St. William Parish Lawn Crest - Stained Glass - Upper Church

Upper Church

The windows of the Upper Church, 40 years older than the Lower Church, are unadorned, not typical of what would be seen in the "Main" church of a large parish.

The windows are, in fact, significant. From outside the Church in each of the two stairwells leading up to the Narthex five windows can be seen, dedicated to the Virgin Mary; a total of 10 windows, ten as in a decade of the Rosary. There are eight additional windows in the Narthex, of which six are hidden behind the Creche, These too are dedicated to Mary.

Inside the Upper Church there are the traditional twelve windows, four on each side of the nave and teo in each transept. The eight in the nave depict the movements of the priest's hands as the Eucharistic Prayer transpires during the Mass. This is a unique set of windows; the priest's actions can be followed by watching the windows.

The Rose window above the choir loft, while not overly elaborate, nor large and sometimes referred to as "the phone dial" depicts the Holy Spirit shining down upon those who enter the Church. This window faces east; in the morning, when the sun shines brightly through this window it displays its depiction in deep red, gold, golden yellow, bright white and beige.

In the apse, behind the aaldachin, are five windows of glass more colorful than the rest, which depict the life of Christ. From left to right they depict Nativity, Presentation, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension.

While the traditional church is built with the altar to the East, St. William is the opposite; this is not uncommon in large cities where land value often determined construction. The current substantial church building cost nearly $450,000 to build in 1955, equivalent to well over four million 2010 dollars.

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