T he Stained Glass W indows of St. Paul s Church Brookfield Center, Connecticut
Erected to the Glory of God by the Young People of St Paul’s Church
Our stained glass windows were designed and made by Leonard Howard of Kent, Connecticut and follow the liturgy of the Episcopal Church. The altar window, given by the youth of the parish in 1938, commemorates our patron Saint Paul. The baptismal window shows “Jesus with the children.” The choir, or music window, features harps and angels. The east and west windows continue the church liturgy and commemorate The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as the twelve Apostles. Other windows adorn our vesting rooms, sacristy, hallways and meeting rooms.
Len R. Howard (1891-1987) Len Howard was born in England in 1891. In London he was an apprentice for six years at James Powell and Sons, one of England’s larger stained glass companies, as well as attending St. Martins and the Camberwell Art School. In 1913 he moved to America and became a citizen. When war broke out, Howard enlisted in the camouflage corps in the U.S. Army. After the war, upon returning to the U.S., he worked for Gorham Company in New York and attended the Art Students League in New York. He joined the New York Society of Art Craftsmen, serving as its president. He moved to Kent, Connecticut in 1922 and under the WPA Federal Arts Project, Howard completed one stained glass work, American Literature, for New Milford High School. His stained glass work is installed in churches and buildings across the country. He lived with his wife in Kent well into the late 70’s. Howard died in August of 1987 in Arkansas.
The photographs in the brochure were taken primarily by Kenneth Kast, Robert Fertitta, Kyle Gelinas and Katherine Szen.
St. Paul Our altar window featured on the cover of this leaflet is of our patron, St. Paul. The centerpiece shows Paul with the traditional Sword of the Spirit. The vignette on the left shows his conversion; on the right the scene reflects Paul surviving a snake bite in Acts 28:3-6.
Erected to the Glory of God by the Young People of St Paul’s Church - 1938
Baptismal Window This is the largest window in our church. It dominates our font and appropriately features Jesus with children. Other scenes depict His presentation in the temple and His baptism as well as other traditional symbols of Christ.
Dedicated to the Glory Of God July 23 1944
Frederick H. Beers & Florence A. Beers
St. Jude & St. Matthew St. Jude - Author of the Epistle of Jude. The sailing vessel here represents the Church, which St. Jude (also known as Thaddeus or Lebbaeus) carried to many ports as he journeyed as a missionary.
St. Matthew - The moneybag refers to the occupation of St. Matthew before he was called to follow Christ. He was a tax gatherer known as Levi.
Benjamin and Angeline Griffen and their children
St. Bartholomew & St. Philip St. Bartholomew - Armenia and India are believed to have been the areas of his missionary work. He is said to have been flayed alive and crucified, thus the knife for his symbol. St. Philip - It was to St. Philip that Christ addressed his remark concerning the feeding of the multitude. He is represented by a cross with two loaves of bread.
John Howard Peck
St. Thomas & St. James Minor St. Thomas - St. Thomas is remembered for his incredulity when the other Apostles announced Christ's Resurrection to him: "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe;" but eight days later he made his act of faith, drawing down the rebuke of Jesus: "Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.� Thomas was killed with a spear as a martyr for his Lord. His emblem includes a group of spears.
St. James Minor St. Paul tells us he was a witness of the Resurrection of Christ; he is also a "pillar" of the Church, whom St. Paul consulted about the Gospel. This symbol of a club refers to the tradition that St. James was cast down from a pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem, stoned, beaten and sawn asunder by the Jews.
The Roswells
St. James Major & St. Peter St. James the Greater - The patron of Spain and of pilgrims. He is mentioned as the first of the disciples to go on a missionary journey. The three escallop shells refer to pilgrimage. St. Peter - Jesus said, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.� His icon contains the gold and silver crossed keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Henry B. and Elizabeth C. Ruggles
St. Andrew & St. John St. Andrew - The patron of Russia, Scotland and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. According to tradition St. Andrew as crucified on an X shaped cross, known as a saltire or St. Andrew’s cross, in Achaia.
St. John - This emblem of St. John, the “Beloved Apostle,” refers to the legend of a poisoned chalice being offered to him, in an attempt made on his life. A gold chalice holds a serpent.
David and Sarah Meeker
St. Simon & St. Matthias St. Simon - The companion of St. Jude on many missionary journeys, St. Simon was known as a great fisher of men through the power of the Gospel. A silver fish is an appropriate symbol.
St. Matthias - Chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot, St. Matthias served as a missionary in Judaea, where he is said to have been stoned and beheaded, thus a battle axe on his icon.
Edson N. and Margaret N. Hawley
The Father and The Son The Father - The Hand of God (Latin Form) is a traditional representation of God the Father.
The Son - Jesus is often shown as Agnus Dei (The Lamb of God) with the Banner of Victory. St. John, having baptized Christ said, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.”
Hazyl Beers Young
Holy Trinity and Holy Ghost Holy Trinity - A triangle having all sides of equal length and each angle equal represents one God in three Persons. This is probably one of the earliest symbolic representations of the Trinity.
Holy Ghost - A descending white dove is the most appropriate traditional symbol of the Holy Spirit. “When Jesus also had been baptized...the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove...� Mary T. Haight and Alton C. Haight
The Law & The Old Testament The Law - Christians often refer to the Torah as the Pentateuch, meaning five books, or as the Law, or Law of Moses. Depicted symbol representation is a scroll.
The Old Testament - An altar of sacrifice is often used to portray the first part of the Bible. This is a projection of Christ, our sacrifice, lifted up on the cross, His altar, which stood on a hill called Golgotha. Stanley B. Terrill Charles and Sarah N. Stuart
The Gospel Triumph & The Atonement The Gospel Triumph - A Cross of Triumph depicted here, is also known as the Cross of Victory or the Cross of Conquest. A Latin cross resting upon a banded globe typifies the triumph and spreading of the Gospel over all the earth.
The Atonement - The pelican is a Christian symbol of Atonement by the act of unselfish sacrifice, providing her own blood when no other food was available, in giving all of one's self so that others may live. Thus being cleansed from our sins by Christ's shedding of his precious blood so we may know the way to everlasting life. Hanford Martin Kellogg and descendents
The Sacred Monogram IHS - The use of certain groups of letters, derived from Greek and Latin words, as symbols of our Lord Jesus Christ was instituted in the early days of the Christian Church. It is based on the Greek word meaning Jesus. This slim window is located in the hallway leading to the vesting room and sacristy. The St. Paul window in the vestibule of our main entry doors features the eagle of an evangelist.
Sagendorf
This Cross Pattée is simply stated in our vesting room.
Len R. Howard Artist
These four windows were added to the hallway outside out choir director’s office in the 1990’s. They represent the Nativity of our Lord, Good Friday, Easter &
Pentecost. They were designed and made by the Wippell Company of Exeter England.
FleurĂŠe Cross This red cross on a blue field is featured in the Tuck Room.
T herefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify thy glorious name
Erected to the Glory of God by Ann Ethelyn Fairchild
Before our current building was constructed in 1937-38, a large wooden church stood on this site for 100 years. We know little about it save for a few surviving black & white photos that show some very impressive stained glass windows.
The Guild Room (See detail in center-spread) The windows in the Guild Room were an afterthought. So was the name Guild Room. When the church school wing was built in 1957-59, the room was originally called the “blue room” and it was designed with clear windows like the rest of the wing. Esther Covill, the Altar Guild Directress at the time suggested the name because in those days all the groups using the room were called guilds. We don’t know who suggested having stained glass windows installed in February, 1958, but we are eternally grateful as it forever changed the look and feel of the room. St. Francis Window was given “In Memoriam Jo-Ann Fennell 1942-1957.” The Child Jesus Window is “In memory of Margaret Morehouse Peck 1879-1960.” The Christ the Shepherd Window is “In Memory of Olive Estelle Knowles, 1884-1961.”
Memorial Garden Window A gift of the 225th Anniversary Committee, this window depicts the key elements of our memorial garden and honors all those who have gone before us. It is currently displayed in the Rector’s Office and was created in 2010 by Mark Tomascak of New Milford.
Alpha & Omega These two windows are located in the Altar Guild Sacristy where, behind the scenes, all our worship begins and ends.
Philander and Hettie Seeley
Seneca and Mary Jane Edgett
Saint Paul’s Church 174 Whisconier Road Brookfield, CT 06804 203-775-9587 www.saintpaulsbrookfield.com