Lance Feeney & Associates Stained Glass


St. Joseph's Catholic Church Toronto NSW Architect: Eckford & Johnson Pty Ltd. Commissioned by Father Hart 1984 Creation Window for the new parish church and school. Dimensions: Each window - Length = 10 m X Height = 2.2 m. Leaded French flashed opalescent and transparent glass; German reamy and machined glass; cast glass, Mild steel T bar; aluminum section. Eucharist Window (left) Baptismal (right). Click images to enlarge.

Symbolism The floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows commissioned for St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Toronto are designed to represent and symbolize creation. The green glass at the base of the Eucharist window on the left represents earth, the blue on the right represents water, while the opalescent represents the third element, air. In both windows, the Holy Spirit spreads across each window, touching and weaving through other important symbols such as the Baptism and Eucharist.
The Creation God’s creative energy moves over the land (green glass in the left window) and the sea (dark blue glass in the right window), bringing light and life to the world. Clear glass of varying visual clarity and transparency, has been used to progressively bring the outside world into focus. The lower sections of the window are intentionally blurry. As the viewer’s eye moves up each window, the external environment comes increasingly into focus. Thus, the world outside is revealed to our senses.
God the Father & the Pentecost The Holy Spirit is symbolized by the Pentecost (the circle of flame). These tongues of fire emanate from God the Father, represented by a sphere of purple glass containing prismatic white lenses symbolizing atomic matter - the building blocks of life. The purple sphere is banded by a yellow border in which the symbols alpha and omega (the beginning and the end have been inscribed.)
Eucharist The Eucharist is symbolized by the cup, the Host and the sheaves of wheat. Both the creation energy and the Holy Spirit run through this symbol, before traveling left to mingle with a linear abstract geometric composition. This part of the window symbolizes man. The names of the window’s donors are individually inscribed.
Baptism The Baptism is represented in the window to the right of the altar by the star shaped symbol containing the initials IHS. The Holy Spirit and energy of Creation run through the Baptism and end in the corresponding symbolism of man’s culture/creativity on the right window’s periphery.
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St. Joseph's Catholic Church Toronto NSW