Art and stained glass - St. Vincent Ferrer Church

A Tour of the Art of St. Vincent Ferrer Church
Façade (outside front of the church)
Statuary
St. Vincent Ferrer
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Albert the Great
Shields
Apocalypse
Dominican and Province Shields
Twelve Apostles
Stained Glass Windows
Rosary Series
– front to rear, east side
2. Annunciation
1. St. Dominic Receives the Rosary
4. Birth of Jesus
3. Visitation
6. Finding in the Temple
5. Presentation
8 Scourging at the Pillar
7. Agony in the Garden
– front to rear, west side
16. Coronation of Mary
15. Assumption
14. Pentecost
13. Ascension
12. Resurrection
11. Crucifixion
10. Carrying the Cross
9. Crowning with Thorns
Dominican Saints – front to rear, east side
St. Vincent Ferrer
St. Dominic
St. Catherine of Siena St. Agnes of Montepulciano
St. John of Cologne St. Peter Martyr
– front to rear, west side
St. Pius V
St. Antoninus
St. Louis Bertrand
St. Rose of Lima
St. Hyacinth
St. Raymond of Pennafort
Choir Loft
Blessed Martin de Porres
Our Lady Queen of Heaven North Rose Window
South Rose Window
Statuary
Side Altars
Other Art
Blessed Imelda Lambertini
Our Lord Christ the King
Façade of St. Vincent Ferrer Church
Statues of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Albert flank the arch. Over the doors is a statue of St.
Vincent Ferrer. The principal shield above the doorway arch contains symbols representing the
Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse. The theme of the visions of the end of time are
characteristic of the preaching of St. Vincent Ferrer. The hand of God with rays of streaming
light hovers over the “Lamb, standing as if slain”, the symbol of Christ in Glory. Under the
Lamb are seven candlesticks. Two reliefs of the Consecrated Host over a Cup with grapevines
frame this shield.
The large shields on the side panels of this part of the façade are those of the Province of St.
Albert the Great, a cross with three books representing the secular and sacred wisdom of the
province’s patron.
Façade Shields
Twelve Apostles
Rosary Series #1
St. Dominic Receives the Rosary
St. Dominic, according to tradition,
receives the Rosary from the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
He has a 5 pointed star, usually an 8
pointed star, above his head.
The dog with the torch is typical of St.
Dominic, whose mother saw the same in a
vision before his birth. The watchdogs of
the Lord, in Latin: Domini canes.
The middle panel is from the Old
Testament. Adam and Eve being driven
from Eden by an angel brandishing a
flaming sword.
The Monogram of Mary: M and A
intertwined with roses and leaves
Rosary Series #2 – First Joyful Mystery
The Annunciation
The Archangel Gabriel appears to Mary
and announces that she will be the mother
of the Messiah. The Dove represents the
Holy Spirit who will come upon her. The
bible is open. Lilies symbol her innocent
virginity.
The Old Testament is the prophet Isaiah
giving a sign to the king Ahaz, “A Virgin
shall conceive and bear a son…”
Five crowns surround the Chi-Rho symbol
of the Christ.
Rosary Series #3 – Second Joyful Mystery
The Visitation
Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant
with John the Baptist. Zachary, Elizabeth’s
husband, silenced by the temple angel
watches in the background.
The Old Testament imagery is not obvious.
There are two deer running and a woman
giving glory to God. Rays stream from a
divine symbol.
The harp usually reminds us of David and
his Psalter, in which he has sung of the
coming messiah, perhaps represented by
the Rho cross. Doves again.
Rosary Series #4 – Third Joyful Mystery
The Birth of Jesus
A Christmas scene, the star, the stable, and
ox and ass, the sheep. Mary and Joseph
stand in wonder before the Christ child.
Messianic imagery from the prophet. A
child, Alpha and Omega, a Star, and a
yoke.
A crown of glory, a dove of peace.
Rosary Series #5 – Fourth Joyful Mystery
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
Mary and Joseph present the newborn
Jesus in the temple where the old man
Zechariah holds the child and praises God.
Mary brings a candle. An incense burner
is there also.
The child Samuel is brought to the temple
and offered to be an apprentice to the high
priest.
Two turtle doves, the poor family’s
offering to God in the temple for their
child.
Rosary Series #6 – Fifth Joyful Mystery
The Finding of the Boy Jesus in the Temple
Mary and Joseph seek and find the boy
Jesus in the temple, teaching and learning
from the scribes. Three elders stand in
amazement while Joseph waits in the
doorway. Jesus is holding the bible scroll.
The young Daniel interprets the dream of
the king of Babylon. He shall be weighed
in the scales and found wanting.
A lamp and a book, symbolizing study and
learning.
Rosary Series #7 – First Sorrowful Mystery
The Agony in the Garden
While the three apostles slept, Jesus was
comforted by an angel as he agonized over
the cup of suffering he must endure
Old Testament:
Possibly Elijah and the duel with the
prophets of Baal.
The chalice of salvation.
Rosary Series #8 – Second Sorrowful Mystery
The Scourging at the Pillar
Bound to a pillar Jesus is scourged with
whips.
The Prophet is beaten by his enemies.
The pillar and the whips of torture.
Rosary Series #9 – Third Sorrowful Mystery
The Crowning with Thorns
The soldiers taunt their prisoner, clothed in
a royal robe, by pressing on his head a
crown of thorns.
The mother and her seven sons, from
Maccabees, are put to the test
The crown of thorns and the rods which
beat Christ.
Rosary Series #10 – Fourth Sorrowful Mystery
Jesus Carries His Cross
Jesus carries His Cross. Mary his Mother
and the women of Jerusalem weep. Simon
of Cyrene will help him. The hill of
Golgotha is seen with two other crosses
already in place.
Abraham leads his son Isaac to the place of
sacrifice.
The empty cross with its sign, with crossed
spear and club.
Rosary Series #11 – Fifth Sorrowful Mystery
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Jesus on the Cross, with Mary and John
standing alongside.
Moses makes a bronze serpent on a cross,
to deliver his people from their danger.
The Pelican, which according to legend,
wounds itself to feed its young with its
own blood.
Rosary Series #12 – First Glorious Mystery
The Resurrection
The guards were sleeping as Jesus rises
from his tomb.
The Prophet Jonah is delivered ashore after
three days in the belly of the whale.
The Phoenix, a legendary bird which arises
anew alive from the fire which consumed
it.
Rosary Series #13 – Second Glorious Mystery
The Ascension
Mary and Peter and the other apostles
witness Jesus ascending to his heavenly
Father.
Old Testament:
A divine throne with the IHS for Jesus.
Rosary Series #14 – Third Glorious Mystery
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
The Twelve Apostles and Mary receive the
Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Symbol of God the Father over the
Triangle with rays of light and grace.
The Dominican shield over the whole
world.
Rosary Series #15 – Fourth Glorious Mystery
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Mary is assumed into heaven accompanied
by angels.
A holy woman (Mary?, Eve?) greeted by a
kingly figure
The Heavenly Jerusalem with Jesus (IHS)
at its center
Rosary Series #16 – Fifth Glorious Mystery
The Crowning of the Mary as Queen of Heaven
Jesus crowns his mother Mary as Queen of
Heaven
Old Testament:
unclear
Mary's Monogram (MA) on a heavenly
throne.
Dominican Saints #1
Saint Dominic Guzman
St Dominic de Guzman -- 1170-1221
Blessed Jane of Aza, the mother of St. Dominic
had a dream before Dominic was conceived in
which she saw a dog with a lit torch in its mouth
which lit the world on fire. This vision was later to
be fulfilled in the preaching of Dominic and the
Order of Preachers. In 1203 Bishop Diego of
Osma requested that Dominic, a priest of Osma,
accompany him on a diplomatic mission. This
mission led them through the south of France
where they first encountered the Albigensians or
Cathars, proponents of a heretical spirituality,
denying the goodness of material creation and the
human body. Dominic’s encounter with the
heretics inspired him to gather a team of preachers
to call the people back to Christian faith and
values. He founded a convent of nuns from early
women converts. Approval of the brotherhood
was soon granted by the Pope. Today the
Dominican family is composed of priests and
brothers, contemplative nuns, active sisters, and
lay Dominicans dedicated to the Order’s mission:
to praise, to bless and to preach.
Dominic is shown with a star (5 pointed, usually
an 8 pointed) over his head, a walking staff, a
book with the words: “Vade et praedicare"-- go
and preach, and wearing the rosary.
The middle panel is the image of the dog and the
torch. Sometimes the dog is portrayed as bearing
the torch in his teeth.
A crown of sanctity and the Dominican fleur-delis shield is found in each of the saints windows
Dominican Saints #2
Saint Vincent Ferrer
St Vincent Ferrer--1350-1419
St. Vincent was born in Valencia, Spain, in the
Catalan country. Remarkable legends are
connected to his birth and early childhood. As a
young man he entered the Dominican Order where
he first excelled in philosophy. He then became a
dedicated student of sacred scripture learning
Hebrew and Greek. Called to service of the
Avignon popes – this was a time of a divided
papacy – he served as spiritual counselor and
preacher to several pontiffs. Surviving a near fatal
fever, he determined to devote his life simply to
preaching to the public, for which he received
Papal authorization. His missions reached out to
both Jews and Moors in southern Spain converting
many of them to Christianity. Traveling with an
entourage of confessors penitential followers he
and He traversed Spain and France as well as
England and the Low Countries. A revivalist
preacher of the last judgment, preaching the
Apocalypse, he called many to a conversion of
life.
Vincent is symbolized by the Book of Revelation
-- The Apocalypse -- which tells of the end of
time and the trumpets of the angels announcing
the final judgment. The book has the CHI-RHO
for Christ, who is the Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end.
Dominican Saints #3
Saint Albert the Great
St Albert the Great--1207-1280
The brilliant German Dominican philosopher and
theologian stood out from his contemporaries as a
careful observer of nature. Albert mastered the
recently translated works of Aristotle and strove to
put into practice the principles of natural
philosophy, confident that science and faith are
not in conflict. Albert wrote extensive notes on
many branches of science, made maps and charts,
and experimented with plants and chemicals. To
him is attributed the discovery of the element
arsenic. He is considered the church patron of
Natural Science and Scientists.
Albert’s further fame comes from his discovery of
the immense genius of the young Dominican
student Thomas of Aquino. Taking him under his
wing Albert shaped the intellectual formation of
Thomas and inspired him to be even greater than
the one all Europe came to call “the Great.”
He was bishop of Ratisbon briefly, but resigned so
that he could return to the classroom and his true
love which was teaching. Albert outlived Thomas
and as an old man came to the defense of his
student when Thomas’ thought was brought under
criticism. Albert’s Feast Day: November 15.
The symbols for St. Albert are the crosier of a
bishop, the cap of the teacher and a large book. .
He was named "Doctor Universalis" because of
his encyclopedic knowledge and writings.
The cross presides over the sun, the moon and the
earth, symbolizing Albert's theological wisdom
and his vast knowledge of nature. He was named
"Doctor Universalis" because of his encyclopedic
knowledge and writings. Seven stars represent the
gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Dominican Saints #4
Saint Thomas Aquinas
St Thomas Aquinas--1225-1274
Probably the most famous Dominican saint in our
windows, Thomas is the author of the Summa
Theologica which showed the relationship of faith
and reason. Thomas, at an early age, was sent to
the University of Naples were he met the
Dominicans and admired their apostolic life. At
the age of 18 Thomas left his family and came to
the Dominicans much to the chagrine of his
family. His family had dreams of him becoming
the abbot of the local Benedictine monastery in
Montecasino. His brothers kidnapped him and
locked him in one of the towers of the family
home. His sisters were sent up to him to help him
see the error of his thinking. After about a year
Thomas ended up converting his sisters to his own
side and with their help, one day when his
brothers were lax in their guard duty, he was able
to escape and return to the Dominicans. Thomas
dedicated his life to teaching and preaching.
Thomas was also a man of prayer and the liturgy
for Corpus Christi is attributed to his pen as well
as the words to the Eucharistic Hymn "Tantum
Ergo". Feast Day: January 28.
Thomas great Summa is in his hands. He has the
sun of Divine Wisdom on his breast, and the Holy
Spirit in the form of a dove over his shoulder. The
master's cap is on his head.
One day, shortly after he had completed his
treatise on the Eucharist and about a year before
his death, Thomas was praying before the altar in
a church in Naples. Suddenly, from the Crucifix
on that altar came the words "Bene scripsisti de
me, Thoma" "Thou hast written well of Me,
Thomas. What reward wilt thou have?" To this the
Saint replied: "None, Lord, other than Thyself."
Dominican Saints #5
Saint Agnes of Montepulciano
St Agnes of Montepulciano--1268-1317
Young Agnes wanted to enter the convent at the
age of six but her parents told her to wait until she
was older. At the age of nine she was allowed to
enter a Franciscan convent near her home. While
in the convent she received many visions and, in
one of them, our Blessed Mother gave her three
stones in honor of the Trinity and told her to use
them to build a convent some day. At the age of
fifteen she was named abbess of the Franciscan
convent in Proceno which she helped establish
and which became her home for 20 years. She was
called back to Montepulciano by her religious
superior and asked to build a new Franciscan
convent. She had a revelation from God that the
new convent was to be a Dominican convent and
not a Franciscan house. In 1306 the Dominican
convent in Montepulciano began with the three
stones that the Blessed Mother had given to Agnes
earlier in her life-- and nothing else. From these
humble beginning the convent was built in short
time and was known as a place of prayer and
peace.
Symbols of Agnes are the lamb and a book with a
cross.
The whips are a sign of the self-mortification that
marked her spirituality.
Dominican Saints #6
Saint Catherine of Siena
St Catherine of Siena--1347-1380
At the age of six she had a vision of the Lord
enthroned among the saints after which she vowed
to be a virgin and to dedicate her life to God.
Against the wishes of her family she began a life
of prayer and became a member of the Dominican
laity. She spent many hours in her room in prayer
and was in ecstasy most of the time. After two
years of fervent prayer she began to visit
hospitals, prisons, and scaffolds. She even
traveled to Avignon, France, to persuade the Pope
that he should return to Rome. Shortly after her
visit the pope did return to Rome. She has left a
legacy of many letters to her spiritual disciples.
Her most famous book is her "Dialogues." She
was a bringer of peace to troubled times.
Catherine died at the young age of 33 and has
since been named a doctor of the church.
She holds the book of her Dialogues and a lily of
innocence.
The papal tiara recalls her many interventions
with the popes, pleading for an end to the division
of the church. A crown of thorns, encircles her
heart filled with divine love.
Dominican Saints #7
Saint Peter Martyr
Peter Martyr--1206-1252
While still a 15-years-old university student at
Bologna Peter of Verona was so impressed by
Dominic that he begged for admission into the
order. As a member of the first generation of
Dominicans he was privileged to witness the
death of the saintly founder. Peter was known as a
great preacher and was commissioned to dispute
with heretics of northern Italy. Many miracles are
attributed to his prayers. One day while on a
journey he was ambushed and killed on the road
to Milan. While his attackers where killing him he
sang the Easter sequence. As he expired and
breathed his last, he wrote in the ground with his
own blood "Credo in unum Deum."
The weapons display the martyr's wounds in his
head and breast. He holds the palm, the symbol of
martyrdom and the book of faith.
A crown of glory tops the symbols in the middle
pane. Most imagery of St. Peter show him writing
the first words of the Credo. Our window shows
the next words: "Creator of heaven and earth."
Again the palm branches signify martyrdom.
Dominican Saints #8
Saint John of Cologne
John of Cologne or (Gorkum)--d. 1572
In 1572 Anti-Spanish and Protestant pirates put
the Dutch town of Gorkum under siege and soon
took it. They arrested all the clergy and held them
in brutal confinement, attempting to get them to
deny the Catholic belief on the Eucharist and
Papal succession. John of Cologne was a
Dominican parish priest in a nearby village.
Hearing of the danger of his fellow priests, he
disguised himself and attempted to be of comfort
to them Secretly he ministered to these captives
and brought the sacraments to them. Eventually
John himself was taken captive. In the end,
nineteen priests and brothers -- many Franciscan
friars – along with the Dominican, John, were
tortured, mocked in public, stripped of their
habits, mutilated and hanged to death in a barn.
The palm of martyrdom is in his hands and the
hangman's rope around his neck.
Another image of palms surrounded by a symbolic
noose. At the center is a flower, and below are
eighteen more flowers. There were Nineteen
Martyrs at Gorkum.
Dominican Saints #9
Saint Pius V
Pope Pius V--1504-1572
Pope Pius V, Michael Ghislieri, was from a poor
peasant family. The story is told that one day,
while tending the family flock, he met two
Dominicans on the road who were amazed at his
intelligence. The friars asked for and received
permission from the parents to take and educate
the young Michael Ghislieri. After ordination he
returned home to Bosco only to find that it had
been destroyed by the French and his family was
nowhere to be found. After a little searching he
later found them in a nearby town and was able to
celebrate his new state in life with his parents.
After a period of time, as an inquisitor preaching
against the heresies of Luther, Calvin and the
Lombards, he worked among the heretics in the
Roman prisons and brought many of them back to
the faith. When he was elected Pope in January of
1566, he took the money that was given him for
the traditional inaugural banquet and gave all of it
to the poor of the city.
Pius continued the task of implementing the
Church reforms mandated by the Council of Trent
(1544-1563). At his urgings the Catholic
monarchs of Europe assembled a fleet to
challenge the Turkish domination of the
Mediterranean. While all of Catholic Europe
prayed the Rosary, the naval battle of Lepanto was
engaged on October 7, 1571, and the Christian
fleet won a great victory. To commemorate the
victory of the Christian Armada Pope Pius V
introduced in 1572 the "festem BMV de victoria"
(Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mother of Victory).
In 1573 his successor, Pope Gregory XIII,
changed this title to "Feast of the Holy Rosary" to
be celebrated on the first Sunday of October. Feast
of St. Pius V: April 30.
.
Dominican Saints #10
Saint Antoninus
St Antoninus--1389-1459
Antonio was born at Florence in 1389 to noble
parents of high standing. The name Antoninus,
Little Anthony, was the affectionate nickname
given him by his fellow citizens because of his
short stature. Influenced by the sermons of
Blessed John Dominic, a great Italian religious
reformer of the period, Antoninus applied for
admission to the Dominican Order at age 15, and
was accepted a year later. With Fra Angelico and
Fra Bartolommeo, the one to become famous as a
painter, the other as a miniaturist, he was sent to
Cortona to make his novitiate under Blessed
Lawrence of Ripafratta. Later he was elected the
Dominican Superior of Tuscany and Naples,
where he zealously applied the reforms of his
mentor. In 1445, when Pope Eugene IV was
seeking an Archbishop for Florence, Fra
Angelico, who was a friend of the Pope, suggested
St. Antoninus. The Pope named him Archbishop
of Florence and he entered the city in great pomp,
as was the custom.
He strove energetically to wipe out public
scandals and remedy the many abuses in his
Diocese. Prince Cosimo de Medici used to say
that everything good that the city had was due to
the prayers of its holy Archbishop. He was called
by Eugene IV to assist him in his dying hours. He
was also frequently consulted by Pope Nicholas V
on questions of Church and State. Feast Day: May
10.
His miter (bishop’s hat), and pallium, (archbishop’s “necktie”). The scales show the prudence
of his ability to decide moral issues, to weigh
them in the scales of justice. “May God reward
you.”
Chalice with Eucharistic symbolism, the
consecrated host, heads of wheat and grapes.
Dominican Saints #11
Saint Louis Bertrand
St. Louis Bertrand--1526-1581
Luis Bertrand was a Spaniard, born in Valencia.
On his father's side he was related to the famous
Dominican saint, Vincent Ferrer. Docile and
devout, he early chose to enter the same religious
order, and he was ordained a priest in 1547.
His missionary dream was fulfilled in 1562, when
his superiors sent him across the Atlantic to
Cartagena, in the present Colombia, South
America. During the next seven years, this
dedicated Dominican missionary had great
success as a preacher among the Indians.
Although he spoke only Spanish and normally had
to use an interpreter, the bull of his canonization
tells us that he also had, at least on occasion, the
gift of tongues.
After laboring on the mainland, Father Louis
sailed through the Caribbean Islands, approaching
even the Carib Indians of the Lesser Antilles. The
Caribs had a reputation for fierceness; indeed, one
of their medicine men gave him a poisoned drink.
Miraculously, it seems, he was not harmed by the
poison. After converting literally thousands of
aborigines around Cartagena and the Isthmus of
Panama, he went on to Tubera on the coast.
Wherever he went, St. Luis was recognized by all
as a most admirable man. While on the Latin
American mission, he was appalled by the avarice
and greed manifested by the Spanish
conquistadors. Unfortunately he could find no
way of combating it. The Republic of Colombia
adopted him as its principal patron.. Feast Day:
October 9.
Symbols: Shell with flowing water; Incense
Censer; Book, Key?, Llama.
Dominican Saints #12
Saint Rose of Lima
St Rose of Lima--1586-1617
Rose of Lime is the first canonized saint of the
New World. She was a frail child and originally
named Isabel but at her baptism the bishop (who
was later canonized and is known as St. Turribius)
inadvertently named her Rose and the name stuck.
Even as a young child Rose was known to pray
before the crucifix in her mother's room when she
was just old enough to walk. She was a lay
Dominican. (A lay Dominican is a member of the
order who remains as a lay person but who enters
into the prayer life and spirituality of the order.
Lay Dominicans can be married or single, male or
female.) Hence, Rose never entered a convent
and lived at her family home. Rose, with the help
of her brother, built a small hermitage in the
family garden where she spent many hours in
prayer--but only after her 10 hours of daily
household duties were completed. She lived a life
of abstinence and penance. Rose is a model for all
harried twentieth-century Christians because she
found ways to pray constantly – even while she
worked.
She is portrayed with a crown of roses. She is the
patroness of the Americas. Feast Day: August 30.
In the symbol panel, the Infant Jesus, to whom St.
Rose had an extraordinary devotion, is surrounded
with a circlet of roses..
Dominican Saints #13
Saint Catherine de Ricci
St. Catherine de Ricci--1522-1589
Catherine was the child of a noble family near
Florence. Her own mother died while she was
very young and so, taking the Blessed Mother as
her stepmother, she developed a great devotion to
Our Lady. When she was a little older, she went to
a monastery where her aunt was the abbess. While
in the convent she spent many hours in prayer.
She would often pray before the crucifix and soon
developed a great devotion to the Passion. Once
her education in the convent was completed she
declared her desire to become a Dominican Sister
but her family interfered and took her home where
she became deathly ill. Her father finally relented
and she returned to the convent. At the age of 13
she received the habit from her uncle who was the
confessor of the convent. She was often in ecstasy
and, at the age of 20, she received the stigmata
(the wounds of Christ in her own flesh) and began
her weekly ecstasies of the Passion--which went
on for the next 12 years. It is said that, when she
was in her weekly ecstasies, her face would
change and show the different pains and agonies
of Jesus as he went through his passion. She was
also superior of the convent for many years and
under her leadership the convent was kept in good
order. She was a kind and gentle superior who
especially looked after the ill and the sick of the
convent. Many troubled people from the convent
and the surrounding area would come to her for
advice, spiritual direction and prayer. Feast Day:
February 13.
She is portrayed with a crown of thorns and the
image of the suffering Christ, representing her
weekly ecstasies of the passion.
Symbols: Crosier with lily insert over a cross; four
roses.
Dominican Saints #14
Saint Margaret of Hungary
St. Margaret of Hungary--1242-1271
Daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary, she was
destined for religious life from her birth because
of a promise her parents made to God when the
Tartars were attacking Hungary. Her parents
vowed to dedicate their first born to God if they
were protected from the scourge of the Tartars.
This did come true so, at the age of three,
Margaret was sent by her parents to live in a
Dominican convent. She demanded the habit at
the age of four and received it. Margaret soon
learned the office by heart and began acting like
the older sisters in the convent. When she was 18,
the king of Bohemia wanted to marry her so her
father King Bela petitioned the pope and received
permission to release Margaret from her vows.
When Margaret heard this she responded by
declaring that she was God's from birth and said "I
esteem infinitely more the King of Heaven and the
inconceivable happiness of possessing Jesus
Christ than the crown offered me by the king of
Bohemia.” She remained in the convent and,
despite her noble birth, she was a humble and
exemplary sister of St. Dominic. Canonized in
1943. Feast Day: January 18.
Margaret is portrayed with the crown she rejected
for the cross of her vocation.
Symbols: A lily, a yoke and thorns. Innocence
embarrassing a life of willing mortification.
Dominican Saints #15
Saint Hyacinth
St Hyacinth--1185-1257
Born in Poland shortly before 1200, the young
Hyacinth came under the influence of Ivo the
bishop of Crakow. He appointed him a canon of
the cathedral and sent him to Paris and Bologna to
study theology and canon law. Ivo journeyed to
Rome with Hyacinth, his relative Ceslaus, and
two other clerics. In Rome, they met St. Dominic.
Ivo asked Dominic to send some friars to Poland.
Dominic invited Hyacinth and his companions to
join the order in Rome and promised to send them
back to Poland. Hyacinth, Ceslaus, and the others,
completed the novitiate and were accepted to the
Order by Dominic. At that time, Hyacinth was a
little over twenty years old.
It is said that Hyacinth walked 25,000 miles
throughout northern Europe in his Dominican life
of establishing houses, preaching, and working
miracles. He undertook missionary activity in
Ruthenia and Prussia. The mission to Kiev was
undertaken in 1228-1233. One day, during his
mission in Ruthenia, Hyacinth was celebrating the
Holy Mass in a church in Kiev. When he finished,
someone told him that the Tartars had invaded the
town, plundering homes and murdering the
inhabitants. Without thinking, Hyacinth took the
ciborium with the Blessed Sacrament from the
altar and intended to runaway. Suddenly he heard
a voice: 'Hyacinth, you have taken my Son but
you are leaving me?' After this he took the statute
of the Blessed Mother, which felt weightless
under his arm, and safely left the city. Our
window portrays him carrying the statue.
Symbols: Sunflower (?); with Marian monogram;
burning church.
Dominican Saints #16
Saint Raymond of Pennafort
Raymond of Pennafort--1175-1275
Raymond was a relative of the King of Aragon, in
Spain. He pursued a scholar’s career and became a
master of Canon Law at the University of
Bologna. His updated collection of Church law
remains a foundation of that study. It was at
Bologna that he first encountered the Dominicans.
Raymond himself entered the Order at the age of
forty-seven and many of his students followed
him. Raymond was known as a quiet man who
spent many hours in prayer and devotion.
Legend has it that once he went with King James
to the Island of Majorca to preach about Jesus.
The king, ruled by passions, was giving bad
example. The saint commanded him to send the
woman away. The king said he would, but he did
not keep his promise. So Raymond decided to
leave. When the king declared he would punish
any ship captain who would return him to
Barcelona, Raymond put his trust in God, spread
his cloak upon the water, tied up one corner of it
to a stick for a sail, made the Sign of the Cross,
stepped onto the cloak, and sailed along for six
hours until he reached port. St. Raymond was one
hundred years old at the time of his death. Feast
Day: January 7.
The Keys are symbols of his great skill in
codifying Church law..
Windows in the Choir Loft
Martin de Porres and Imelda Lambertini
St. Martin de Porres
1579 - 1629
Canonized in 1962. Martin de Porres was
born of a Spanish father and a black mother.
Because of the color of his skin he knew
discrimination and neglect in his childhood.
He was apprenticed to a barber-surgeon who
taught him healing arts. He became a lay
brother (today called cooperator brother) in
the Dominican Convent of the Holy Rosary
in Lima. Martin was known for curing both
people and animals as much through prayer
as through healing arts. He was renown for
his charity, compassion, humility, prayer
and penance. There were so many miracles
attributed to Martin that he was called a
saint in his lifetime. He is considered the
Patron of Racial and Social Justice.
Blessed Imelda Lambertini
1322-1333
When Imelda was eleven, after the convent’s
Ascension Day community Mass, when the
nuns were leaving the church, some were
startled to see what appeared to be a Sacred
Host hovering over Imelda as she knelt in
prayer before the closed tabernacle. They
called the priest who, because of such a
miracle, gave to Imelda her first
communion, which was also her last
communion. The rapture or ecstasy of love
and joy she experienced in receiving the
Lord was so great that it broke her heart; she
collapsed unconscious to the floor and it was
found that she was dead.
Windows in the Choir Loft
Mary Queen and Christ the King