PERTH, WA: June 29, 1995
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Ancient light shines softly in Como church By Nana Howard An art-form that has graced European churches since the Middle Ages has now lent its full charm to the Holy Family Parish church of Como with the completion of four stained glass windows this month. The interior of the church is now lit with dappled colour as filtered light falls through the intricate glass panes. The last of the windows was installed on June 19, depicting the Resurrection. The themes of the other three are The Eucharist, The Holy Spirit and The Holy Family. They are the work of Como artist Gerry Manson, and the result of an idea which came to parish priest Father Frank O'Dea one afternoon in 1990, as he sat praying in the church. "I thought the church was somehow lacking colour," he says. "And it occurred to me it would be nice to have some stained glass windows. The 5m by 1m works of art were funded by sponsors, and each one took the equivalent of three months to complete. The themes for the windows were chosen by Father Frank. "Being a Blessed Sacrament Father, my first choice was a window on the Eucharist," he says. "I wanted to choose the principal themes of our faith, so next I decided on the Holy Spirit - I guess I was influenced by having been involved in the Charismatic Renewal for a long time. "The Resurrection is, of course, the foundation of our faith, so that was the third
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window - and as for the fourth, our church is dedicated to the Holy Family." Based on the themes, Gerry would draw a sketch of the window and take it to Father, who would suggest additions and alterations. The composition of each window would be refined until both were happy with it. "We've had a few good fights over the content of the windows," says Gerry. "But Father Frank is a lovely man. He's great to work with." The two made a good team, and together were able to combine scriptural theology with artistic expression. The results - visit and see for yourself are breathtaking. Laden with symbolism and meaning, each window is rich in detail. and would talce several visits to fully appreciate. The newest window, the Resurrection, depicts Jesus as Lord of creation,I risen I I from the tomb. He is conveyed as creator of the heavens, with sparkling stars in a spiral nebula and a sun above His head. He is carrying the resurrection banner, which ripples in red down to His shoulder. "In this winclow we din't d want Christ depicted in an entirely realistic way," says Gerry. "The accounts tell us that after the resurrection He wasn't recognised, so I wanted Him to be different from the figure of Cluist in the Eucharist window." The woman at the empty tomb is present, with an angel above her holding the rolled away stone. Below this in a vignette panel is a baptism scene, which speaks of rebirth, and new life. Continued on Back Page
G-G wrong on euthanasia, homosexuals: Archbishop Archbishop Barry Hickey this week condemned Governor-General Bill Hayden's remarks supporting euthanasia and homosexual parenting. He warmly welcomed the regret his fellow Australian Catholic bishops expressed at the intervention of the Governor-General in those issues. The Archbishop's comments follOwed on from the release of a statement by the Australian Bishops' Committee for the Family and Life that criticised Mr Hayden's recent remarks that euthanasia and homosexual parenting should be recognised in law. "It is, at very least, surprising that someone in his position should use his office to undermine respect for life and the integrity of maiTiage," Archbishop Hickey said. "It is imperative for Australian society to resist the pressure to invest the power of life and death in the hands of individuals
with or without the assistance of doctors." The Archbishop also said that for the health of society, as far as possible, children should be raised within the stable union of father and mother. "Whilst the tragedy of family breakdown sometimes makes that very difficult, it is quite another thing to legitimise arrangements for children that make it impossible," he said. Archbishop Len Faulkner of Adelaide, chairman of the bishop's committee, said Mr Hayden was a distinguished Australian whose views would command attention. "This is unfortunate in this case because his personal feelings on euthanasia reveal a very limited perspective," Archbishop Faulkner said. He also objected strongly to the Governor-General's references to sick and elderly people as "unproductive burdens." Continued on Page 2
The Resurrection window at Holy Family parish, Como, by local resident Gerry Manson