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Round Windows
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This section will describe the "Four Round Windows" which are located high on the church walls throughout the church.
Sanctifying the four directions East, West, North, and South, there are four round windows which relate the life of the Church to the areas of nature, art, history, and worship.
East Round Window
The east window, high above the triptych of the Holy Family, depicts the sun, source of warmth and light, the center of the universe as Galileo asserted, and a symbol of the Church's dialogue with science and the natural world.
The sun is a glorious part of a magnificent universe and is itself a creature of the one true God. It symbolizes the enlightening dialogue of faith and reason. In its rising, the sun also symbolizes Christ, rising from the darkness of death, to be the true light of the world.
West Round Window
The west window, above the triptych of Sts. Peter and Paul, represents the Holy Grail, the legendary cup used at the Last Supper.
In poetry, art, and opera, heroic souls search for the Holy Grail and brave the dangers of life to find it.
Though very much akin to the chalice used at Mass, the Grail is distinct: it is a literary and artistic symbol of the human search for wholeness, for beauty and truth, for holiness, and for God Himself.
North Round Window
The north window, which seems to float above the main doors, depicts a heart, the historic symbol of love. The heart represents a person's true identity, the center of love and decision-making.
The heart of Christ refers to His identity as the divine Son of God.
In the wonder of the Incarnation, He actually became human and entered human history.
When Christ died upon the cross, the soldier pierced His heart with a spear, water and blood flowed out.
The water symbolizes Baptism, and the blood symbolizes the Eucharist. Of these two sacraments, the Church was born.
The Heart of Christ is the heart of the Church.
South Round Window
The south window, which is located in the chapel, shows the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God.
Every culture throughout history has offered worship and sacrifice to what is considered to be God. Within the Temple in Jerusalem, the Passover Lamb was sacrificed and shared as a sacred meal.
Christ became the perfect Paschal Lamb, the perfect sacrifice, offered once and for all on the altar of the cross.
Located directly above the Tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, this window invites the church to pray, "Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world: Have mercy on us".