Stained Glass

The stained glass windows of St. Mary's Cathedral are each beautiful in their own right and enliven the entire structure as a space for prayer. The windows themselves are elegant, but the content of each and every one of them visually expresses the Bible itself or faith based on the Bible.

In terms of what is represented and its subject matter, we can say that the subject matter is arranged from

he north of that east wall. The most northerly is the one by the side altar on the right, which represents the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Next to it is the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, which once had a marble baptismal font in front of it. Next is the window to the right of the pew, from which the life of the Virgin Mary is represented. The first three are the Immaculate Conception, the Annunciation, and the Presentation of Jesus. Next, moving to the west side of the pews, from behind (south side), we see the deposition of the body of Jesus from the cross, followed by the descent of the Holy Spirit, and finally, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Sleep ("dormitio"). Then there is the sermon of St. Francis Xavier in Japan on the west wall of the small cathedral, two crosses surrounded by window frames, and a high window depicting two angels on either side of the wall in front of the large mural. All of these windows provide light to the cathedral. Please enjoy a taste of this cathedral in its natural light.

(1) The Birth of Jesus

This is a representation of the Gospel accounts of Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20, in which only the infant Jesus, his mother Mary, and his foster father Joseph are depicted, lying in a manger. A star is depicted

in the upper left corner, but it is not clear whether the three men depicted below it are Wise men from the East (Matthew 2:1-12). Here the emphasis is on the Virgin in the center. The purity of the Blessed Mother, who had a virgin conception, seems to be emphasized by the sky blue color.

(2) The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

Mark 1:9-11;Matt. 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34.

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus came to John the Baptist and was baptized in the Jordan River. At that time, the Holy Spirit descended upon him.

The baptismal font was placed in front of this stained glass window, but it is no longer there.

(3) Immaculate Conception of Mary

What does this painting depict and represent? The first thing that is seen is a woman, the Virgin Mary because of the halo on her head. Her feet are trampling on the head of the serpent. This is a scene from the Old Testament story of the creation of Adam and Eve and their subsequent sin in Genesis 2:4-26; 3:1-19. The progenitors were in paradise when they were tempted by the serpent and disobeyed God. Thus, they brought about the doom of death to mankind. The judgment that God pronounced on the serpent was as follows: "I am the Lord God of you and of the woman, and of the man and of the woman. I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel" (3:15). The "he" here is the Messiah, but the Latin Vulgate has translated it as "she," which has been interpreted as Mary, the mother of Jesus. Here is the suggestion of Mary, the mother of the Messiah, who tramples on Satan, who led humanity into committing the original sin. It has been said that this is where the original Gospel (Proto-Evangelium) is found.

(4) Annunciation

The scene of the Annunciation appears in Luke 1:26-38. The virgin Mary is in the small town of Nazareth in Galilee when the archangel Gabriel is sent by God to her and tells her that she will become the mother of the Son of God while still a virgin. Mary asked questions and was satisfied with the archangel's answers and replied, "May it come to

pass as you have said." Catholics recite it daily, memorizing it as the Ave Maria prayer. It is also a prayer that has been recited even during the long period of persecution.

(5) The infant Jesus is presented at the temple

Luke 2:22-39.

On the day of Mary's purification, she went to the temple to present her firstborn son at the temple. It is said that she offered two mountain pigeons, as was prescribed at that time. When Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, the foster father, came up to the Temple in Jerusalem, the holy family was welcomed by Simeon, an elderly man.

Simeon praises God and foretells a grim future for the infant Jesus. Anna, a pious old woman, is also there to welcome them.

(6) The body of Jesus is taken down.

Matthew 27:57-61;Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:4438-42.

In Jesus' time, it was customary for the bodies of those condemned to death to be taken by their families rather than dumped in the common cemetery. Jesus' body was also taken in and buried by his disciples.

The sorrow of the Virgin Mary is unimaginable.

(7) Pentecost

After Jesus' resurrection, Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained inJerusalem with His disciples (see Acts 1:12-14). On the day ofPentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the twelve apostles, and the Virgin Mary must have been present. Thus began the Church in Jerusalem.

(8) The Sleep (Dormitio) and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Since human death is the result of the original sin committed by the human ancestors Adam and Eve, the Immaculate Virgin Mary must not have died. Hence, the ending of the Virgin Mary's life is sometimes referred to as "sleep. It has also been believed that her body was

elevated to heaven. This is called the Assumption of the Virgin. This was declared a dogma to be believed by Pope Pius XII in 1951.

In addition, there are stained glass windows in various places, such as in the chapel and on both sides of the ceiling in the inner sanctuary.