Stained Glass Tour
  - Joseph the Patriarch
  - St. Therese of Liseux
  - St. Claire of Assisi
  - St. Francis of Assisi
  - St. Paul of Tarsus
  - Bl. Pedro Calungsod
  - St. Maria Goretti
  - Bl. Miguel Pro
  - St. Maximilian Kolbe
  - St. Gianna Molla
  - Bl. Teresa of Calcutta
  - Ven. John Paul II, Pope
  - St. John Vianney
  - Christ the King with St. Michael
the Archangel
 - Ven. Fr. Michael McGivney

The stained glass in the main section of St. Joseph's Church that is featured in this section was designed and created by parishioner Mary Mullins and all images are subject to copyright, 2007-2010, Valley Rose Designer Glass.  Descriptive text copyright Mary Mullins, 2007-2010.
You may contact them by calling (209) 238-3236.

The great Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul of Tarsus, began life as Saul, a member of a prosperous Jewish family of tent-makers in Tarsus. He was a devout Hellenic Jew and Pharisee.

We first encounter him in Acts of the Apostles (Acts 7:58-8:3) as the young man Saul who consented to the stoning of St. Stephen.  Saul was well on his way to becoming a rabid persecutor of the Church, but the Lord had greater things in mind for him.  While on his way to Damascus around the year AD 33, with the intent of arresting more Christians, Saul was knocked from his horse in a brilliant flash of light that blinded him. He heard a voice saying “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9: 1-9)
In those moments, he had his first encounter with the Risen Lord, Jesus.  In Damascus, he experienced his conversion, healing from blindness and baptism.  There in Damascus, Saul, now Paul began to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.  Those who knew him were shocked by his sudden conversion!

Through his work, St. Paul gave the Church so much more than can be properly addressed in this short narrative. Thirteen of the twenty-one New Testament Epistles are traditionally attributed to him. His letters were actually written before the four Gospels and present us with insights into the first Christian communities. The letters resonate clearly today as insightful descriptions of what it means to live as a disciple of the Lord Jesus.  In the Letter to the Romans and again in the First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul gives us the concept many parts yet one Body in Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-26 Roman 12:3-9). He inspires us with a powerful definition of the Virtue of Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) and he gives us the first written description of the Last Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

St. Paul traveled extensively throughout Asia Minor, the Mediterranean, Greece and Macedonia preaching the Gospel and helping establish new Christian churches. He suffered much in the service of the Lord including imprisonment, shipwrecks and beatings.  Paul was eventually martyred, beheaded with a sword, in Rome around the time of Emperor Nero in AD 65.

In this window…

St. Paul raises his right hand in a blessing and holds an open Bible in his left hand, inviting us to come closer and revisit the Sacred Scriptures.  The verse inscribed on the open pages of the Bible, “Mihi vivere Christus est” is the Latin translation of Philippians 1:21:  “For to me, life is Christ!”
 
Balanced against the book is a double-edged sword with the symbols of Alpha and Omega inscribed on the upper part of the blade. The sword represents both the instrument of St. Paul’s martyrdom and the Word of God, described as “a double-edged sword” in Hebrews 4:12.
There are several recorded descriptions of St. Paul’s appearance as “a man small of stature, with a bald head, long flowing beard and crooked legs…and nose somewhat hooked, large eyes full of friendliness; for now he appeared like a man and now he had the face of an angel.”  St. Paul is faithfully represented as bald and short; standing on steps as he invites us closer.  In the distance, a ship symbolizes his many travels. At his feet a feather quill pen symbolizes his writings.