History in stained glass

PATERSON  When the St. John’s Church was opened in 1870, the original windows were of cheap colored glass. There are still remnants of those windows in some of the auxiliary areas of the present cathedral, for example, in the sacristy, and in the lancet window nearest the Tabernacle. However, the intention was always to replace the original windows with fine stained glass windows as funds became available. Between 1870 and its final consecration on June 29, 1890, funds were raised to “complete” the church, including the bell tower, the minarets on the front of the church, the side chapel, and other interior features.

It appears that the nave windows were replaced gradually as donors came forward for them. The earliest ones appear to be the two windows facing Main Street (Dominic and John the Baptist) and the two closest to the altar area (Patrick and Lawrence), which were in place by 1890. If one looks at these four windows, there appears to be a slightly different coloration than the other windows. The windows were produced in Innsbruck, Austria. In most modern churches, the windows usually follow some theological or devotional pattern, i.e. the Mysteries of the Rosary (St. Mary’s, Denville), the seven days of creation (St. Vincent de Paul, Stirling), Franciscan saints (St. Bonaventure’s, Paterson) or devotion to the Holy Cross (Holy Cross, Wayne). In St. John’s, however, there is no discernible pattern other than the will of the donors. It appears that each donor was free to select whatever saint they wished, and often it is the patron saint of the person in whose memory the window was given. This has produced some unusual windows. St. John’s is probably the only church in New Jersey to have images of the English saints, Richard of Chichester, and Thomas a Becket.Beginning at the Tabernacle and working our way clockwise around the cathedral, the nave windows depict the following:

St. Patrick donated in memory of Patrick Lee; 389-461 Apostle of Ireland — most of the early parishioners of Saint John’s were from Ireland.

St. Richard of Chichester donated in memory of Richard T. Morgan; 1197-1253 English bishop — author of the poem, “Day by Day,” enshrined in the Godspell musical.

St. Charles Borromeo donated in memory of Charles O’Neill; 1538-1584 Italian Cardinal — Tridentine reform Bishop of Milan.

St. Margaret of Scotland donated in memory of Margaret O’Neill — her daughter was one of the original five novices with the Sisters of Charity; 1046-1093 Queen of Scotland — with scepter in her hand.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary donated in memory of Dennis and Mary McKiernan.

St. Catherine of Siena donated in memory of Henry and Catherine Gourley; 1347-1380 Italian mystic.

The Triumph of the Holy Cross donated in memory of Margaret McBride. An image of a triumphant Christ holding the Cross with the motto “In hoc signo vinces — In this sign you will conquer.”

St. Thomas Aquinas donated in memory of Thomas O’Neill; 1225-1274 Italian Dominican — “Angelic Doctor” — patron of philosophers.

St. Dominic donated by the Parish Rosary Society; 1170-1221 Spanish founder of the Dominicans — early promoter of the Rosary.

St. John the Baptist donated by the St. John’s Sunday School Teachers Association. The SJSSTA was an early vibrant force in St. John’s Parish — in addition to religious education, they also sponsored classes in the Passaic County Jail, as well as a wide variety of cultural, athletic, theatrical and social programs.

St. Thomas a Becket donated in memory of Thomas E. Smith; 1118-1170 English Archbishop of Canterbury — martyr — shown with the palm of martyrdom as well as a sword, the means of his murder.

St. John the Apostle and Evangelist donated in memory of John F. Smith; the youngest member of the apostolic college — the cup with the snake refers to a legendary attempt to poison him.

St. Rose of Lima donated in memory of Rose C. Smith; 1586-1617 Peruvian mystic and champion of the poor — one of the earliest saints from the Americas.

St. James the Greater donated in memory of Dr. J.W. Smith, M.D.; Brother of St. John — depicted with the pilgrim’s staff connected with the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus donated in memory of Catherine Smith.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary donated in memory of Michael Smith.

St. Joseph donated in memory of Robert Sawyer; Husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus.

St. Lawrence donated in memory of Lawrence McGee; Roman deacon martyred in 258.

The next addition to the windows came in 1940 with the large window on the rear wall of the cathedral depicting the Life of St. John the Baptist donated by the John Agnew family. At the time of its installation it was the third largest stained glass window in the country. It depicts, from left to right, The Birth of John the Baptist; John’s time in the wilderness; John’s Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan; The preaching of John the Baptist, and the last days of John in prison.

Below the scenes are the coats of arms of Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) and Paterson’s first bishop, Bishop Thomas H. McLaughlin (1937-1947).

At the peak of the window is the image of a lamb, symbolic of both Christ and John the Baptist, surrounded by the symbols of the four evangelists. Interestingly, the four evangelists — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — are the most depicted saints in the cathedral. They are commemorated here in symbol, and are also depicted in figure in the four lancet windows facing the organ, and in the series of apostles, evangelists, and prophets decorating the ceiling.

The 1986-1987 renovation of the cathedral for the Diocese’s 50th anniversary was the occasion for the next addition to the windows of the cathedral. The removal of the organ from the choir loft exposed six lancet windows still filled in with the original glass and damaged beyond repair. These were replaced with images of six saints and blessed from the Americas, from left to right: St. John Neumann 1811-1860; Bishop of Philadelphia; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 1774-1821; founder of the American Sisters of Charity and first native of the United States to be canonized; St. Martin de Porres 1579-1639; Dominican lay brother from Lima, Peru; St. Kateri Tekakwitha 1656-1680; Native American from the Mohawk Tribe — native of New York State; St. Isaac Jogues 1607-1646; French Jesuit missionary martyred by Iroquois Indians in New York State and first priest to set foot in New York City; and St. Katherine Drexel 1858-1955; native of Philadelphia; foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People.

At the same time the sacristy was renovated and a separate room set aside as a Bishop’s Sacristy. Bishop Emeritus Frank J. Rodimer replaced the two small windows in the room with new windows in honor of his parents, Frank and Susan Hiler Rodimer. They are: St. Francis of Assisi 1181-1226; Italian founder of the Franciscans and St. Susanna, an Early Roman martyr; her church in Rome is the “American” church in the city.

The newest addition to the Cathedral windows is the half-window over the Grand Street side door. Because of the bell tower, this space is not open to the outside, and for many years the large crucifix suspended over the altar was displayed in this area. In 2007 Bishop Arthur Serratelli provided for a window here, with artificial back-lighting, in honor of the Patron Saint of Immigrants: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini 1850-1917; she was the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint in 1946 — she actually worked for a time in Bishop Serratelli’s home parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Newark.

[Msgr. Kupke is diocesan archivist and pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Hawthorne.]