Our Windows
The windows in our Sanctuary reveal centuries of stories with their beauty and craftsmanship.
In 1960, Willet-Hauser Studios, the premiere stained glass studio designed and executed several windows in our Sanctuary and chapel.
The Sanctuary east window facing Wilmette Avenue is a triptych of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. This is especially meaningful given St. A’s commitment to outreach and community involvement.
The Nave windows, in the center of the Sanctuary on the south wall are exclusively all women saints.
St. Mary’s Kneelers
In our St. Mary’s chapel we have a set of 30 kneelers that are very special.
In 1972 Katharine Scheuble, an artist and member of our congregation, conceived of an idea for a series of needlepoint kneelers.
To assist in the execution Margaret “Midge” Babcock, a founding member of the North Shore Embroiderers’ Guild, was the teacher for this large project. This undertaking requiring a group of 18 artisans, both novices and experienced, who all became members of the Needlepoint Guild.
Listen to Betty share the origin story of her unicorn kneeler.
The remarkable set of 30 kneelers were crafted over four years from1973 to 1977.
The cost of materials, $50 at the time, was funded by donors whose names are on each kneeler.
One particularly unique kneeler subject is of a unicorn, inspired by these tapestries in Paris . The unicorn kneeler was crafted by Betty A. Jenkins, in 1974, and given by Dr. & Mrs. William Jenkins, in loving memory of his sister, Virginia Jenkins Wheelock.
We invite you to visit our chapel and see these special kneelers in person.
The Columbarium
The St. Augustine’s Columbarium is located on the South lawn in a courtyard adjacent to the Chapel.
A little bit of history…
In early 1970, then-rector, Rev. Joseph Howell together with a committee of interested parishioners, worked with architect H. Wallace Atkins to design a memorial garden for the purpose of interring cremains. The result was gently curving brick walls with stone walkways and plantings providing a sense of peace, reflective contemplation, meditation, and prayer. The Churchyard was consecrated on the first Sunday in Advent 1974, and the first ashes interred on Pentecost Sunday, 1975.
A beautifully simple Celtic Cross anchors the memorial garden, a memorial placed by the family of and dedicated to long-time parishioner James Hughes Sr.
Due to time and Midwest weather, a comprehensive reconstruction and restoration of the walls was taken on in 2001 by William Worn Architects and completed in 2003, replacing the original brass plaques with granite inserts bearing names of those interred.
View this video to learn how names are engraved onto headstones.