Each of St. Jude's stained glass windows highlights a key event in the life of Jesus and the early church.

The first window depicts the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary, telling her she had been chosen to be the mother of the Savior, and explaining that this would be done through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The angel is holding a lily stem with an unopened blossom, alluding to the conception and birth of Jesus. The dove, pictured above Mary with a beam of light, represents the Holy Spirit.

Each of the windows also features a small image outside the main portion of the design. The image in this window is a rose, which is a symbol of Mary.

Mary is to the left and her cousin Elizabeth is to the right, greeting each other upon Mary's arrival at Elizabeth's home. The two women are surrounded by plants that are common to Israel and the Middle East — iris, dwarf chicory, squill.

The visit is described in Chapter 1 of Luke's gospel. The child in Elizabeth's womb, John the Baptist, leaped at the sound of Mary's greeting. Elizabeth responded, "blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

The small image to the upper left of the window is monkshood, which is used as a symbol of Mary's graceful visit to Elizabeth.

In this window, Jesus is shown as a toddler, which places the Holy Family in Bethlehem, before they were forced to flee to Egypt. Jesus clings to Joseph but looks at Mary.

Jesus is between a sheep and a goat, a reference to the last judgment in Matthew's gospel, in which God will separate nations from one another, as a shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats.

The small image is the star of Bethlehem.

The star shines down on Bethlehem, which the visitors from the east understood to be their destination.

The visit of the magi, as recounted in Matthew's gospel, was prefigured in the Old Testament books of Isaiah and Psalms. Isaiah tells of caravans of camels, with travelers bringing gifts of gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord. Psalm 72 speaks of kings who will offer gifts and bring tribute — that all nations shall pay him homage and serve him.

The small symbol at the bottom is the combination of the Greek letters chi and rho, which are the first two letters in the Greek name Christ.

Jesus is depicted teaching the elders in the temple. Note how with one hand, Jesus is pointing towards the scroll, and with the other hand He is pointing towards Himself. The message is that Jesus is the One whom the prophets foretold. The elders appear to be listening intently to what Jesus is saying.

The small image is an oil lamp, which symbolizes Jesus as the Word of God. Psalm 119 notes, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

While pouring water over Jesus, John the Baptist holds a staff which reads "Agnus Dei" — Lamb of God. This is what John proclaimed Jesus to be. The Holy Spirit is present, in the form of the dove above Jesus. A heron stands in the water as a symbol of grace.

This window's small symbol is a scallop shell with three drops of water, representing baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This window depicts Jesus' first public miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding feast — acting at the request of Mary, His mother. The bride and groom are pictured in the background. It was the groom's responsibility to provide wine for the feast, and running out of wine would have been an extreme embarassment.

Note the clear color of the water the steward is pouring out of the large jug, and how it transitions from clear to red as it flows into the second container.

The small image of the bird and grapes symbolizes the faithful feeding on the Blood of Christ.

Everyone present looks to Jesus as He begins to teach. In Matthew's gospel, the Sermon on the Mount begins with the beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit ..." Matthew's account of Christ's teachings fills three entire chapters of his gospel.

The small image at the lower right shows three fish in a circle, symbolizing the Trinity and the human race's salvation as a gift from the Triune God.

Jesus is shown as the Good Shepherd watching over his flock. He stands guard, even as a wolf threatens His sheep. But Christ remains vigilant and steadfast. It's a reference to John 10:11, in which Jesus tells of his protective and sacrificial love.

The shepherd image also shows up in Old Testament books such as Isaiah and Ezekiel, where God the Father speaks of His own role as guardian of His people.

The symbol in this window represents Jesus as the "Sun of Righteousness." The lettering in the blazing sun is IHS — the Greek letters iota, eta and sigma — the first three letters in the Greek rendering of the name of Jesus.

Mark's gospel describes a violent squall which overcame the boat in which Jesus and His followers were traveling — while the Lord Himself was asleep. Once He was awakened, He commanded the wind and the waves to "Be still!" And the wind and waves obeyed.

When Jesus calmed the storm, He showed us that He has power at all times, even in life's most difficult moments.

The small image in this window is an anchor, which symbolizes the theological virtue of hope.

Matthew's gospel recounts Jesus' selection of the apostle Simon to be the head of His church. Jesus gave Simon a new name — Peter, which means rock — and said he would be the rock upon which the church is built. Christ promised that the netherworld would not prevail against His church. He also gave Simon Peter the keys to the kingdom of Heaven.

The building on the hill in the background represents St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The small image on this window is the papal tiara, a crown that was worn by popes for centuries. Even though it is no longer in use, it remains a sign of the papacy.

The scene depicts Jesus transfigured with rays of light, speaking with Moses, who holds the Ten Commandments, and Elijah, who holds a raven. The First Book of Kings tells how during a time of famine, Elijah was fed by ravens who brought him bread and meat in the desert.

A peacock is this window's small image. The peacock, in a way, transfigures itself by quickly displaying its vibrant tail feathers. Thus the peacock became an early Christian symbol of the transfiguration.

Jesus is riding a donkey that is saddled with a cloak, while one of the apostles follows at His side. They are walking on the palm branches that people have laid along the ground. One of the welcoming townspeople is laying down a cloak as a sign of honor and respect.

The small symbol for Palm Sunday is not a palm branch, as you might expect, but a bell. The bell represents the call to worship, which was answered by the people of Jerusalem, who came out to praise Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

The events of Holy Thursday are shown in the three-window set on the right side of the church. The first window presents Jesus the Lord carrying out the role of a humble servant, washing and then drying the feet of His apostles.

The small image here is a griffin — a mythical creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. The griffin was a symbol of Jesus as both true God and true man. The eagle, as associated with the writings of St. John, is a symbol of divinity. The lion represents the Tribe of Judah.

The center window of the three-window Holy Thursday display features Jesus celebrating the first Eucharist with the apostles. John leans on Christ's chest, while Judas Iscariot sits at the end of the table, clutching the bag of money that had such a strong hold on his heart.

The pelican above the Last Supper represents a legend. During a time of famine, a mother pelican wounded herself, striking her chest with her beak so she could feed her young with her blood, losing her own life in the process. This is a reference to the sacrifice of Jesus, who feeds us with his Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

This window's small symbol is a chalice encircled by wheat, another reference to Holy Communion.

The third Holy Thursday window depicts Jesus at prayer in the garden, asking His Father if it were possible for "this cup" — the suffering He would soon undergo — to be removed. Nonetheless, He willingly accepted His Father's will.

The apostles slept through all of this, despite Jesus' request that they wait for Him. They were awakened only when Judas arrived with the men who would take Jesus away.

The small symbol is the image of the paschal lamb, a representation of Jesus — the Lamb of God, whose sacrifice would take away the sins of the world.

The events of Good Friday are shown in the three-window set on the left side of the church. The first image is Jesus carrying the cross, with buildings in the background suggesting the city of Jerusalem in the distance as the group walks towards Calvary. A man holding a whip is included in the main display as a reminder of the scourging Jesus suffered before He was ordered to take His cross.

This window's small symbol is a rooster. This recalls the cock crowing after Peter's denial of Christ, and it also stands for a sinner's remorse, repentence and ultimate acceptance of divine pardon through Jesus.

The central Good Friday window shows the death of Jesus. Mary Magdalene is at the base of the cross, while Mary, the mother of Jesus is to the right, being held by one of the apostles, commonly believed to be John. A Roman soldier stands by with a spear and a sponge soaked in vinegar. Below the cross there is a skull, a reference to Golgotha, the Aramaic name of Calvary.

Two angels above the cross are holding a full sun and an eclipsed sun, which signifies the darkness that fell at the moment Jesus died.

Above the Crucifixion is an image of a Seraphim swinging a censer, using the burning of incense to denote sacrifice and indicating the moment that links heaven and earth, thus allowing us to enter the presence of God.

The small image includes items related to Christ's passion — a crown of thorns and three nails.

The final Good Friday window features the image of Jesus, having been removed from the cross after the Crucifixion, being placed into the arms of His mother. Behind Jesus and Mary are the cross with a ladder and shroud. The crown of thorns has been taken from Jesus' head and laid on the ground below His feet

The symbol in this window's small image is the Cross of Jerusalem, which signfies the wounds Christ suffered in his hands, feet and side.

Christ rises in triumph, as an angel sits on the stone that had been placed at the entrance to the tomb on Good Friday. A Roman soldier, who had been sent to guard the burial site, is knocked to the ground in awe.

The small image in this window is a bursting pomegranate, which became a common Christian symbol for the resurrection. It represents the power of the Lord, who was able to burst forth from the tomb, thus demonstrating His triumph of life over death.

 

Luke's gospel explains how Jesus led the apostles away from town, raised His hands, blessed the disciples and was then taken up into heaven.

The scene here includes Mary and two of the apostles. Jesus' footprints are shown on the ground beneath Him — a detail often included in medieval stained glass — a reminder that He indeed walked among us, but has now returned to His Father.

The small symbol is the Cross in Glory.

Prior to His ascension into heaven, Jesus told the apostles to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father, which He had spoken about — that they would be baptized by the Holy Spirit. Peter is the person in the front left of the main image, gesturing as he proclaims the fulfillment of the Lord's prophecy.

This window's small image is the Cross Crosslet, a symbol representing the spread of Christianity to the four directions as the apostles left Jerusalem to share the gospel.

The Virgin Mary is surrounded by clouds and rays of light as angels raise her up into heaven.

While the Assumption of Mary was not officially proclaimed as church doctrine until Pope Pius XII did so in 1950, it had long been held as a Christian belief.

A story is told from the 5th century of an emperor and empress who asked the patriarch of Jerusalem for a relic of Mary. The archbishop responded that there were no such relics. He told them that since the time of the apostles, it was believed that, following her death, Mary was taken directly to heaven, body and soul.

The small image is the monogram AM — Auspice Maria, meaning "under the protection of Mary."

Mary is kneeling as Jesus prepares to place a crown on her head. The triangle represents the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is combined with this imagery to indicate that the rays of light shining on Mary all come from the same source, the Triune God.

In the European monarchies that we are familiar with, the queen is the king's wife. But in Old Testament Israel, the queen was not the king's wife but his mother. As Jesus is the Son of David, He is in turn the King of Israel, and also King of Heaven. As the King of Heaven was her son, Mary is therefore the queen.

Another monogram is used as the small image in this window — MR, for Maria Regina, meaning "Mary the Queen." She has become known by many titles, including Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Angels, Queen of Peace, Queen of the Universe.

The rose window is a signature feature of the great gothic cathedrals of Europe. These magnificent works of stained glass are not only marvels of artistry and engineering, but they also teach important spiritual lessons.

Christ is at the center of the traditional rose window. If the Blessed Mother is also in the center, Jesus is shown as a baby in her arms or as a child in her lap. The primary lesson of the rose window is that where Christ is at the center, everything is beautifully ordered. It's a summation of the message of the gospel.

The ten petals surrounding Jesus and Mary in the rose window at St. Jude depict angels — specifically, the nine choirs of angels, with a tenth petal representing guardian angels.

Tradition and Scripture speak of nine ranks, or "choirs," of angles, with the angels grouped in three sets, with each set including three ranks.

Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones are the angels closest to God, who serve primarily in heaven. The Seraphim are closest to God Himself.

Dominions, Virtues and Powers take on various governing roles in the visible order. They engage in spiritual warfare with the fallen angels, holding the power of the evil one in check.

Principalities, Archangels and Angels deal directly with mankind. "Angel" simply means "messenger," as these beings reveal messages that are gifts from God Himself. The more important messages come from Archangels, such as Gabriel.