Designed by artist and stained glass painter Debora Coombs, it is called The Holy Family By The Sea.  The window was gifted by The Foote Foundation, the people of Trinity Church, and friends, in memory of a beloved Deacon who was at Trinity more than 50 years. It is a double lancet window in the church tower that shines like a beacon over the Town Green. 

Debora Coombs Studio, Vermont

The Symbolism

The Star of Bethlehem, the Bible tells us, traveled to the East until it rested there at the place of the holy birth.

Below the Star, in each of the two lancets, the trefoils or Borromean rings, represent the three interlocking rings of the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The rings are a symbol of wholeness and unity, without beginning or end. They represent the infinite possibilities of creation.

God’s tears were shaped underneath the trefoil in each lancet. They acknowledge the sorrows that we experience in life.

The sunrise scene is a reminder of perpetual renewal. The Thimble Islands, beloved by Archie Hanna, (he authored the monograph on their history) are suggested along the horizon.

The Holy Family is standing by a Branford river estuary with seagulls above. Looking to modern times, Joseph, the dad, is the one holding the baby. The movement of the swaddling clothes is Jesus wrapped in the Holy Spirit.

The mariner’s cross (anchor) angled on the shore near the feet of the Holy Family, is an early Christian symbol: “we have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” Hebrew 6:19. The anchor’s crossbar is aimed toward Mary’s heart, a subtle reference of the grief foretold by Simeon, Luke 2:35.

There are Rosa Rugosa and thimbleberries native to Branford’s Thimble Islands. The apple blossoms above Mary’s head symbolize purity.

The worshipers are multicultural, varied, perhaps ancient, perhaps merely timeless, and the little girl in a sundress is 21st century.