The east stained glass windows represent the life of saints who are all Irish, German, and Polish reflecting the ethnic make-up of the early settlers.
The poet in the foreground holds a harp - a familiar symbol of ancient Ireland's creative gifts. Curiously, the poet straddles a ditch and has one foot on either side. This may signify that what was good in the ancient world was retained and combined with the new Christian faith.
St. Bridget (5th century Ireland)
She was the daughter of a clan chief converted by St. Patrick. She is said to have founded the first convent in Ireland at Kildare. She is receiving the veil of religious life from St. Patrick. She is surrounded by symbols - the candles as a light of faith, the white and red roses of purity and fidelity, the life of prayer in the rosary and prayer book.
Saint Columbkille (6th century Ireland).
He came 100 years after Patrick and was of royal descent. He was ordained and founded many monasteries throughout Ireland and eventually Scotland and the Island of Iona. He is shown preaching and converting a group of diverse people. He and his followers were noted as missionaries and spread Christianty throughout the pagan tribes of Europe. The monasteries he established are credited with preserving learning during the Dark Ages.
Saint Boniface (8th Century).
He was a Saxon Bishop who traveled into central Europe to convert the German tribes. Their pagan rites centered around a sacred oak tree which Boniface felled with an axe. His foot is on the stump as he baptizees the newly converted with water from a stream that runs through the deep forest.
