St. John the Baptist Church

Costa Mesa, California

Challenge

To create beautiful stained glass windows that reflect the liturgy of the church, enhance the beauty of the worship space, and represent the diverse cultures of the congregation at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Costa Mesa, California.

Solution

The church used their 50th Anniversary year “Fifty Years of Mercy”, to move forward with the addition of new liturgical art. On September 25, 2009, they celebrated the unveiling and blessing of the new stained glass windows within the church. The theme of the sacraments anchored the designs as saints and holy persons reflecting the various cultural heritages of the congregation.

Many small details were included that served to personalize the windows to this congregation and to function as a teaching tool to reinforce the history and liturgy of the church.

Mouth-blown antique glass was used throughout as the painted artistry and detail of the faces, figures, and adjacent backgrounds dissolve away in the sky to allow the glass to stand on its own.

New stained glass windows greet worshipers at the entrance way, with glass panels on either side of the doors and above, spanning the width of the doors and the adjacent glass panels.

Eight new clerestory windows surround the Sanctuary with images of angels, rendered in rich golden tones. Each angel has significant meaning with its positioning and hand gestures. The angels adjacent to each other in the pew area symbolize a prayerful position with folded hands and hands over the chest. The angels towards the altar symbolize prayerful positions using their arms, gestures of awe and silence, and of music and singing.

This new stained glass in the recently renovated worship space is generating extreme pride, joy and happiness among the parishioners of St. John the Baptist. Conrad Schmitt Studios is proud to be a part of this continuing renovation.

“I have been meaning all weekend to say how much I love the windows – and so
many people have commented in glowing terms. What a blessing to our church
for generations to come!”