Sunday, December 19, 2021

When the sunlight shines through them they are glorious. Often, when I am standing at the altar celebrating Mass and look out at the congregation, and see the light shining through the windows casting beautiful collages of color on the walls, I feel as if it is a sign that the Saints and Angels are accompanying us with our prayer. In addition to the windows we see in the nave (the main part of the church), there are also three windows of which you may not be aware. One is in the room between the sanctuary and the sacristy, and two are in the sacristy. They are rather simple, but still beautiful. And they front on the alley.There is a problem with these three windows. It is a bit involved, but from what I am told it has to do with the length of the hoses of the Austin Fire Dept.

Because the fire hoses don’t reach from the street to the alley, there is a concern that if there was a fire in the church, the fire could spread across the alley to the new 30-story student housing tower. Since the church building does not have fire sprinklers, we need to create a fire block or wall along the alley. This involves the windows in two small bathrooms that face the alley, the door and windows into the Music Room (in the church basement, along the alley), and the three art-glass windows that I mentioned above.  

We are currently investigating how to handle this problem. The door to the music room can be replaced with a special (expensive) fire-rated door. The windows in the bathrooms can simply be blocked up. But the colored art-glass windows present a special challenge. We are investigating if they can be covered with clear fire-rated glass, or if they can be removed intact, and then possibly re-used in the new ministry/school building. More people would be able to see them that way. We are looking at a couple of options, hoping to get them priced so that we can determine how best to proceed.  

Fortunately in a way, these are the windows that most people hardly ever see. So if you want to see the windows as they were originally built, I recommend you do so soon. Just proceed back to the sacristy, and you will see the windows. They are fairly large. They are not stunning works of art, but still very nice, and an important part of our legacy. And as we figure out options and costs, I will keep you informed as to their fate.

__________________________________________________________________

Breaking NEWS! I’ve just learned that the windows will be preserved in place, safely sandwiched between panes of firesafe glazing. Thank the saints and ingenious planners for preserving  these treasures.
__________________________________________________________________

As we complete another year of COVID, of being dislocated out of our school, offices and rectory, and so of not being able to find all my stuff, of learning how to commute, of less convenient parking, it is good to stop and reflect on the giftedness of Christmas.  Not the gifts we give, nor what we hope to receive, but the great gift we celebrate of God’s own Son to be our brother, our friend, our guide, and especially our Savior. 

Christmas is truly reason to rejoice! 
Merry Christmas!