Stained-Glass Windows

Windows on the left side of the church depict Christ's life on earth; the right side depicts His Risen Life - not usually pictured in many churches.

To conform with the Colonial architecture and the Colonial window panes, special drawings had to be made to place the figure groups in such a way that the panes would not interfere with the portrayal of the various scenes selected by Father Drexler.

Upon entering the nave, on the left side, the first window depicts the Nativity as described in Luke 2:7, "And she brought forth her first-born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes..."  The next window portrays the Holy Family at Work as in Luke 2:51, "And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them."  The third window shows the first miracle performed by Our Lord at the request of His Mother at the Wedding in Cana, according to John 2:7, "Jesus said to them, 'Fill the jars with water'... the chief steward had tasted the water after it had become wine..."  The last window before the transept is the Calling of Saint Peter and his brother, Saint Andrew, as told in Matthew 4:18, "Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

In the transept itself, facing the front, is Christ Blessing and Healing as described in Luke 18:16, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for of such is the kingdom of God."

Across the transept, on the left side of the sanctuary, the large window illustrates the Last Supper (Luke 22:19) "And having taken bread, He gave thanks and broke, and gave it to them saying, 'This is my body, which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of me.'"  On the opposite side of the sanctuary, the Resurrection as in Matthew 28:2, "... for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and drawing near rolled back the stone... and for fear of him the guards were terrified."

One of the two short windows in the right side transept shows Christ Breaking Bread at Emmaus (Luke 24:30), "And it came to pass when He reclined at table with them, that He took the bread and blessed and broke and began handing it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized them; ..."

The other window depicts Christ Appearing to His Disciples in the Cenacle, as described in Luke 24:41, "But as they still disbelieved and marveled for joy, He said, 'Have you anything here to eat?' And they offered Him a piece of broiled fish and a honeycomb."

Going from the transept back into the nave, we continue with the Apparitions of Christ after His Resurrections, and show Christ Visits His Mother.  In the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 1:3, Christ again appeared in the Cenacle where the disciples persevered with Mary, and blessed them.  The next window illustrates the Ascension of Our Lord with St. Peter and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the foreground as in Acts 1:9, "And when He had said this, He was lifted up before their eyes, and a cloud took Him out of their sight."

The last window shows the Descent of the Holy Spirit as mentioned in Acts 2:3, "And there appeared to them parted tongues as of fire, which settled upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit..."

In the transept of the church are four circle windows.  In these circle windows are subjects relating to the Catholic Church in America during the Colonial period.  On the right side is the portrait of Bishop Carroll, the first Roman Catholic Bishop in America, whose See was the Diocese of Baltimore.  On the left side the first window is Lord Baltimore who established the first colony to have as its basis religious freedom.  The middle window is the portrait of Charles Carroll, who signed the Declarations of Independence and was prominent in the founding of the American government.  The third window depicts Commodore Barry, the Father of the American Navy.

There are four prominent windows in the sacristies. In the Priests' Sacristy, the First Unbloody Sacrifice of Melchisedech celebrated before Abraham went into battle, and the window next to it, a bishop ordaining. In the Boys' Sacristy, Saint Isaac Jogues holds up the Missionary Cross and in the background the tree is shown in which he carved the Holy Name of Jesus.  The last window depicts St. John Vianny - known as the Cure D'Ars.  The altar and the hyssop are symbolic of his designation as the Patron of the Priesthood.  These were chosen by Father Drexler in inspire vocations among the altar boys.

The three windows under the front portico have, in the center window, the Chi Rho and Alpha and Omega, the Chi Rho being the first and last letters of the Greek word for Christ and Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, symbolic of God the Beginning and the End.  On the left side the figure of the Immaculate Conception with the United States Seal indicating that She is the Patroness of the Nation, and on the right side Christ the King.

The two circles in the Choir Balcony depicts two saints most closely related to church music - on the one side, King David, and on the other side, St. Cecilia.

Below is series of historical facts relating to the some of the stained glass windows.

The American Revolution (1775-1783) was fought both on land and at sea. The battles between the American Continental Navy and Britain’s powerful Royal Navy took place in American and European waters. Three commanders were especially important in leading the Revolutionary Navy to victory: John Barry, Nicholas Biddle and John Paul Jones. John Barry was a tall, popular naval officer from Ireland who settled in Philadelphia in 1760. Before Congress appointed him to the Continental Navy in 1776, Barry was a wealthy and successful shipping captain. Captain Barry’s daring captures of enemy ships made him famous during the American Revolution. In the spring of 1776, he led one of the Revolution’s first successful sea battles against the British. His ship, the Lexington, captured the heavily armed British ship, the H.M.S. Edward. When the British gained control of Philadelphia in 1777, Barry successfully attacked the English from the Delaware River. In command of only four small boats, Barry captured several enemy boats and a large ship full of supplies. After the war, President George Washington made Barry a commodore (senior captain). As commodore, he trained other officers and helped shape the first navy of the United States. As a result, many historians have called Commodore Barry the “Father of the American Navy.”

Lord Baltimore - The oldest son of an obscure Yorkshire gentleman, George Calvert used ability and an Oxford education to gain wealth, status, and influence in the England of his time. Knighted in 1617, and a member of Parliament for Yorkshire in 1621, Calvert served as on e of James I’s tow secretaries of state and a Privy Councilor from 1619 to 1625. As a recent convert to Catholicism, Calvert resigned from his government posts in the latter year, when anti-catholic legislation was being debated in Parliament. Created Baron Baltimore of Baltimore in 1625, with large estates in County Longford, Ireland, Calvert devoted the next seven years of his life to colonization projects in America. Having sponsored a small colony at Ferryland in his Province of Avalon, Newfoundland, as early as 1620, Lord Baltimore visited his American possessions in 1627 and 1629, and by the latter date, was determined to obtain lands in a friendlier climate. His petition for a large colonial grant with unprecedented powers, located north of the Potomac River, was agreed to by Charles I, but Calver died almost two months to the day before the charter for Maryland was officially granted (on June 20, 1632).

Charles Carroll - Signer of the Declaration of Independence - was born in Annapolis, Maryland in 1737. Carroll was the only Roman Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence. He added “of Carrollton” to his signature to separate himself from the other Charles in his sprawling family - including his father, Charles Carroll of Annapolis. Charles was diminutive in physical stature, he was graceful in his movements and an accomplished horseman, and he had fine, regular features. Charles was often described as the richest man in the country, educated in his early years by Jesuits. He spent many years in school in Europe. He had studied law in Pais and London and was an unusually cultivated young man. At the age of 31 he married his cousin, Mary Darnall, known in the family as Molly, and he lived the life of a landed gentleman on Carrollton Manor, a 10,000 acre plantation in Frederick County, Maryland which he had received from his father. Not until he was 36 in 1773, did he become a public man. He was instrumental in asking Canada to help America in the Revolutionary War. He was elected to Maryland’s first state senate in 1777. From 1776 to 1778 he was a member of the Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence. He was a U.S. Senator from Maryland between 1789 and 1792. He retired from politics in 1800 but lived until 1832, being the only surviving Signer when he died at the age of 94. Four years before his death, he officially opened the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Thus, he was the only Signer who ever saw a steam locomotive. Still regarded as the richest man in the country, he had long been a legendary figure. He was buried at Doughoregan Manor, near Ellicott City.