School Chapel

In Memory of Daniel and Honora Hurley

Displayed here is Christ's encounter with a rich young ruler who asks him how to gain eternal life. Luke and Mark place this in the same chapter of their gospels as the episode in window 1, The Healing of Bartimaeus. Like the previous story, this one occurs along the road to Jerusalem, before Christ's passion. 

In The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the story is divided into two parts. In the first, Christ encounters the rich man and in the second is his recorded teachings after the rich man has left. 

The evangelists agree on most elements, though differ in some wordings. Mark calls the man "a rich man" while Luke refers to him as "a rich young ruler".

In the second part of the story, Christ turns to his disciples with teachings of the incompatibility between material wealth and salvation, including the famous metaphor: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19.24). 

Christ compels the rich man "Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor." Rather than tell him to share his wealth or feed the poor, he asks him to give it all up. It is a stark reminder of Christ's directive to "give all".

Donated by Mr. and Mrs. P.W. Coyne in Memory of Their Parents

This window illustrates the Resurrection. Christ stands, bathed in light, emerging from his tomb. He raises one hand while holding his funeral shroud with the other. A cruciform halo anoints his head. 

The tellings of the Resurrection are ubiquitous across the Gospels, and use various visual motifs. This is in part because the Resurrection is not recorded in scripture. It is known from scripture indirectly, from Christ's appearances during the 40 days between the Resurrection and Christ's Ascension to heaven. 

While many other depictions present the Resurrection with grandiosity, Christ here is presented as far more grounded. It is a slow, quiet witness to his triumph, with more thought than emotion. Seen on his hands and feet are the Stigmata, the wounds from his crucifixion, a reminder for us to examine our own wounds.

Donated by Mrs. Thos. H. O'Shea In Memory of Her Father, John Hayes

Depicted here is Christ as an adolescent, with Joseph and Mary. They stand around a wooden workbench, harkening to the Holy Family's humble beginnings as carpenters. 

Mary stands taller in the background upon a dais within a stone archway. She is weaving, holding a spindle with one hand and a thread with the other. 

"The Holy Family" broadly encompasses visuals that portray Jesus, Mary and Joseph, often called "The House of Nazareth", it was the common subject of medieval and Renaissance art. Distinct here is Christ as a distinctly older child, rather than an infant. He holds the handle of a saw in one hand, showing him as an active participant in the family's work. 

The family is as busy as it is holy. Beyond the domesticity of the scene in the window, illuminated is the Redemptive Cycle of Christianity. Looking at the faces, it can be determined all in the scene are looking past each other. Christ specifically is looking upward, not to Joseph, but to his true "father". 

Mary's seated position evokes the image of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appears to her to tell her she will bear the Son of God. Deeper inspection apprehends the central mysteries revealed through narratives of the life of the Holy Family. 

In Memory of Homer Cronin's Deceased Relatives 

Depicted in this window is the is the ever-present personification of protection and beneficence. Christ stands in full figure, protecting a young lamb and carrying a shepherd's crook. It reminds us to embody the archetype of the shepherd: one who guides, protects and loves. 

The Good Shepherd as an image emerges in ancient Egypt, the Egyptian god Osiris is often depicted with a crook, and many Pharaohs carried them as a symbol of authority. 

Notably, the ancient Israelites did not give their leaders the title of shepherd, King David being the exception, as he shepherded his fathers flock. He then lost the title when he was crowned as king. He is the first to utter in Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still water he leads me."  

Silver Jubilee Gift of The Alumni 

Shown in this window is the Coronation of the Virgin Mary. She is flanked by Christ and God the Father and is about to be crowned. Christ and God the Father are seated upon thrones, wearing crowns themselves in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Above with wings outspread, the dove of the Holy Spirit casts down rays of light upon the Virgin's crown. The twelve stars around Mary's halo represents a passage in Revelation 12.1, "A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon at her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." 

Mary in this image however, does not stand upon a moon, as it is often reserved for images of the Immaculate Conception. 

Gift of Mary E. Curry and Daughter

In this window, the story of Christ Blessing the Children, also known as "Suffer the Children" (to come unto me). A group of men, women and children surround Christ in this image. 

The children take up much of the foreground of the image, ranging in age from infants to adolescents. 

The narrative for this window is in the Gospels of Matthew Mark and Luke, also known as the synoptic Gospels. All three tellings of this story share the theme of how we ought to treat each other. All three sources also confirm that the adults brought children of all ages to be blessed by Christ. 

The window and the narrative ask us to reflect on Christ's message of "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest." 

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John N. Fulham

The window's narrative is a part of the Passion Cycle, the series of events and stories leading to Christ's death, starting with his arrival to Jerusalem. In the synoptic gospels, this scene takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. Christ is followed to the garden by his disciples, and shares with his closest followers, Peter, James and John that he anticipates his own betrayal and death. 

In this moment he pleas with God to be spared of his coming death. He eventually comes to accept his fate: "Not my will, but yours be done." 

Augustus A. Hennessy in Memory of Deceased Relatives 

A window perhaps more unique to St. John's Prep, this window depicts St. Francis Xavier, the namesake of the Xaverian Brothers. He was canonized as a saint in 1662. He stands above people who are listening to his words. 

Among the interpretations of the window, most likely as to the exact scene it is depicting is a mixture of events from St. Francis Xavier's time preaching in Japan. This is supported by the architecture in the background. However, St. Francis preached and traveled all around, so the diversity of figures in the image could be in reference to that. 

Alumni Memorial to Brother Norbert, Headmaster 1917-1926 

This window highlights the Prophetess Anna, the only named prophet in the New Testament. She stands with an open book in an interior space. Upon the book is the roman numerals one through ten, in reference to "Tablets of Moses" with the Ten Commandments. 

Anna appears only once in the canonical scriptures. In Luke's Gospel, she plays a role in the story of the "Presentation of Christ in the Temple." The window does not depict any particular narrative from the Bible, but in Luke, we learn more about her story. 

Anna is the daughter of Phanuel, of the Tribe of Asher, and is an older widow (either she is 84 or has been widowed for 84 years according to Greek texts). She spent much of her time in the Temple, worshipping with prayer and fasting. 

The Prophetess Anna is often a symbol of diligence, intelligence and wisdom, and her depiction is often is used in places of learning in the western world.