Thank you to Connie Reichart for the church history and window information.
St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, depicted holding a flaming heart, which symbolizes his restless desire for God, a theme of his writings: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” The arrow represents the Word of God, which pierces and directs the restless heart.
St. Ludgerus was a German bishop who built churches. He preached on the frontiers where he made a large number of converts and destroyed pagan shrines. He was also sent as a missionary to the province of Westphalia. St. Boniface is known as the Apostle of Germany. The Germans believed that their god, Thor, resided in a sacred oak tree. Boniface chopped the tree down and began to preach Christianity. The huge tree crashed, splitting into four parts. The people had expected judgment to descend upon Boniface. The acknowledged that their gods were powerless. Boniface founded monasteries and churches and spread the faith. He died in 754 and is buried in the monastery at Fulda, Germany.
St. Conrad is pictured with a chalice and spider. A large spider, thought to be venomous, dropped into the chalice as he was celebrating Mass. Out of devotion to the Eucharist, Conrad swallowed the spider and suffered no harm. St. Louis IX was king of France. He lived from 1214-1270 and led two crusades to the Holy Land, from where he brought back to France important relics, including the crown of thorns. He is the patron of the city and archdiocese of St. Louis, of which St. Joseph was once part.
St. Christine was a third-century martyr who was tortured by being fastened to a rack. She survived the fire lit under the rack and was then shot through with arrows. St. Herman Joseph was born in 1150. He is depicted holding the child Jesus and lilies.
St. Clare was the founder of the Poor Clare Sisters. When her convent was under attack, she took the Blessed Sacrament and held it up, causing her enemies to flee. St. Martin of Tours was a former Roman soldier who became a Christian and eventually a bishop. He saw a poor man shivering from cold and cut his military cloak to give a portion to him. That night he had a dream in which Jesus was wearing the cloak saying, “My friend, Martin, gave this to me.”
