By Laura Hand
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 8:50 p.m.
SKANEATELES --
For Mary Gardner, the dedication inscriptions at the bottom of the stained glass window panels in St. Mary's of the Lake Church were enchanting, and when her church prayer group started looking for a project that would use the church to expand possibilities for meditation and prayer, exploring the church windows' history seemed the obvious choice. It's turned into quite a project.
St. Mary of the Lake installed 15 stained glass windows in 1926, bought from the Franz Meyer Company of Munich, Germany for $8,000.
They've contacted the maker, who has provided an inventory of the 250 churches in New York State they've done windows for (including Syracuse's St Lucy's, the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, St. Anthony's, plus churches in Manlius, Fayetteville and Rome).
Each window has a biblical theme, detailed along with the Biblical quote that inspired it, as well as a listing of what's known about the patrons who underwrote the gift. That, however, is a work in progress. For example, not much is known about Delia Gallagher, and there are hopes that people will remember and bring stories. They also hope to eventually give tours of the church windows.
