Hoping window not fated for the wrecking ball

Chancel window of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Thamesville, Ont.

This month’s instalment of reader submissions of stained-glass windows includes “A mother’s vision” as well as this one, sent by Alfred Nichols, warden/trustee of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Thamesville, Ont. Nichols writes:

The beautiful chancel window with its figure of Christ knocking at the door, referred to by various speakers and in many sermons, was placed by the congregation “To the Glory of God and in memory of the Rev. Captain R. J. Kain,” rector from 1916 to 1918, when he enlisted for service in World War I. Kain died on Oct. 17, 1918, a victim of the 1918 influenza pandemic.

As a retired professional photographer who specialized in weddings, I have had the opportunity to view many, many church windows and can unreservedly state that I have not seen a more beautiful one.

St. Stephen’s has been closed since December, 2019; however, the pandemic began before a date had been set for its deconsecration. As of now, the church is still being looked after and is still standing. The windows are still intact. We all hope that after the deconsecration the window will be preserved and is not fated to meet the contractor’s wrecking ball.

Future Capturing the Light submissions will appear either in forthcoming issues of the Anglican Journal, as space allows, or on anglicanjournal.com.