A major renovation at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando unveiled a new light on the sanctuary on the holiest of days: Easter. The April morning sun painted a soft kaleidoscope of red and blue brilliance on the white columns after the stained-glass windows were recently cleaned and refurbished.
“We felt like it was our job to preserve the power of these windows, to let the light of Christ in so that we could go and live his life into the world,” said the Very Rev. Reggie Kidd, dean of the cathedral. Orlando is the see city for the Diocese of Central Florida.
During the service, Kidd held up a piece of milky white plastic trimmed to the shape of a large quatrefoil. Cut from coverings just removed from the stained-glass windows, it resembled the hazed headlights of an old car. Even in its darkened state, the stained glass added so much to the worship environment that the magnificent east-facing rose window has become a symbol of the cathedral and the centerpiece of the church’s logo.
Adapted from a report by Kate Maier for the Diocese of Central Florida.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
