by Fr. Michael Prieur

If you had said to me on October 11, 2005, when my book Panes of Glory was launched, that our Seminary windows would be featured on TV worldwide, I would have gasped in disbelief. On that day, Fr. Rosica simply pronounced that there was a production in those windows, and it would be “Hollywood quality.” Now it is coming to pass.

After working on a script with Mary Rose Bacani for several months, a team of 11 technicians, led by Director Marc Stone, arrived at our Seminary door on May 10, 2010. I watched in amazement as seemingly tons of photographic equipment and electric cables snaked their way along our Seminary hall and chapel. Three helium-filled, white balloons (2.3 metres in diameter), each with six bulbs giving forth 1,500 watts of light, hovered in the chapel, tethered to sandbags on the floor. Banks of lights stood guard everywhere. Two cameras were ready. This was no small production!

For three days, the chapel reverberated with lofty religious music by composers ranging from the 16th to the 20th centuries.  Three of the London-based Amabile Choirs (two female and one male), conducted by Brenda Zadorsky, Carol Beynon and Ken Fleet, echoed gloriously in our Tudor-gothic chapel. When formally dressed, the groups looked and sounded stunning.

Then came the filming of the tour of the chapel windows given to Mary Rose. I must say that directors miss nothing! As we worked through the week, allowing me to explain our magnificent stained glass windows in detail, I marveled at how Director Stone noticed every unwanted sound and misplaced stage prop. “Consistency” was the mantra of the day. “Cut! I can still hear the front door closing while you are speaking!” and “Cut! I can still hear that plane overhead!” when we were shooting outside. I felt as if I were in the physical presence of God Himself!

When we viewed some of the takes on the monitors immediately afterwards, we realized what the filmmakers were looking for. Often, we were almost moved to tears, so beautiful were the shots! As the week moved forward, I realized how much the great saints in the chapel windows, specifically the Doctors of the Church—the theme of the windows in the nave—were speaking to all of us. Frequently, members of the crew were taken up by what I was saying about the meaning of a symbol or inscription on a book or scroll. The meaning held relevancy for today, to everyone’s amazement.

The four-part series to be shown on Salt + Light in 2011 will be a masterpiece of colour, sound and lofty inspiration. Whenever people come into our magnificent chapel, their universal reaction is “Wow!” Once again, I thought of Dostoevsky's words when he said, “Beauty will save the world.” Of course, the ultimate beauty is Christ. The windows, both the ones of the Doctors and the missionary preachers, as well as the biblical ones in the sanctuary, are surely remarkable examples of this truth. I truly expect the film production to elicit the same reaction: “Wow!” It doesn’t get any better.