Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church
Father Barry Brinkman, Pastor
307 East 5th Street, PO Box 608
Concordia, KS 66901
Phone: 785.243.1099
Fax: 785.243.1939
Email: conolph@yahoo.com
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The Stained Glass Windows of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church
The windows are available for viewing from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with the exception of Mondays during Adoration and other special parish events taking place in the Church
As one enters the Church, nine windows are immediately visible. The east wall windows feature grapes, symbolic of the Eucharistic wine; the mitre and keys, emblamatic of the Church authority; the anchor, symbolic of Christ the Savior and the two windows featuring Saints Patrick and Michael.
The four west windows depict the keys to the Kingdom, a window honoring the Women's Order of Foresters and the two windows depicting Saints Francis de Sales and Peter.
Donated by the congregation in honor of Bishop John F. Cunningham, a window in the west wing features St. John the Baptist. It is surrounded by windows honoring the two evangelists, Saints Mark and John. The lower windows depict the Lamb of God, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the dove.
The east wing of the Church features the Holy Family window donated by the Nazareth Convent and surrounded by windows honoring the two evangelists, Saints Luke and Matthew. In honor of Mary, the monogram "AM" in the lower left window stands for "Ave Maria." The lilies, to the right of the Sacred Heart window, symbolize purity.
Above the confessionals and doors in each wing are smaller stained glass windows.
As you look up to the choir gallery, symbols found in the beautiful rosette window include (top left to right) the cross, the inscription "INRI" meaning Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. A small round window with the initials "FHC" in the branches of a cross represent the virtues of faith, hope and charity. The elk in this window and an initial "F" represent the Catholic Foresters organization. The harp of David is seen in the center right window. The bishop's mitre and crozier symbolize the Church's authority and remind us taht Concordia was the Diocesan See until 1945.
As one leaves the south doors of the Church, a small window above the entrance honors the Blessed Virgin Mary with the words "AVE MARIA." There are six windows in the tower and narthex, also.
As you leave the Church and enter the parish hall through the glass doors on the west, one will find a stained glass window with a shock of golden wheat, symbolic of the Eucharistic bread. This window was moved from the west wall of the Church at the time the parish hall was annexed.
The work on the Catholic Church was begun in 1877 and completed in 1879. These windows were purchased from Warner of Kansas City, painted by a German-American artist and possibly installed around 1902-1903.
Many of the windows have been damaged by storms over the years. The replacement glass has been matched as closely as possible to the original.
Submitted by Virginia Thull, parishioner