Formation House Commissions Window of Blessed Karl
The Stained Glass Windows at Frassati House, Ontario, Canada
On November 22, 2020, a stained glass window of Blessed Karl was installed at Frassati House, a men’s residence near Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada, dedicated to the formation of young Catholic men in the area of leadership. The stained glass panels were commissioned by Fr. Raymond J. de Souza, chaplain of the local Newman House and Catholic chaplain at Queen’s University.
The window of Blessed Karl of Austria, the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire who died in 1922, joins three other stained glass panels: Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, the house patron who died in 1925 in Turin, Italy; Saint Maximillian Kolbe, the Franciscan publisher and missionary who was martyred at Auschwitz in 1941; and Saint Oscar Romero, the martyred bishop of San Salvador who was shot while celebrating Mass in 1980.
In the stained glass panel of Karl, there are two crowns; the Crown of St. Stephen which he received on his coronation day as King of Hungary, and the crown of thorns, symbolizing his sufferings for peace and unity. In his left hand he bears a scepter, signifying his rule, while in his right hand he bears an olive branch, symbolic of his tireless work of peace for his peoples and empire.
Karl’s image was placed at Frassati House to inspire young men who aspire to a holy family life in the world of affairs.