The Windows of Trinity

The Windows in the Nave
(Epistle Side)

The six windows on the Epistle side of the nave recall some of the parables of Jesus, while those on the Gospel side portray his miracles. The lower portion of each window depicts themes relating to Northern California.

Window I: The Parable of the Prodigal Son
(Luke 15:11)

The father embraces his lost son; the young man, newly restored after a life of degradation, is now clothed in a robe of honor. The empty money bag at his feet reminds us that, although he has wasted his inheritance, his father still loves him and rejoices that his son, once "dead," is alive again. In the background we see the unforgiving elder brother as well as reminders of the responsibilities the prodigal son forsook when he lefthis father's home.

The lower panel represents God's gifts of natural beauty found in Northern California. These include representations of Lake Tahoe, Mount Shasta, the giant redwoods and the Pacific Ocean. One message of this window is that we, like the prodigal son, may take our Father's precious gifts for granted, and squander them.

This window was given by the Congregation of Trinity Cathedral.

Window II. The Parable of the Sower
(Luke 8:4-15)

This parable reminds that we are to be bearers of the Word of God. The sower sows the seed extravagantly. Some is eaten by birds of the air, some falls among the rocks, but that which falls on good soil, produces a hundredfold.

The lower panel relates to the parable of the sower by portraying the farmlands of Northern California where wheat, rice, corn, safflower, and many other crops are grown and harvested and stored in the silos and barns which dot the countryside. This window celebrates God's love freely given.

This window was given in memory of Kathryn Brown Awalt (1908-78) and Stephanie Awalt Charbonnier.