XHS Chapel Windows

Chapel Windows

When the Xavier Chapel was built in 2006, it was time to increase its beauty and add some personalization. Xavier High School art teacher, Lynn Zetzman, was asked to design and create stained glass windows to adorn the chapel.

A donor paid for the materials and services provided by Coventry Glass Works and Mrs. Zetzman donated her time. Mrs. Zetzman sketched out her vision. After a couple of iterations, Coventry Glass said they could carry out her vision in glass. (A couple of her original ideas couldn’t be done in glass.) Once they approved her drawings, she made life-sized patterns. Mrs. Zetzman then picked out the glass and Coventry Glass cut it and soldered the lead. Mrs. Zetzman did some research on St. Francis Xavier and a map of his travels became her inspiration. As a world traveler herself, this became her muse, and a plan to explore the worldwide spread of Catholic Christianity of St. Francis Xavier took root. She liked the idea of including the Americas on a small globe with a hawk to represent Xavier but leaving Europe and Asia large. Her interpretation was that a lot of young people view their experiences at Xavier High School as central and she wanted to put St. Francis Xavier’s life’s work as central. This is an imagining of God’s gift of Jesus, of redemption, as so powerful it propelled St. Francis Xavier to live an extraordinary life— one which could include or encompass students at Xavier High School.

After having taught at Xavier High School for many years--often thinking about the life and mission of flesh and blood St. Francis Xavier--Mrs. Zetzman relates that she wept upon praying in an Indian Grotto on the grounds of a cathedral St. Francis Xavier had prayed in to determine if he had a mission to the Far East. Xavier ultimately did believe the Far East was his calling. He spent three years preaching in India and Sri Lanka before adventuring further east. St. Francis Xavier is one of the saints to which Mrs. Zetzman feels closest. In large part this is driven by her 27-year tenure at Xavier High School!

Mrs. Zetzman did extensive research, called on earlier studies, and wove symbolism throughout the project. She researched the kind of sailing ship on which St. Francis Xavier would have traveled. She also knew that the Jesuits purchased the very first of Gutenberg’s printing presses in order to publish Bibles in the languages of the countries to which they brought the gospel. During a Masters of Theological Studies program at St. Norbert, Mrs. Zetzman was attracted to the social justice issues important to many Jesuit Catholic thinkers. That led her to the larger “Gospel Justice” text that scrolls across the very top of the windows. Throughout the project, she was looking to create contrasts to enhance visual interest. That is why land forms are geometric and warm colors and water are organic shapes in cool colors. The carved glass circles are visual markers where St. Francis Xavier spent longer periods of time.

The entire process, from inception to installation of the windows, took approximately a year to complete. Since then, we have all been blessed to enjoy these magnificent windows in the chapel.