When sunlight streams through the muted colored panes of glass, the church is filled with subtle warmth, comfort, and beauty. It is all about the windows at St. Malachy’s Catholic Church in Clontarf, Minnesota.

The following is an informational listing on the windows of St. Malachy’s. The details are there: size, cost, payment, dates, and donors. If you are interested in any of these windows, go to Clontarf, Minnesota this Saturday, May 21st at 9am for the auction!

THE WINDOWS OF ST. MALACHY’S

The most striking feature of the 1896 St. Malachy Catholic Church building is the beautiful stained glass. The windows give character and a sense of elegance to the simple frame church. Father Oster wanted to put Clontarf and St. Malachy’s on the map, to represent the thriving, prosperous community it had become in less than twenty years. A St. Malachy parishioner (or group of parishioners) paid for each stained-glass window. Inscriptions of the donor’s name(s) appear on most of the windows.

Who made the windows?

Father Oster hired Brown & Haywood of St. Paul, Minnesota to design and manufacture all the stained-glass windows in the church. In the 1890s, Brown & Haywood was one of the most sought-after stained-glass studios in Minnesota, employing some of the top artists in the region. Many civic buildings and churches throughout Minnesota featured their stained glass, including St. Mary’s in Waverly, Minnesota. The company moved from St. Paul in 1898, shifted its focus, and was later sold to the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company.

How much did they cost?

An account of the full window charges from Brown & Haywood from November 13, 1896, appears in the financial book on the date of payment, December 27, 1896. The amounts listed represent windows and installation.

10     36×130 leaded     $325.00                (five on each side)

  2      36×70 leaded          $35.00               (left side “duplex” on front)

  2     36×70 leaded           $35.00               (right side “duplex” on front)

  1     56×56 leaded           $21.00               (“Rose” window)

  1     57×28 leaded           $11.00               (transept above door)

16     20X26 CATH            $  9.00               

12     Ventilators @2.50    $30.00

14     Inscriptions @.50   $  7.00

TOTAL CHARGES (including approx. 60% discount on two small windows): $454.20

When did St. Malachy’s pay?

December 5, 1896       $150.00

December 27, 1896     $256.70

January 15, 1897          $ 93.80

TOTAL PAYMENTS: $500.50 (missing pages might account for this perceived over-payment)

Who were the donors?

(Note: The following figures from 12/8/1896 differ slightly from earlier entries due to shipping or installation charges.)

TEN Main Windows (five on each side along length of building, all inscribed)

     -Ladies of Pope County – 3 windows – paid $60.90 (December 8-9, 1896)

36×130 leaded window (each)

Account entry for July 14, 1895, states that the July Fourth Fair raised $41.48 for stained glass windows.

This included proceeds from Mrs. Mockler’s fancy table ($21.18) and quilt raffle ($11.75).

     -Young Folks – 2 windows – paid $40.60 (December 8-9, 1896)

36×130 leaded glass (each)

Entry from July 10, 1896, lists $30.00, proceeds from “play by Clontarf Troop for windows.”

     -Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) – paid $20.30 (December 27, 1896 via J. O’Donnell)

36×130 leaded glass

Breakdown of Charges for 36×130 windows (listed under AOH):

32 ½ leaded glass              $16.25

Ventilator                           2.50

Inscription                           .50

Transportation                1.05

       TOTAL                             $20.30

     -Charles Axier – paid $20.30 (December 8-9, 1896)

36×130 leaded glass

     -John Milmoe – paid $20.30 (December 8-9, 1896)

36×130 leaded glass

     -Isidore Daniel – paid $20.30 (December 8-9, 1896)

36×130 leaded glass

     -Robert Riordon – paid $20.30 (December 8-9, 1896)

36×130 leaded glass

FOUR Front Windows (“Duplex” style on either side of façade)

     -Jos. Daniel – paid $21.60 (December 8-9, 1896)

     -J.B. Daniel – paid $21.60 (December 8-9, 1896)

ROSE Window (on front of building)

     -Eugene Daniel       $9.50   56×56  12/9/1896 (no inscription)

TRANSOM Window (above front door)              

     -Simon Conaty – Contractor/builder on project              $5.20   57×28  12/9/1896 (inscription)    

AGONY IN THE GARDEN (above and behind placement of the original altar)

     -The only window depicting a scene at St. Malachy’s

     -No specific information was found in the account books for this window  

Note:

Information in this article is from copied pages from the St. Malachy Financial Records from Eileen McCormack’s files. These copies and the information contained here do not represent the complete financial record. The excerpts were copied by Eileen McCormack when the books were at the parish house in Clontarf, 2004-2005. Record books are presently at St. Francis Catholic Church in Benson, Minnesota.

Eileen R. McCormack and Aine C. McCormack, March 9, 2022