The Commission asked all of the churches in town for information on their histories and congregations but only a few responded. Their information is found below.
[expand title=”Community Presbyterian Church in Mt. Prospect” ]
The Symbols of our Cross
The down stretched hand speaks of the eternal nature of our Lord, and of His creative work together with the Father.
The rose speaks of the birth of Christ.
The font speaks of our Lord’s baptism and the willingness He showed to become identified with humanity, and thereby meet our human needs.
The palm branches speak of Palm Sunday. The wheat speaks of Maundy Thursday and the grapes of first Holy Communion.
The central theme is Good Friday. The crown of thorns, the reed which served as a mocking scepter and the sponge of vinegar upon a spear.
The uppermost section cross reminds us that the cross is not the end, but Christ has risen indeed.
The Orb speaks of His royal power as the eternal “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
The downward moving dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit Whom He sends to all who trust in Him.[/expand]
[expand title=”Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Organization” ]
Our purpose is to provide a place for spiritual growth through the study
and practice of Buddhist principles. We seek to support each other and our
community in the development of awareness, compassion and peace.
Our goal is to have a teaching center where we can join with others to
discover and celebrate spiritual growth. We endeavor to share our
experiences with others to build a bond of integrity and strength within
our community. A positive approach to learning that can be taken out into
the world. Because we are all connected, we practice responsibility in all
aspects of our lives. When you cast a stone into the water, the ripples
extend far beyond the original action. So, the effects of our actions often reach further than we realize. Through increased awareness and learning how to live in the moment, we have the chance to gain wisdom and compassion for ourselves and others. The path of Buddhism is inclusive and available to all. [/expand]
[expand title=”St. Cecilia Catholic Church” ]
Greetings from St. Cecilia Catholic Church! It is our 50th Anniversary this year and we plan to celebrate our anniversary along with the Village of Mount Prospect’s Centennial Anniversary.
We do not have many stained-glass windows at St. Cecilia’s. Our stained-glass windows make up the Stations of the Cross and form a border up near the ceiling of our worship space. There is one set of windows, however, which form our ceiling dome. These windows honoring St. Cecilia are not easily visible from the interior of the Church. They were meant to be beacons of light from the dome of the Church, so the writing on them, simply saying “St. Cecilia,” faces out.
St. Cecilia is one of the most famous and most venerated of Roman martyrs. Cecilia was so highly venerated by the ancient Roman Church that her name was placed in the Canon of the Mass. She is regarded as the patroness of music, because she heard heavenly music in her heart and is represented in art at the organ or with a musical instrument in her hand. [/expand]
[expand title=”St. John Lutheran Church” ]
THE TRINITY WINDOW
This segment of our multi-story widow at the front of St John Lutheran Church is called:
The Trinity Window. Located just above the entrance it depicts three symbols of the Triune
God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
1. The Hand of the Creator coming down from heaven represents God: The Father.
2. The Lamb represents God: The Son, Jesus Christ…the sacrificed Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world and who is later depicted in the Bible as the Victorious Lamb.
3. The descending Dove from heaven represents God: The Holy Spirit, who came to live in
and with the Christian believer.
Positioned as they are the three symbols represent a triangle, an ancient symbol for the
Trinity. The loops in which these symbols are placed is called the Triquetra, Latin for three
corners (The top portion is obscured in this picture); it is another symbol for the Trinity, most
commonly associated with the Irish.[/expand]
[expand title=”St. Mark Lutheran Church” ]
“The Story of Salvation”
Old Testament
The word of divine promise
CREATION
1. Creation of the Universe – earth, planet, comet and stars
2. Creation of Man – hand of God touching the hand of Adam
3. Creation of Animals and Planets – lion, birds, tree
THE FALL OF MAN
4. The Temptation – the tree of knowledge and the snake
5. The Expulsion – man and woman driven out of the garden; Cherubim and flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life
6. The Deluge – a flood covers the earth; angel pouring water symbolizes that it is an act of God, not an event of nature
THE COVENANT
7. The Ark – ark floating on waves and a dove
8. Noah’s Sacrifice – Noah shown in an attitude of worship, imploring divine protection against further disaster
9. The Promise to Abraham – God pointing to stars to assure Abraham his descendents would be numerous and that in his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed
THE OLD LAW
10. The Ark of the Covenant – chest made according to God’s description, a visible sign of His presence and protection
11. Moses Receiving the Tablets – Moses receiving the Two Tablets of the Law from God on Mt. Sinai; at lower left is a reference to the worship of the golden calf
12. The Promised Land – symbolized by circular area with palm tree and cluster of grapes; two streams (land flowing with milk and honey); the rain of the manna; background tablets recall Moses’ words to keep all the commandments
THE PROMISE (transept)
13. The Kings – David represented by the lion of Judah and the tower of David; Solomon symbolized by the scale and sword; lyre refers to both as authors of the Psalms
14. The Prophets – Isaiah announcing to people of Israel about the coming Messiah; the prophecy is suggested by the scroll; oriental buildings symbolize Bethlehem; tongs refer to the angel taking a burning coal from the altar
15. The Root of Jesse – Christ is symbolized by Chi-Rho, Greek initials of Christ, a shoot coming from the stump of Jesse
New Testament
The fulfillment of God’s promise
THE INCARNATION
1. The Annunciation – fleur-de-lis symbolizes the virgin Mary; descending dove and rays symbolize the Holy Spirit
2. The Nativity – the holy infant lying in straw in the manger; area of heavenly light around him indicates his high origin and his power and glory; star symbolizes the light that came into the world thru his birth; shepherd’s staff and sheep tells of those who came to see him; staff may also indicate the child was born to be a shepherd and leader of people
3. The Adoration of the Kings – symbolized by three crowns and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; background camels indicate a long journey
HIS TEACHING
4. Prayer – a kneeling figure stretches his arms to heaven; the hand of the Father from above signifies His grace; censer refers to “Let my prayer be as incense”; book symbolizes reading and study of Holy Scripture, also a form of prayer
5. The Sermon on the Mount – portrays Jesus in the act of teaching; the crowds that heard Him are suggested by the group sitting beside Him; eight crosses symbolize the eight beatitudes
6. Blessing the Children – children symbolized by flowers, whose beauty represents their innocence and humility; millstone refers to the admonition that whoever causes a little one to sin, it would be better for him to have a millstone placed around his neck and be drowned
THE PARABLES
7. The Good Samaritan – his charitable works are symbolized by the building with an open door, the pitcher and glass, the loaf of bread and knife
8. The Sower – shows the sower and the four different conditions in which the seeds are found
9. The Prodigal Son – father and son symbolized by the small silhouetted figures in the background; medallion shows the house of the father; the new dress and shoes and a staff will reinstate the repentant son into his former position
THE PASSION
10. The Temptation of Christ – the stones and loaves of bread; a stylized design of the temple with the Chi-Rho, the symbol of Christ; city symbolizes the kingdoms of the world; snake suggests Satan; angel who came to minister to Christ
11. Gethsemane – shows Christ during the agony in the garden of Gethsemane; three sleeping disciples
12. The Crucifixion – cross, crown of thorns, spear, the reed with the sponge used to give our Lord vinegar; five smaller crosses symbolize the five wounds to His hands, feet and side
THE GLORY
13. The Resurrection – dominating all else stands the triumphant banner of Christ’s victory over sin, death and earthly power; out of the empty tomb grows a lily symbolizing this event … it has pierced the ground and appears suddenly in its white splendor; bursting pomegranate in background is a symbol of Christ’s power over death which burst the tomb for himself and for us
14. The Ascension – Christ is shown surrounded by the Apostles; on the ground are footprints indicating where He left the earth
15. Pentecost – shows the descending dove appearing in a cloud; the rays signify the divine grace bestowed on the apostles on the first Pentecost; twelve fiery tongues symbolize the apostles[/expand]
[expand title=”St. Raymond Catholic Church” ]
[/expand]
[expand title=”Trinity United Methodist Church” ]
On the east side of the sanctuary, from left, the first window depicts the elements of communion. The next two windows depict the second member of the Trinity (the Son) with the Lamb and the banner of victory of life over sin and death. Next is the Hand of God, extending in benediction toward a newly created earth. The last two windows depict the third member of the Trinity (the Holy Spirit) with a descending dove and baptism symbols.
On the west side of the sanctuary, the windows symbolize themes of the Church’s tradition and correspond to seasons of the Christian year. The first window shows Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of Isaac with the Tablets of the Ten Commandments. The second tells the story of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Next is the manger with shepherds crooks and crowns of the three kinds. The star of Bethlehem is at the top shedding light over all. Jesus ministry is symbolized in the next window. Following is Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection. Next shows the upper room with the faithful and the Holy Spirit. The last window tells the mission the Church– “Go into the world and preach the Gospel.”[/expand]