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By Chris Hook
It took Fr Frank Furfaro just weeks to raise the $60,000 needed for six stained glass windows to commemorate the Jubilee year at St Patrick’s Kogarah, but the parishioners had to wait another 18 months for
the work to be completed.
The six windows in the body of the church are the first efforts by the current parish to complete the work of the parish founders.
It is believed the intention when the church
was built in 1883 was that every window in St Patrick’s should be of stained glass, depicting a saint or important religious event.
Now that work is moving to conclusion, with plans to replace the windows in
the porch area and above the church entrance.
For the body of the church, the theme flowing through the choice of Blessed Mary MacKillop, St Marcellin Champagnat, St Elizabeth Seton, St Maximillian Kolbe, St
Anthony of Padua and St Edith Stein, is that all are 20th century saints.
•Bl Mary MacKillop was chosen to honour the work of the Josephite sisters in the parish;
•St Elizabeth Seton recognises the dedication of single parents;
•St Maximillian Kolbe honours those who lost their lives in war;
•St Anthony of Padua pays homage to the largely European origins of
many Sydney Catholics;
•St Edith Stein was selected to honour the Jewish heritage of Christians; and
•The choice of St Marcellin Champagnat honours the work in the parish of the Marist Brothers, the
French order founded by St Marcellin Champagnat in 1817.
Dedicated to education, St Marcellin wrote manuals and methods for the training of order members.
Once the parish had selected the
saints, it was up to artist Patty Robinson to bring the vision to fruition.
“I wanted them to tell a story, but I didn’t know what I wanted,” Fr Furfaro said. “(Patty Robinson) literally created the windows.”
Ms Robinson said she researched the saints’ lives “to look for things particular to that saint”.
“I try to make it so people say ‘oh, yes’,” she explained.
Irish-born Patty Robinson is no
stranger to stained glass work. She was trained in Belfast in 1969, and has worked in her own studio in Australia since 1976.
She has worked on church windows throughout Sydney, including St Patrick’s
Parramatta, St Patrick’s Bondi and St Joseph’s Enfield.
And Fr Furfaro said Ms Robinson’s work proved very popular with his parishioners: “marvellous feedback”.
He said within days of the windows
going up, people were conducting tours with commentary, discussing interpretations of the windows or sitting contemplatively beside them.
“The whole thing has been a real eye opener,” he said.
“It has
emphasised how much people need external representations of their faith.
“It’s really lifted the community up.
“I think we priests often fall into the trap of thinking everyone’s theologically
trained, but they’re not.
“People need to be reminded that God is here.”
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