Book includes photos, commentary on church’s new windows
By Reagan Scott
for the Register
Last year, as renovations began at St. Peter Church in Lincoln, pastor Father Eric Clark reached out to parishioner Vern Steiner, Ph.D., president of the Emmaus Institute for Biblical Studies, to write a series of reflections on the new stained-glass windows that were going to replace the old ones in the space.
Most of the 17 windows, each depicting a scene from the life of St. Peter, were installed in the church before the March 23 rededication. The final window, depicting the scene from Matthew 16, the Keys of St. Peter, was hung in the narthex in May.
“We are blessed to have so many people who have contributed their skills and finances towards our project,” Father Clark said. “When I asked Vern, I asked him for his gift of knowledge. Vern is the greatest biblical scholar I have encountered.Since he is in the parish of St. Peter, it was the logical choice to have him put together a bible study on the life of St. Peter.”
Beginning his project just over a year ago, Steiner finished a draft of the project before Christmas, and finalized edits in March. Now, the 110-page booklet, “Encountering the Light of Jesus through the Eyes of St. Peter: Stained-glass reflections from the life of our patron saint,” is available to order.
The booklet includes a full-color photo of each of the church’s windows, and the full Biblical text of the verse below the image, pulled from either the Gospels or the Acts of the Apostles. Then follows commentary that Steiner has written to draw readers into the message of the passage.
Each entry has questions and/or suggestions for reflection and a short prayer, as well. Steiner said the book can be utilized by both individuals and small groups, and he prays that it will be useful in other people’s lives as it has been in his.
Blake Vajgrt, St. Peter’s parish catechist of four years, said there is so much beauty in the parish renovations, and that they’ve prompted many questions about what certain depictions mean, why different changes were made and how people can learn more about the imagery used throughout the church. It was in anticipation of these questions that Steiner’s book was commissioned.
Vajgrt said that in the early Church, when the scriptures were not as accessible as they are today, people learned through their sense of sight.
“[Steiner] adds an extra element to that… we can all benefit from viewing a picture study of the windows, even when we’re not here,” he said.
Steiner said the renovations at St. Peter have been captivating to him, and he’s grateful for the vision and desire of church leadership to draw attention to the new windows, and use them as an educational tool.
He said, “For anyone who wants to learn about the apostle whom Jesus called “the rock,” to whom he gave the keys… here’s a book that will help us appreciate his role in the life of the Church.”
Steiner said he worked hard to create a resource that would be devotional and accessible to the laity.
“It is a fabulous work. It draws people into the life of St. Peter, and there is not much work out there on his life,” Father Clark said. “I hope that people can see a reflection of their walk with Christ similar to St. Peter.He was a simple and flawed man who was called to follow the Lord.He was bold, and a coward.He affirmed the person of Christ, but then denied Him.In short, St. Peter was a sinner who kept trying until he became a saint.”
Vajgrt said all people can relate to St. Peter, and the saint is someone in whom he sees himself.
“In him we see a boldness and a zeal that we should hopefully aspire to, but he also speaks a little too boldly and rashly sometimes,” Vajgrt said. “We can relate to him and his model of contrition, coming back to our Lord again and again.”
In the preface to the book, Steiner noted that the book is not meant to be an exhaustive study on the life of St. Peter, but instead is a lens through which to see the Lord.
“Surely this is the way Peter would desire it, with our window-gazing focused not upon himself, but upon the One at the center of his love and devotion,” Steiner wrote. “Peter’s story, after all, is not principally about himself but about his Lord, without whom there would be no story of Peter.”
The first window depicts the call of St. Peter on the Sea of Galilee, and continues through his work establishing the Church in the Acts of the Apostles.
Steiner said that, far and away, his favorite window is the Keys of St. Peter. Covered in the last chapter in his book, he said it is the longest chapter in the new book, and one that he had a lot of fun writing.
Steiner said his writing process involved, “a thoughtful and prayerful study of each of the corresponding Gospel and Acts passages” and some consultation with other resources he had in his library to engage with others’ thoughts on the passages.
“It was such a wonderful experience for me personally,” Steiner said. “I had never slowed down and really pondered in-depth some of these passages, and it was spiritually so enriching. I hope it will have a similar effect on people who pick it up and make their way through it.”
Steiner’s book is available for pickup at the St. Peter Parish office, or for order on the St. Peter website, saintpeterlincoln.com, for a suggested donation of $10. The suggested donation for a copy delivered by mail is $20.
A booklet with reflections on the murals of the story of salvation featured in murals in the church is also available, co-written by Vajgrtand Chad Steiner, also from the Emmaus Institute.
Proceeds from orders will go to cover the cost of printing, with additional funds donated going to the Emmaus Institute.
SNR photos
