - the first bishops. In between each Apostolic circle is a
tongue of fire representing the Holy Spirit, which God the Father and the Son
sent to empower and authorize the Apostles in their service as shepherds of the
Church. On top of each apostolic
circle are two small yellow circles one representing the priest and the other
representing the deacon both of who assist the bishop in the ordained ministry
of service in the Church.
Radiating beyond the priest and
deacons are twelve yellow orange circles each containing three smaller red
circles. These twelve yellow orange circles represent the lay faithful. The
three red circles in each represents the Trinitarian life of grace abiding in
each of the faithful. In between
each circle of the faithful are twelve stars the represent the guardian angels
assigned to each of the faithful. The large red circle that encompasses all the
radiating symbols represents Charity, the love of God that binds the Church
together.
Just below on either side of the large
radiating circle of the Church are two circles each containing the five pointed
star of the Old Testament and the eight pointed star of the New Testament which
comprise the sacred scripture - the word of God, written for the Church and
which nourishes her. In the bottom
right of the window is an oval containing the Eucharist. Which is the source
and summit of the Church's life. In the lower left of the window is a circle of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which represents her sacrificial and maternal
love in the economy of grace in the Church. In between these two
representations is the cross on which is mounted the Eucharist and which
represents the ongoing reality of Christ's self sacrifice on the cross and its
representation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.