Sacristies, or vestries, in older churches breathe reverence through their sights and smells. Sometimes, they are fairly large, somewhat musty rooms next to the sanctuary. They often house huge, wood cabinets containing sacred vessels such as chalices as well as vestments, vases, altar linens, liturgical books, and countless other liturgical accoutrements. Young eyes are agog at seeing the place where priests and their attendants prepare for services. The antechamber to God’s sanctuary is no ordinary room.

The four windows on either side of our sacristy quickly capture visitors attention. Quite different from those in the rest of the chapel, these are done in a fully painted Victorian style in which the paint is applied over coloured or clear glass. The colours are much brighter hues of red, green, and gold than the Neo-Gothic windows in the chapel. The use of acanthus leaves in these windows is also typical of this style. The windows have no human figures.