Let there be light
HICKORY — The persistent faith of a parishioner has brought new light to the chapel at St. Aloysius Church.
On Aug. 15, the church dedicated stained-glass windows that replaced bay windows covered in heavy curtains at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Eighty-five parishioners gathered as the pastor, Father Larry LoMonaco, blessed the new windows on the feast of the Assumption. The ceremony included recitation of the joyful mysteries of the rosary, and songs in honor of Mary performed by the Children’s Jubilee Choir, directed by James Maxson.
The idea to install stained-glass windows came from parishioner Gia Maxson, who has prayed and meditated in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel for more than 10 years. In April 2021, after praying the rosary, she pulled back the heavy curtains that secured peace and privacy for adorers and thought: Wouldn’t stained-glass bring in more sunlight?
Maxson and another parishioner, Char Sweeney, also serve as catechists for the parish’s seventh-grade faith formation class. They asked their students about putting in stained-glass windows, and the kids thought it was a great idea. So did Father Lomonaco, and soon the effort took off.
Maxson and Sweeney organized a tag sale to raise money, enlisting the help of their students to earn community service hours.
Father Lomonaco recommended they contact the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, Fla., who have an architectural stained-glass studio. Maxson knew they were on the right track when she read the slogan on the sisters’ truck: “Spreading God’s Light Around the World.”
The parish settled on a Marian theme for the windows, in honor of the chapel’s patronage under the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Although the price tag of $30,000 seemed insurmountable, parishioners didn’t lose heart. The parish sale brought in a little over $1,000. Maxson continued to make bulletin announcements and posters promoting the project, and she talked to parishioners. Barbara Hancock, the parish’s accounting coordinator, kept everyone updated. By December 2021, the last penny was received and the order for the windows was placed. In June, the windows were installed.
Maxson sees the new windows as a witness to the community.
“The Blessed Mother is clearly visible from the street, and she speaks to all those who pass by: ‘Do whatever He tells you,’” she said, quoting what Mary said during the wedding at Cana in the Gospel of John.
— Barbara Case Speers
