Stained glass windows are not just for decoration. They also communicate ideas, concepts, or stories from the Bible. Here at Pax Christ we have two large stained glass windows.

WEST:

• Look at the entire picture. Notice two hands reaching toward one another, with a brown sailboat in the center panel.
• The wrist and start of the palm of one hand are in the first panel from the right. The thumb and palm of that hand can be seen in the second panel from the right. In the third panel from the right, fingertips can be seen.
• In the center panel is a sailboat coming toward you, so you’ll see the brown hull. The mast goes straight up, with a banner sail coming off of it. A chi-rho, Greek symbol of Christ, is in the center between the hull and banner.
• From the far left side panel is another start of a hand. The second panel from the left shows the thumb and palm and the third panel shows fingertips.

The theme of the glass panels has many meanings. One could be that different colors of glass in the hands represents the many ethnic groups in the world; the boat represents Jesus, uniting all peoples to him and to one another; the water may mean that Jesus is with us in calm and rough times in our lives. Since Pax Christi means the Peace of Christ, the panels may be telling that story too.


NORTH:

• The entire layered picture shows the shape of a globe, a cross on top of the globe and a dove on top of the cross. A celestial shape appears in the upper right hand corner.
• The globe covers the center panel and the two panels on either side and has green shades on the top of the globe with blue on the sides.
• The cross is yellow and covers the entire horizontal length of the panels. Because the dove is layered on top of the cross, the vertical part of the cross, which is in the center panel, is not as clearly represented.
• The dove, with its head at the bottom of the center panel looks like a yellow oval, appears to be flying downward. The wings of the dove spread out across the bottom of all panels and up the sides the farthest panels.

These symbols of God the creator, Jesus and the Spirit can also have different meanings in their representation. One may be that God the creator, Jesus and the Spirit are three in one and hence the layered look.

In our lower level, entering through the double glass doors from the parking lot, there is a roller skate in the stained glass. This reminds us that when Pax Christi was first founded and was being built, we held Mass at Skate Country, an indoor roller rink.