The Seven Sacraments
The third theme in the Creation and the New Creation series of windows at the church of
Saints Leonard and Fergus, Dundee.
The third and final main theme that weaves its way through this series of windows is The Seven Sacraments. This theme is specific to the Roman Catholic Church and so will be written about here from that perspective. Seven sacraments are recognised in Orthodox churches where they are called ‘mysteries’ and Protestant churches generally recognise only two sacraments (some denominations do not recognise formal sacraments at all). The Roman Catholic sacraments are regarded as channels of divine grace and are each celebrated with a visible ritual, or rite, that reflects the spiritual and invisible essence of the sacrament.
The original brief for the entire project was to replace just the seven windows on the East wall of the church (what we now call the Spring windows, windows 8 – 14) with stained glass, leaving the other 17 on the North, South and West walls as they were. Being seven in number, the priest originally suggested the theme should be the seven sacraments. However, as ideas for the project developed (see Introduction), it was decided that all 24 windows should be replaced with stained glass and that the sacraments should form a single theme that runs throughout all the windows. This theme would interleave and overlap with two other main themes, The Days of Creation and The Ministry of Jesus, all under the overarching theme of Creation and the New Creation. The theme of the seven sacraments starts with Window 3: The Last Rites, which is, in fact, the final sacrament (more on that below) and ends with Window 22: Holy Orders.
A ship sailing into harbour symbolising the Last Rites.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t been possible to include all the images mentioned on this page, so if you want to see the missing ones and read more details about the design, symbolism and overlapping themes and ideas in each window, click on the links to the relevant windows. In keeping with the rest of this website, all biblical quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), although since Advent 2024, Catholics in the UK officially use the English Standard Version, Catholic Edition (ESV-CE). Before that, the Jerusalem Bible (JB) was the main version used.
The Last Rites
The first of the Catholic sacraments depicted is found in Window 3: The Last Rites. This sacrament is also known as the Anointing of the Sick, or Extreme Unction. The Last Rites are actually a collection of three sacraments and some prayers that are administered by a priest to a person shortly before death. The sacraments include the Anointing of the Sick (during which the dying person is anointed with one of three holy oils used in the Catholic church, the oil of the sick), Reconciliation (Penance, or Confession), and the Eucharist (Holy Communion). They are performed to heal and strengthen the dying Christian and prepare them for a new eternal life in Christ in which they, too, become Christ-like.
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​As ideas developed during the design stage of the windows, Fr McInally, the parish priest at the time, was keen that this final sacrament should be positioned before the rest to highlight the importance of the beginning of the New Creation, in which the end of earthly life is really the beginning of eternal
life. In this way, it forms a partner to the previous window, Window 2: The Resurrection, which, as an event in Jesus’s life and featuring in The Ministry of Jesus theme, similarly highlights the end of earthly life and the beginning of eternal life. A second reason for it being positioned first is to remind us to pray for the souls of those who have preceded us; just as those who have died before us have done.
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The Last Rites are symbolically depicted high up in the window by a ship sailing into harbour. This illustration is Dad’s own design but in the style of a medieval illumination, linking it to the painting of Jesus’s resurrection in the transom of Window 2 which is based on a medieval illumination.
The ship is a metaphor for each individual departed soul, and the harbour, a metaphor for heaven and eternal life. There is a golden glow above the harbour representing the rising sun, symbolic not only of the New Creation and a new beginning, but of the oil used for anointing the sick or dying person.
At the bottom of Window 3, and connecting to the theme of The Days of Creation, are hints of the beginnings of primitive sea life: jellyfish, seaweed – probably the first plants on earth – and a school of small fry. They are not easy to see at first, indicating something of the newness of life on this planet, overlapping with the newness of eternal life promised in the sacrament of the Last Rites.
Baptism
Baptism is the second sacrament to appear in this series of windows although it is, in fact, the first sacrament. It acts as a mark of admission into the Christian life and features in Window 5: Baptism. Baptism is also recognised by Protestant churches as a sacrament.
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The sacrament of Baptism mirrors both the sacrament of the Last Rites and Jesus’ resurrection in that they all herald a new life. Baptism marks the beginning of a new physical life in Christ, and the Last Rites mark a new beginning in eternal life in Christ. Jesus’s resurrection marks the beginning of his heavenly existence and points towards the New Creation. That the last
Primitive sea life: the newness of life on this planet mirroring the newness of eternal life promised in the Last Rites.
sacrament precedes the first in these windows points to the continuity of life and the cyclical nature of the liturgical calendar that cycles through the year, with no beginning and no end.
Baptism, symbolised by the Holy Spirit as a dove hovering over the waters.
Baptism is performed to welcome a person (often as a baby in the Catholic Church) into the Christian family and to confer upon him or her saving grace. The rite can be carried out by a deacon or a priest in the Catholic Church. Prayers are said and pure natural water is poured or sprinkled over the candidate’s head, indicating cleansing and the emergence of a totally innocent person. This is followed by anointing with chrism, the holy oil reserved for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders. The chrism symbolises the sealing of the rite of Baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The rite connects the person to Jesus, who was baptised by John the Baptist (see Matthew 3.13-17, Mark 1.9-11, Luke 3.21-22) and who instructed the apostles to baptise others (see Matthew 28.19). Jesus’s baptism features in The Ministry of Jesus theme that weaves around the windows.
The sacrament of Baptism is symbolically depicted in the lower half of Window 5: Baptism with the Holy Spirit hovering as a dove over the waters. The Holy Spirit is traditionally associated with a dove based on the four gospel accounts of Jesus’s baptism, ‘And when Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him’ (Matthew 3.16). The image is Dad’s own design and links to his portrayal of the Last Rites ship of the soul in that the water in both is painted in a wavy medieval style. The dove itself is in a more modern style and contains some lovely acid etching detailing – giving it a sparkly effect – and a nimbus, or halo, emanating a golden glow.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation, officially known as the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation or simply Confession, features in Window 12: Reconciliation. The sacrament is based on what Jesus instructed his disciples to do when he appeared to them after his resurrection, ‘He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (John 20.22-23).
This rite involves confession and repentance of sins. The priest, acting on behalf of Christ, suggests some form of prayer or sacrifice as penance, which is an important part of healing. He offers a prayer for the absolution of sins and reconciliation with God. The act of Confession is an encounter with God’s loving mercy and, ideally is made regularly so as to draw closer to Christ and develop a mature conscience.
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Rather than creating a symbolic and abstract representation of this sacrament, Dad brought it together with one of the very human stories of Jesus’s ministry that has, at its heart, the theme of forgiveness. This is the story of the woman who wept and bathed Jesus’s feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. She kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant and costly ointment she’d bought (see Luke 7.36-50), much to the annoyance of the Pharisee witnessing this act. The woman, only known as ‘a sinner’, was forgiven by Jesus and because she had sinned greatly and had been
Reconciliation: the woman, known only as a 'sinner', who was forgiven by Jesus.
forgiven, was able to love greatly. It is discussed more fully in Window 12: Reconciliation and The Ministry of Jesus theme.
Using his own design, Dad painted a sensitive and detailed scene from this story. It portrays the woman, bowed in humility, drying Jesus’s feet with her flowing hair, a jug of water and an alabaster jar beside her. The Pharisee is looking on with annoyance at her audacity – look at the expression on his face and the way his hand is gripping the edge of the table! Jesus’s left hand is outstretched as if to say to the Pharisee, ‘Hang on a minute, let me explain …’
The communion host, symbolised by five white seedy quarries in a field of wheat.
The Holy Eucharist
Opposite the entrance of the church is the altar, the central, most important feature of the building and the focal point of Catholic worship. On the altar, the next sacrament to feature in these windows, the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is celebrated in remembrance of the pivotal events in Jesus’s life: the Last Supper, his death and resurrection. The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit’ of Catholic life, underlining the central role of the altar.
The Eucharist was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper on the eve of his crucifixion. During this meal he gave his disciples bread – which he called his body – and wine – which he called his blood. He told his followers to ‘do this in remembrance of me’ (see Luke 22.19-20). During the sacrament of the Eucharist, the bread and wine are consecrated, or made sacred, transforming the basic elements into the body and blood of Christ. In Catholic doctrine, the bread and the wine are sacramentally transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ while their outward appearances remain the same. This doctrine is known as transubstantiation.
Because the bread and wine are transformed in this way, bread that was not consumed during Mass is housed in a special, locked box called a tabernacle often kept behind the altar. The Eucharist is reserved in the
tabernacle for distribution to the sick and provides a point of devotion in its own right because it functions as a dwelling place for the true presence of Christ. The name ‘tabernacle’ links it to the Old Testament tabernacle that housed God’s presence among the Israelites.
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The Eucharist is also regarded as a sacrament by many Protestant churches but views vary significantly on how it is understood.
Dad was keen that the windows did not detract from the central focus of the altar and tabernacle, rather the windows function as stories that remind us of their importance. Thus, this sacrament is illustrated in the pair of windows that flank the altar, Window 14: The Eucharistic Bread to the left and Window 15: The Eucharistic Wine to the right. In designing these two windows, Dad made the deliberate decision to emphasise the human involvement in the eucharistic bread and wine by designing the windows to contain a field of wheat and a baker in the one, and a grapevine and a grape-picker in the other. In doing so, he was reflecting the changes made to the liturgy during the Vatican II reforms of the 1960s. The offertory prayers, spoken when the priest elevates and consecrates the bread and wine, contain the words ‘work of human hands’ in the post-Vatican II liturgy whereas the traditional liturgy makes no reference to human involvement.
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​The eucharistic bread is represented in Window 14 by a field of wheat ripening in the sun, wheat being the ingredient of the eucharistic bread. From top to bottom, the window is filled with acid-etched ears of wheat blowing gently in the breeze, the effect of which is quite breath-taking. By using predominantly acid-etching in this window, the window has a shimmering, elusive quality, which emphasises something of the mystery and awe inspired by the
A traditional baker emphasising the human involvement in the eucharistic bread.
A stylised grapevine, symbolising the eucharistic wine.
sacrament of the Holy Eucharist itself. Similarly, to draw attention to the special nature of the Eucharist, this window and the next are the only two in the series that have borders around them.
The eucharistic bread is also called the communion host, and traditionally looks like a thin, round wafer, often stamped with the letters IHS, a combination of letters representing the name ‘Jesus’. Rather than creating a straightforward image of the communion host (which would look too similar to the moon in the
transom of Window 12: Reconciliation nearby), he portrayed it in a subtle, abstract way as a cross of five white seedy quarries (diamonds) in the field of wheat, towards the top of the main window, that shimmer and sparkle in the sunlight. This simple depiction of the communion host is also a reference to the five wounds of Jesus, recalling Jeus’s death on a cross.
In the transom Dad painted a traditional baker taking a loaf of bread out of the oven, emphasising the human involvement in the eucharistic bread. When the host is elevated to be consecrated during the offertory prayers, the priest says, ‘Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life.’ (This wording was changed slightly in 2011.)
Comparable to the eucharistic bread being represented by ears of wheat filling Window 14 from top to bottom, the eucharistic wine is portrayed with a stylised grapevine, filling Window 15 from top to bottom. The grapevine is heavily laden
with bunches of purple grapes, grapes being the ingredient of the eucharistic wine. Also comparable, the grapevine is mainly acid-etched, the shimmer and movement of this technique conveying a sense of wonder inspired by the sacrament of the Eucharist.
The eucharistic wine, or communion wine, is represented by a painted illustration of a medieval-style grape-picker, cutting a bunch of grapes from a vine and putting it in her basket, which are then fermented to make wine. Here, Dad changed his medieval source to make the grapes purple rather than the original green, to better represent the blood of Christ as purple grapes make red wine. However, eucharistic wine can be red or white; the important thing is that it is made from pure grapes, naturally fermented, and with no artificial substances. Catholic communion wine is often fortified by brandy (which is made from grapes).​
Just as the inclusion of a traditional baker in the eucharistic bread window emphasises the human involvement in the eucharistic bread, so the grape-picker in this window emphasises the human involvement in the eucharistic wine. The grape-picker in Dad’s source was male and Dad changed him to female. The female grape-picker, taken alongside the male baker in the previous window, includes both sexes in the ‘work of human hands’ of the eucharistic liturgy.
A medieval grape-picker, emphasising the human involvement in the eucharistic wine.
The most sacred object, the chalice, which holds the eucharistic wine.
In the transom of Window 15 is a depiction of the most sacred object, the chalice, which holds the eucharistic wine. Dad took the highly ornate 8th century Tassilo chalice as his source for his illustration. When the chalice of wine is elevated during the offertory prayers, the priest says, ‘Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink’. (This wording was changed slightly in 2011.)
Confirmation
The sacrament of Confirmation is regarded as an affirmation of belief, a sealing of the covenant that was created in Baptism. During Baptism, Christians receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and in Confirmation, that gift is enriched providing those being confirmed with the strength to become true witnesses of Christ in the world. In Catholicism, Confirmation is usually administered to children from about the age of 8 onwards. It usually takes place during a Mass celebrated by a bishop. The bishop anoints the forehead of the candidate with chrism, or holy oil, which symbolises the sealing of the rite with the gift of the Holy Spirit, as it does in Baptism.
Confirmation and chrism are represented in two images in Window 16: Confirmation. The first is a beautiful stylised olive tree, showing the leaves and fruit. Chrism is made of olive oil, which comes from the fruit of the olive tree. The oil is mixed with balsam to give it its fragrance, which symbolises the ‘aroma of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 2.15).
The importance of olive oil can be seen throughout the Bible. In Jewish culture it was regarded as a sign of wealth and was considered sacred. It was used to anoint kings and priests as a sign of God’s presence and favour. Its use in anointing as a sign of God’s presence in ancient times connects to anointing as a sign of the Holy Spirit in the Christian sacrament of Confirmation.
To remind us that the chrism is a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, the Holy Spirit in the form of a Picasso-style dove flies above the olive tree. This dove (not shown here) connects this window back to the Holy Spirit as a dove hovering over the baptismal waters in Window 5: Baptism.
An olive tree, representing the chrism of Confirmation made from olive oil.
The second representation of the chrism of Confirmation is contemporary and is up in the transom. It is a clever portrayal of a modern oil rig, mining for North Sea oil. Modern crude oil can be regarded as a parallel to the traditional olive oil in that it,
too, is a symbol of wealth – it has the nickname ‘black gold’. Dad gave the image an eerie, misty feel by swirling acid onto the glass to subtly burn away some of the deep blue. The lights and the flame in yellow were added using silver stain.
In the context of this window, with the oil rig being used as a modern-day symbol of chrism, the flame at the top of the flare tower serves as a reminder of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the sacrament of Confirmation because the Holy Spirit is often depicted as fire.
A North Sea oil rig, a contemporary symbol of the chrism, or oil, of Confirmation.
Holy Matrimony
The next sacrament, or visible sign of an invisible grace, is Holy Matrimony, known more commonly as marriage. Matrimony is a ‘covenant by which a man and woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life’.
Usually, only a priest can perform the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. During the service, the man and woman must express their conscious and free consent to give of themselves to the other. This bond between spouses is permanent and exclusive and sealed by God.
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This sacrament features in a pair of windows, Window 18: Holy Matrimony and Window 19: Adam & Eve. The focal point of the first one is an exquisite glass bridal bouquet. For this bouquet, Dad selected mainly seedy green and white glass to symbolise purity. By applying soft and free acid-etching and delicate silver stain detail to the glass, he gave it a shimmering and lively quality. Tied together with a golden bow, this beautiful and fragile bouquet communicates the need to handle marriage with care; it is not just the wedding day that is important, marriage is for life.
A pair of gold wedding rings are positioned above the bridal bouquet, wrapped around a cross decorated in a simple Celtic design, acid-etched into the glass. Together, the rings and the cross form a traditional symbol of the binding of two people, their marriage and the Catholic Church.
Holy Matrimony symbolised by a beautiful acid-etched bridal bouquet.
​The two partners in the marriage are also illustrated by two butterflies(not shown here). The woman is represented by a painted lady in the lower part of the window and the man by a peacock butterfly towards the top.
Window 19: Adam & Eve depicts the union of a man and a woman. This window also features in The Days of Creation theme that circles the windows in that it portrays the first human beings created on the sixth day of creation by God ‘in our image, according to our likeness’ (Genesis 1.26).​
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They are portrayed in the paradisiacal garden of Eden, in a state of original grace. Seated on opposite sides of a small stream that runs between them, Eve has her foot dangling in the stream as the water plays over her toes. A bird flies from Adam’s outstretched arm and Eve offers Adam a flower. All vegetation, including a tree in the distance, is hinted at with minimal brush strokes and acid etching, giving the scene a glowing, ethereal look.
A pair of gold wedding rings exchanged during the sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
This scene occurred before the well-known story of the Fall from grace when the serpent
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, depicting the union of a man and a woman.
arrived on the scene and Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. The Holy Matrimony window is positioned before Adam and Eve to emphasise the sanctity and holiness of marriage as a sacrament by bringing it, too, into a state of grace before the Fall.
Holy Orders
The sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament of apostolic ministry during which a man (it is always a man in the Catholic Church) is ordained into a lifelong commitment to continue the mission given by Jesus Christ to his apostles and in this respect, relates back to the calling of the first apostles, featured in The Ministry of Jesus theme and in Window 13: Saints Peter & Andrew. There are three degrees of Holy Orders: deacon, priest and bishop, each one with different roles and functions within the Church.
This sacrament is a complement to the sacrament of Holy Matrimony because while marriage is a mark of the love between a man and a woman, Holy Orders signifies a man’s complete dedication to serving the Church, in effect, acting as a spiritual ‘spouse’ to the Church herself.
It is represented in Window 22: Holy Orders, which is flanked on both sides by parables from the Gospels, featured in The Ministry of Jesus theme circling the windows. The main motif of the sacrament of Holy Orders is Dad’s own take on what is traditionally called a tetramorph, an arrangement
of four elements into one unit. The tetramorph symbolises the fullness of Christ’s revelation in the Gospels which is then passed on through this sacrament. It comprises a group of four living creatures, each reflecting one of the four evangelists. Here, the exquisitely detailed paintings of the animals surround a central Bible embellished with the face of Christ, indicating that the creatures also embody the four facets of Christ.
The association of the four evangelists with four living creatures dates back to the second century and over the years, various interpretative schemes have been followed as to which animal refers to which evangelist. The most common interpretation is that the man is Matthew, the lion Mark, the ox Luke and the eagle John. This is the scheme followed by Dad here. However, whereas Dad was originally going to portray the evangelists in the traditional manner, at Fr McInally’s request he selected specifically Scottish creatures to represent them.
To the left of the Bible is Matthew who, rather than being depicted as a man, is symbolised by a proud Scottish Highland stag with a crucifix between his antlers. It is difficult to tell from the image, but the crucifix is one of Jesus on the cross. For the reason for the stag replacing the traditional man representing Matthew see Window 22: Holy Orders.
In the place of the traditional lion for Mark, a Scottish wildcat sits
A tetramorph, symbolising the fullness of Christ's revelation in the Gospels, passed on in the sacrament of Holy Orders.
regally atop the Bible. Luke, instead of being represented by an ox, is presented as a Scottish Highland bull, with long horns and a shaggy coat. Here, the bull, to the right of the Bible, is prising open its pages with one of its horns. Finally, at the bottom, and holding up the Bible on its back, is a golden eagle with fish in its talons, for John. John is traditionally symbolised by an eagle, flying heavenwards like the divine Word.
The crucifixion, representing the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus and the foundation of priestly vocation.
Above the four evangelists is a second motif of the sacrament of Holy Orders, a crucifix surrounded by a crown of thorns. The figure on the cross is based on Paul Gauguin’s painting of The Yellow Christ and the crown of thorns surrounding the cross is based on the one they had behind the altar of the church when Dad made these windows. It has since been removed and the altar area remodelled.
The crucifixion was the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus and represents the foundation of priestly vocation, highlighting the priest’s commitment to the teachings and mission of Jesus Christ. It also connects to Jesus’s resurrection which takes place three days after his death on the cross, the subject of the Window 2: The Resurrection. Here we see the circularity of the Christian story in that this window, the third last of the series, connects across the main entrance of the church to the second window of the series, the end becoming the beginning.