About Stained Glass

In 1380 the birth of Nicolette Boilet brought great joy to her elderly parents who had prayed to St. Nicolas for help in having a child. According to tradition her mother was 60 years old when she gave birth to her daughter and named her after the saint to whom they had prayed. Her name […]

Not much is known about St. Oliva (or Olivia) of Brescia, Italy. She was a holy virgin who lived in the second century AD and was martyred during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. She died in 138 AD and was canonized pre-congregation. She is honored in both the Greek Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church […]

St. Camilla was born in the fourth century in Civitavecchia, Italy. When St. Germanus of Auxerre (France) was in Ravenna, St. Camilla became his disciple and she went on missions with him to France. Later she settled in Auxerre and became a hermitess until her death in 437 AD. Her feast day is commemorated on […]

St. Polycarp was a second century martyr, Church Father and Bishop of Smyrna. It is recorded that he was a disciple of St. John the Apostle who had ordained him as Bishop of Smyrna. Having lived an exemplary life of devotion and prayer, Polycarp was brutally martyred before a bloodthirsty crowd when he was eighty-six […]

St. Simon or Simeon (also spelled Symeon) of Jerusalem was a Jewish Christian leader of the first century. He is mentioned in the Bible as the son of Cleopas, the brother of St. Joseph. This would make him the first cousin of our Lord Jesus. According to most Christian traditions, St. Simon became the second […]

St. Valentine is undoubtedly associated with love, and stained glass art of this saint often includes roses and birds. Although many people celebrate St. Valentine’s Day on 14th February, few realise the poignant story behind the original St. Valentine. He was a holy priest in Rome, around the year 269 AD. During the reign of […]

The Irish St. Abigail was also known as “St. Gobnait”. The meaning of her name is “One who Brings Joy”. She lived during the Sixth Century AD in County Cork, where the community of Ballyvourney still celebrates her feast day on February 11th with a Mass at the well during which everyone takes water from […]

St. Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict, born in Italy in the fifth century. She consecrated her life to God at a very young age and later went to live at Plombariola where she founded a monastery of nuns. This was near to the monastery which her brother had founded in Monte Cassino. […]

Born in 1522 in Italy, St. Catherine de Ricci was initially named Alessandra. When she joined the community of religious sisters of the Third Order of St. Dominic, she was given the name Catherine, after St. Catherine of Siena. From a very early age Catherine de Ricci was passionate about prayer and lived a strict […]

Paul (or Paulo) Miki was born in Japan in the mid-sixteenth century. He came from a wealthy Japanese family and was educated by Jesuit priests. He too became a Jesuit and was a successful preacher with many converts. At that time the ruler of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, began persecuting Catholics. Paul Miki was imprisoned, along […]