Stories from the First Cathedral 22: The Good Samaritan Window

"Taken together, the stained glass windows suggest the diversity of those who helped to build the Cathedral. Two windows represent wealthy contributors: William Pierrepoint (St John) and Robert Minturn (The Good Samaritan). Two represent helpers with humble means: Miss Emelione C Bogart of Albany, NY, an invalid (The Guardian Angel) and Thomas Chappell, a blacksmith from Winona, MN (St Peter)." (The First Cathedral  by the Venerable Ben Scott and Robert Neslund)

When I became Dean of the Cathedral in 2001, the windows were on my list for preservation. To begin with, the windows were covered on the outside with plexiglass that had yellowed and let in little light and looked terrible on the outside. All of the plexiglass was removed from all the windows in the Cathedral building and the Guild House and replaced with heavy glass that has ventilation holes that keep the windows safe and sound. Then I made a list of windows, which needed repair. There were several that were bowed from almost 150 years of existence. To start the process I asked a photographer to photograph each window. These were high quality images that showed all of the details of each window and captured the colors, but also the repairs needed that were caused by age.

While working on stained glass window repair, the west side of the Cathedral nave was being reroofed. In the middle of the roofing project there was a frightening accident. One of the roofers slipped on a heavy ladder, causing the ladder to smash through one of the windows on the west side of the Cathedral nave. This catastrophe happened while I was working in my office one morning. Hearing the shouting and cries of agony, I rushed to the Cathedral from my office. The Good Samaritan window given by Robert Minturn was in a pile of stained glass pieces spread all over the pews with a heavy ladder on top of the remains of this beautiful window!

After several days of mourning, I pulled out the photo of this window. I found a miracle worker stained glass artist in St Paul, who came to the Cathedral and claimed he could bring the window back to life. The expense was paid by the roofer's insurance. The Good Samaritan window was resurrected and today it looks like the window was never damaged. This stained glass window repairman and artist became a fixture of stained glass window restoration at the Cathedral for many years!