An Invitation into the Mystery of Light

by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

Father Thomas RosicaFrom the very first moment I saw the stained glass windows of St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario, I realized that I was standing before masterpieces and treasures of the Church and of Canada.  I am a former faculty member of St. Peter’s Seminary, one of North America’s outstanding theological and priestly formation centres, and I believe its historic chapel and magnificent windows reveal the history of the Church in a remarkable and exquisite way.  But it took the scholarship, devotion and creative genius of Fr. Michael Prieur to bring the story alive and share it with the world in his book Panes of Glory.

In his thought-provoking homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in April, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the stained glass windows of America’s premiere Cathedral:  “From the outside, those windows are dark, heavy, even dreary.  But once one enters the church, they suddenly come alive; reflecting the light passing through them, they reveal all their splendour… It is only from the inside, from the experience of faith and ecclesial life, that we see the Church as she truly is: flooded with grace, resplendent in beauty, adorned by the manifold gifts of the Spirit.  It follows that we, who live the life of grace within the Church’s communion, are called to draw all people into this mystery of light.”

St Thomas AquinasWhen the genius of Fr. Prieur, the creativity of Salt + Light Television, and the beauty of the Amabile Choirs from London, Ontario come together, something extraordinary takes place and the story of the Church bursts forth in a myriad of colours and emotions, inviting viewers to admiration, contemplation and awe.

Indeed, from the outside of the imposing structure of St. Peter’s Seminary in London, the windows of the chapel may seem dark and heavy.  But once inside the chapel, at the heart of the Seminary building, those same windows “come alive; reflecting the light passing through them, they reveal all their splendour.”  May all who view the Salt + Light series Panes of Glory: The Windows of St. Peter’s Seminary be surrounded by a cloud of heavenly witnesses, inspired by their courage, and drawn into this “mystery of light.”

Special thanks to the St. Peter’s Seminary Foundation and the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus for making this series possible.

Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB
CEO, Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
The Nativity of Our Lord
December 25, 2010