Mother of God

This sun catcher window is centered on an image of the Mother of God-Mary, who is holding the child Jesus, who is the Son of God incarnate. In 431 at the council of Ephesus the church declared Mary to be Theotokos. The name "THEOTOKOS" means God-Bearer, and is derived from the Greek words "Theos," meaning God, and "Tokos," bearer. The Council bishops held that Tradition had always referred to Our Lady as "Theotokos", and thus defined Mary as the Mother of God. The council declared Mary as Theotokos in part to declare the Christology of the Nestorians a heresy and declared that Jesus was a divine person with two natures, basing its teaching on scripture and Tradition. This dogma of the Church was further elaborated on in later Church councils as Nicea and Chalcedon. The Church celebrates the solemnity of the Mother of God every year on January 1.

Above the image of the Mother of God is a Dove that represents God the Holy Spirit, through whose power Mary conceived Jesus – the Son of God. Surrounding the Holy Spirit in the edge of the window are seven stars that represent the seven spirits (Angels) that surround the throne of God in heaven as revealed in the book of Revelations. In the outer frame are twenty bright blue circles that represent the twenty mysteries of the rosary. In between the bleu circles are eighteen diamond like shapes that represent the angels that serve the Queen of Angels. Below the central image of Mary are three large ovals. The one in the center is an ancient image of the holy name of Mary. The oval on the left contains an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which was pierced by a sword, during her Son’s Crucifixion, as Simeon had had prophesized. The oval on the right contains the Holy Eucharist.