Stained glass
“O God, we ponder your love
within your temple.
…the people of Judah rejoice
at the sight of your judgements.
(Psalm 48)
A story attaches to the acquisition of these windows. They were made in England and shipped to the United States, where they were held pending the payment of duty. Archbishop Cleary refused to pay this, and went to Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, and the windows were allowed into Canada. Nobody knows whether the canny Scot actually paid any duty. The windows are unusual in that they tell the story of salvation from Adam and Eve until the deaths of Saints Peter and Paul. Many of the Biblical scenes are easily recognizable, and the windows are well worth studying. Each window has six scenes and three symbols, and the windows’ story is read from the north~west window (by the Blessed Sacrament altar), down the west wall and up the east wall to the Baptistry. A detailed description of all the windows is available at a table at the back of the Cathedral for those who wish to borrow it.
The windows originally cost $1,500 each, but they are thought to be worth $500,000 today. After the restoration of the Cathedral was completed in 1993, work started on the repair and restoration of the windows, now complete. The work was done in a room in the basement, using the same methods as were used a thousand years ago to manufacture and repair stained glass, except for the use of electric heat. The restoration was carried out by Mark Thompson, assisted by Robert Dougherty. The cost, about $5,000 – $6,500 per window, was borne by generous donors whose gifts are commemorated on a plaque beneath each window.
(Visit the Images of St. Mary’s photo gallery to view the entire collection of the Cathedral’s stained glass windows.)