Co-Cathedral of the Nativity
of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

Iconographer and artist (Deacon) Charles Rohrbacher and stained-glass artist Bruce Elliot were commissioned by the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the mid-1980’s to create a series of stained-glass windows as part of a partial renovation of the Cathedral (specifically the replacement of existing windows that were in an advanced state of disrepair).

The theme chosen for the windows was Signs of the Kingdom of Heaven and depicts some of Jesus’ miraculous acts of physical and spiritual healing as recounted in the gospels. The Nativity of Mary, the patronal feast of the Cathedral, was also included.Throughout the process, the windows were a collaboration between the two artists. The iconography of the windows was based on the Byzantine mosaic cycles of the life of Christ in the Cathedral of Montreale on Sicily but treated in a more contemporary manner, including employing different thicknesses of lead cam (see separate section below on what that is) as a design element and the use of clear antique and flashed glasses as well as the Neuland typeface for the inscriptions.

The painted parts of the windows were first hand-painted and then kiln-fired to fuse the carbon black with the glass. The artists used sandblasting to etch the inscriptions and other details into the glass.

Location and Description of the Windows

1. East Wall (front to back)

• Jesus Healing the Paralytic (Mt. 9:1–8, Mk. 2:1–12, and Lk. 5:17–26)
• Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well (Jn. 4:1-42)
• Jesus Raising Lazarus from the Tomb (Jn. 11)
• The Repentant Woman Washing the Feet of Jesus (Lk. 7:36-50)

2. The Sanctuary

• The Myrrh-bearing Woman at the Empty Tomb (Mt. 28.1-​8, Mk. 16.1-8; Lk. 24:1-12 )

3. West Wall (front to back)

• Jesus Healing Those Afflicted with Leprosy (Mt. 8:2–4; Mk. 1:40-45;  Lk. 5:12–16)
• Jesus Healing the Hemorrhagic Woman (Mk. 5:25-34)
• Jesus Healing the Man Born-Blind (Jn. 9:1-39)
• Jesus and the Woman Taken in Adultery (Jn. 8:1-11)
• Jesus Exorcizing the Daughter of the Canaanite Woman (Mt. 15:21-28, Mk. 7:25-30)

4. Narthex

• The Wedding Feast at Cana (Jn. 2:1-12)
• The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4)

5. Choir Loft

• The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Traditionally, Mary’s parents are identified as Joachim and Anna. Both the Conception of Mary, more often known as the Immaculate Conception (December 8), and the Nativity (or birth) of Mary, the Mother of God (September 8), are celebrated by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

The birth of Mary and the identity of her parents are not recorded in sacred scripture but are testified in and celebrated according to the ancient traditions and liturgy of the undivided Church.

How the Windows Were Made

Lead cam (pronounced “cāme”—with the same word being used for singular and plural) are flexible lead strips that hold together the individual pieces of glass in a stained glass window. Each strip of cam (which comes in a variety of widths) has an H-shaped channel into which the glass is fitted.

The various cam are soldered together wherever they join, and the completed window is then puttied, which, when it hardens, will hold the window firmly together.

Flat or round steel reinforcement bars are soldered to the window. The ends are set into grooves in the window casement to pick up the weight of the glass and lead and thus support the window.

Flashed glass is a clear hand-blown glass with a thin layer of colored glass on the outside. The outer layer of flashed glass can be etched to reveal the clear glass underneath.

Much of the clear, colored, and flashed glass in the windows is hand-blown glass prepared by Fremont Antique Glass in Seattle.

For more information about the artist,
click here to visit his website.