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his year, the world marked VE day during a time of lockdown and so it seemed poignant to share this beautiful image of the stained glass window that sits high in the School Chapel, whose meaning remains apt in these moments. It was designed by Pilgrim Wetton, a Latymerian who also did the stained glass windows in the Hall in the 1940-50s. Malcolm Smith, a Classics teacher, Chaplain and Archivist at Latymer for many years, summed it up perfectly in his history of the Chapel: Of the windows in the Chapel itself, the round one over the original altar shows the Resurrection of Jesus and also the Latymer arms and the arms of Slough, where the School was evacuated during the Second World War, suggesting thanksgiving for the survival of the School, the sacrifices of its members and its rebirth after the war.
This chimes well with the wisdom of Franciscan sister and scientist Ilia Delio, who wrote this in March and was quoted in Richard Rohr’s Easter reflection: Death and resurrection are part of the evolutionary path toward wholeness; letting go of isolated existence for the sake of deeper union. Something dies but something new is born – which is why the chaos of our times is, in a strange way, a sign of hope; something new is being born within. Out of chaos, a star is born. Breakdown can be break through if we recognize a new pattern of life struggling to emerge. This beautiful piece of art helps us simultaneously to give thanks for past deliverance from war and in our present look forward to a moment of our return and rebirth as a school family. n
This reflection reminds us that after the victory in war, life continued with thanksgiving, some mourning, but ultimately hope for the future, a message which seems poignant during the COVID-19 virus.
VE DAY 2020: RETURN AND REBIRTH GREG COOK, LUS CHAPLAIN
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