St. Mary’s Stained Glass Windows- The Ascension Window
The last and largest window was installed in 1992 by Napa’s Gothic Glass- Stained Glass Artistry, Tanen Street, Jerry Sinclair, owner. The artwork artist was Eva Bedolla, still in the Napa Valley. The window is a stunning piece of art.
The theme portrays the essence and focal point of our faith, that being the Ascension of our Lord, ushering in the Kingdom of God and the offering of eternal life. This event holds the Great Commission which our Lord gave us – “GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.”
Knowing that in the early church signs and symbols were important in the teaching of the Faith, Sinclair used symbols reflecting the Ascension as well as symbols relating to St. Mary’s – “Signs and symbols are the language of the Soul.:
The people at the bottom of the window represent all true believers. Men, women, children, young and old, all inclusive, reflecting on what Christ has done for them. The background represents the whole world, simple or complex, as God’s creation.
The grapes and vines, so appropriate for Napa Valley, express the relationship between God and His People. “I am the vine and you are the branches.”
The angels are the heralds of God. They announce the Ascension, and all of God’s creation. The white dogwood symbolizes the purity of St. Mary. Stars symbolize divine guidance. The center of the Rose Window shows the Rose of Humanity, which St. Mary holds in her right hand. The Pennants of Resurrection symbolize Christ’s victory over death.
The Dove is symbolic of the everlasting presence of the Holy Spirit.
The method of glass painting and lead work used in the window are the same methods used for over 1000 years. Each piece of glass was fired at least twice, at 1200 degrees. There are forty-one individual panels in the total window, and there are over 2000 pieces of glass.
“IN HONOR OF NATHAN AND NELLIE FAY”
Parishioners Nathan and Nellie Fay were the generous donors. From the time of their arrival in the Napa Valley, they were active in all facets of St. Mary’s and Napa Valley’s wine and the arts. They settled in the Napa Valley in 1951, purchasing acreage along Silverado Trail in the shadow of Stag’s Leap Palisades.
In 1961, Nathan risked planting the first cabernet sauvignon grapes in the Stag’s Leap District. Before long, he was recognized for his expertise. Eventually, in paying tribute to Nathan for his ground-breaking efforts in local viticulture, 13 wineries and Stag’s Leap growers established a Nathan Fay Graduate Fellowship Fund for graduate studies in viticulture research at UC Davis.
Before WWII, Nathan had enlisted in the army; upon declaration of war, he volunteered to go overseas. He was based at Goxhill, a large air base in Lincolnshire, England. Invited by an English family to join a Saturday night dinner/dance, he met Nellie. A whirlwind courtship ensued and they were wed just days before the Allies invaded Europe.
Growing up near the cathedral cities of Lincoln and York, with a sense of pageantry and music, Nellie became a skilled violinist. Many years later in the Napa Valley, Nellie was admired as “Mrs. Symphony” recognizing four decades of volunteerism with the Napa Valley Symphony—nearly a decade spent as first violinist with the community orchestra.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast of the United States Nathan Fay was growing up in the East Bay city of Piedmont, his father a mining and civil engineer. For a time Nathan studies at Michigan College of Mining and Technology. But, he later studied accounting and eventually took an accounting job with Sequoia and Kings Canyon Park Company, being based in a small village near the parks.
In 1992, the Fays were honored with the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Napa Valley Humanitarian Award in recognition of their significant contributions to the community.
Article originally appeared in St. Mary’s April 2015 e-news
Tags: Architecture & Windows