PORTSMOUTH – The blustering remnants from Hurricane Noel could not stop those gathered outside St. Barnabas Church on November 3 as the parish and community came together to dedicate the “Veterans memorial Window” to honor parishioners and local residents who served in the Armed Forces.
The centerpiece of the new window, a glass medallion picturing the resurrected Christ was rescued from the Navy’s former Chapel by the Sea and has found a new home in the Portsmouth church. For many people attending the dedication, it was a time to remember happy days. Retired Air Force Colonel Richard Ferro and his wife Ceci were married in the chapel in 1967 and their twin daughters were baptized there.
The Chapel by the Sea may not be on active duty anymore, but it remains in the hearts and minds of many military families, including Rear Admiral Joseph Strasser and his wife Barbara, who were one of the last couples to exchange wedding vows at the naval base chapel.
The glass window was a rescue mission. Father Randolph G. Chew, pastor at Saint Barnabas Parish, had actually wanted the cupola on the chapel. The priest had seen it many times crossing over the Newport bridge. One day, Captain Murray Norcross MC USN, a parishioner, called and told him he had a gift.
Father Chew was surprised to find that it was not the cupola, but the stained glass medallion window that Captain Norcross had discovered.
“It had been stored in a garage that was torn down," says Father Chew. Capt. Norcross was assisted by Lt. Col. Paul St. Laurent USA (Ret), and their wives, in making the new memorial window to become a reality.
“They were instrumental in getting the whole project going and obtaining the finances for this window” said Father Chew.
The priest contacted Jim Donohue of New England Stained Glass Company who has been restoring the church’s windows for the past 10 years.
As Father Chew noted in his remarks, “This is a completion of what was started 10 years ago”.
The priest asked Jim to create a design that would incorporate the glass from the former naval chapel into a large window to be installed in the front of the church.
“I was asked this year to design a window around this particular piece” stated Donohue. “It was a tedious process to get the colored pieces to blend with the chapel glass. To get the new stained glass window to work with the chapel piece was tricky”.
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, on his first official visit to St. Barnabas Parish, stated in his homily based on the Gospel reading from Luke, that “gazing upon the window, was like Zacchaeus climbing the tree, to see Jesus. He simply wanted to see Christ”. In his dedication of the window to those who have served in the military, Bishop Tobin prayed, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. Let us lift up our eyes to Christ.”
For parishioners Ellen and Bob Condon, who were married at the Chapel by the Sea, “the window is a message.” The couple thought is was fitting that they attend this dedication to see a part of their own history find a permanent home in the parish, where it serves as a source of inspiration and comfort.
