March 11, 2011
St. Clare window in Daylight
‘Only Jesus could have set these events into motion’
Suzanne Dodd spends time praying in the St. Clare Perpetual Adoration chapel at St. John Church, Daylight. The stained glass window behind her was recently installed. In it, St. Clare is portrayed holding a monstrance and corporal. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
A few days ago, Suzanne Dodd knelt in silent prayer at the Perpetual Adoration chapel at St. John Church in Daylight.
The tiny chapel was dark, the only light streaming through the newly-installed stained glass window depicting St. Clare holding a monstrance and a corporal.
The chapel is new to the parish. It opened on Nov. 7 in 2010, and it was named the St. Clare Perpetual Adoration Chapel by Father John Silva, the former pastor who is now on leave.
He named the chapel in honor of the saint of Assisi who is known for warding off soldiers at the gates of her convent by holding up the Blessed Sacrament.
Plans for the chapel were approved by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger back in April of 2010 during an expansion and reconstruction project at the parish.
In June of 2010, when Father Silva was at a wedding in Wendelin, Ill., his housekeeper Karla Dehner suggested he visit St. Thomas Church in nearby Newton. The church, which was built in the late 1800s, was filled with stained glass windows.
As he studied the church, he noticed a window that was centered high above the altar. It featured St. Clare holding a montrance and corporal.
When he learned that the church was going to be razed and then rebuilt, he asked if the St. Clare window would be for sale.
He was told that there would be a public auction that July.
Within days, Father Silva learned that Dehner’s parents, Louis and Gloria Ochs who are St. Thomas parishioners, had decided to purchase the window and donate it to the Daylight parish for its Perpetual Adoration chapel.
During the auction, Louis Ochs told Father Silva to “hold your number up and don’t put it down.” He won the first bid of the day, and was able to choose the window of his choice.
He selected the St. Clare window, and after it was restored it was recently installed in the Daylight chapel.
Parishioners Jane Young and Leah Haley agree. “Only Jesus,” they say, “could have set these events into motion. The window stands as a reminder of the miracle that has changed lives, opened hearts and will continue to produce fruits that are immeasurable from the Eucharist.”