This year is the school’s tenth anniversary, so in celebration, the school plans to make the final addition to its building in telling the story of Christ through stained glass.
“We want to tell the stories of Jesus through art,” said school chaplain Shane Byrne.
The Resurrection piece will add to the stained glass windows the school already has of the birth of Christ, His baptism, the washing of the feet and the crucifixion.
“All those windows get bigger throughout the story.”
At more than 12 metres tall, the new window will be located adjacent to the school’s front doors, “so when students, family, anyone comes in, they’ll be walking underneath the resurrected Christ,” said Byrne.
Construction of the 39-square-metre window begins this month with completion aimed for September. Students will have a hands-on role during the window’s construction.
Artist Ilia Tzvetanov will be working on site with the students. Creation of the window will be incorporated into the art curriculum with about 150 students participating, including those with special needs, Byrne said.
Angelo Di Francesco, head of St. Marcellinus’ academic resources department, oversees the arts program for special needs students, many of whom he said were told in the past they did not have the ability to create art like stained glass.
“Our students have made the impossible happen,” said Di Francesco.
The project will be worked on out of the same room as the stained glass program for special needs students.
Students will help with cutting glass and will learn how to paint and fire glass in a kiln, as well as help in raising funds for the project.
The estimated cost is $40,000, with $10,000 already having been raised.
The stained glass windows “shine into the community at night,” explains Byrne, so with this new window in the stairwell and with the school’s lights remaining on at night, the image of the resurrected Christ “will be shining bright at night into the community, letting them know the story of Jesus and what the school is all about.
“This is going to be a magnificent window that’s just going to captivate the attention of everybody,” said Byrne.
“For a Catholic school to take on this project, we want to reaffirm our identity as a Catholic school, use art to continue the tradition of telling the story of Jesus without words and involve the students and inspire the community,” Byrne said.
There will be a donor’s wall and tax receipts are available. Donations can be made to the Dufferin-Peel Catholic Education Foundation and sent to the school.