Originals Destroyed by 1953 Tornado that Ripped through Assumption’s Greendale Campus; Worcester Diocese Bishop to Attend Sept. 20 Blessing, Dedication

Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, Assumption College will dedicate four additional stained-glass windows that were once part of the College and Preparatory School’s Greendale campus chapel, which was damaged 61 years ago by a tornado. They will join three other stained-glass windows—one of which is called “The Tornado Window,” in remembrance of the three Assumption community members who perished in the June 9, 1953, storm—that were dedicated in June 2013.

Joining Assumption College President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., at this Saturday’s dedication will be Bishop Robert McManus of the Diocese of Worcester. The ceremony will start at 3:30 p.m. on the ground floor (Atrium) of Testa Science Center for the dedication of the first two windows, The Crowning of Mary and The Adoration of the Magi. These windows’ restoration was donated by the Assumption Prep classes of 1957 and 1962, respectively. At 4 p.m., the ceremony will move to the Chapel of the Holy Spirit for the dedication of Christ before Pilate and The Last Supper. The restoration of these two windows was funded by donations by the Assumption Prep classes of 1956 and 1964, respectively. Bishop McManus will bless all four windows.

“These stained-glass windows represent an important part of Assumption’s history and serve as a testament to the continuity of an Assumption education and the College’s fidelity to its founding goal and principle: the creation of individuals prepared for lives of professional success and personal meaning," said President Cesareo. "The repair and installation of these unique pieces of art, with their intricate detail and luminous beauty, establishes a fitting memorial to the faculty and students of Assumption Prep throughout the Assumption College campus. Displaying these windows reminds us of the history of our college and our close connection with Assumption Prep. The past intersects with the present as we reflect upon the spiritual truths embodied in these windows and which continue to be central to the life of Assumption College. We are grateful to each of the Assumption Prep classes for their generous donations toward restoring these beautiful windows.”

In 1950, 12 stained-glass windows were installed in Christ the King Chapel on Assumption’s Greendale campus to commemorate the centennial of the Augustinians of the Assumption, the order founded by Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon and sponsoring order of the College. The 15’ x 6’ windows were crafted in Paris by artist Raphael Lardeur. Each of the leaded glass windows is comprised of up to 18 panels placed in a metal frame, and prominently features the figure of Christ.

The 1953 tornado destroyed not only the windows but also the campus. The College was relocated in 1956 to its current home at 500 Salisbury St., but the Prep School remained in Greendale. Lardeur created a second set of windows, following the original sketches, and the windows were reinstalled in the mid-1950s in Christ the King Chapel. The windows stayed even after the Prep School closed in 1970 and Quinsigamond Community College bought the property.

In 2013, three windows were unveiled and blessed on the College’s Salisbury Street campus. Christ the King is displayed in the Testa Science Center Atrium. This window’s restoration was a gift of Fred Shea '73 and his wife Susan. Entrance of Christ to Jerusalem is stationed in Testa’s north entrance. It was a gift of the W.E. Aubuchon Co. family. “The Tornado Window,” Christ Calming the Sea, is in the south entrance of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit and was a gift of Assumption Prep’s classes of 1953 and 1954. The window is dedicated to Assumption’s tornado victims, Father Engelbert Devincq, A.A.; and two members of the Antonian Sisters of Mary, Sister Marie St. Jean de Dieu Martel, S.A.M., and Sister Marie Ste. Hélène Simard, S.A.M.

Shea’s company, Stained Glass Resources of Hampden, Mass., restored all seven windows.