About the Parish
Schedules and Bulletin
1405 S. Washington St.
Serving Central Michigan University since 1959
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
(989) 773-3931
| History | Charitable Foundation | Stained Glass Windows Tour | Directions |
Lord only knows where the idea was actually hatched that we should attempt windows like these you will see. The origin is buried in endless conversations about how we hoped our church would look following its renovation in April of 1998. We had very plain, translucent windows with the occasional small colored square. We knew the historic importance of art in handing on the faith. We began to hope that our windows could tell the story of how our work and God's work were the same, how we participate each day in helping to bring our world to the future God wants for it.
Then the idea clicked: the university is organized roughly according to professions - science, art, humanities, health care and so on. Perhaps we could create windows which caught the meaning of the professions which were taught at CMU, in which our permanent parishioners were already working, professions which our students hoped to enter. But who could design such windows? We were extremely lucky to find Mark Bleshenski, a remarkably talented glass artist from Bay City, Michigan. And as the idea perked in our parish, small groups came forward to donate the seed money for each window. It took us just over a year to complete the project.
Each window is faceted glass in epoxy, 6'8"x32". Sixteen in all. Each is framed in a short passage from Scripture. Together they have already had a remarkable impact on the parish. Students and adults, families and kids stand before them and muse. Oldsters tell newcomers the story. We couldn't ask for more.
At the end of the parish dedication ceremony for them, our team member, Joe Frankenfield,
got up to say the following:
This is the point in our dedication of these windows when you would probably expect us to bring out holy water and incense to perform a blessing. We are not going to do that, however. The source of these windows and the energy for completing them has come from you, from your work every day to let God change the world, to bring it closer to the promise of our faith. It is your sweat, your dedication and your faith that make these windows holy.These are dangerous windows. They don't portray the life and work of Christ two thousand years ago. They point out the work of Christ now, in this world, actively bringing the reign of God to pass through the power of your minds and bodies and wills. Every time you get up in the morning when you'd rather stay in bed, every time you try again when you'd rather quit, every time you search for a better way when you'd rather accept the status quo, every time you act honestly when you know you could cheat and win, every time you do these things you bless these windows. Every time you come into this church and symbolize your life's efforts in the bread and wine and pray that they will somehow become the presence of God's kingdom, and receive them back as the body and blood of Christ, you bless these windows again for yourselves and for our students.
So there will be no incense and no holy water. There is just you and your love, your dedication and the infinite power of the Holy Spirit working within you. That is enough. Thank you for these windows and for what they mean.
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