Sky Watch #10 ~ St. Mary Magdalen Church in Camarillo, California

I headed over to this historical church this week hoping to get inside to see their stained glass windows. I looked up and saw these wispy clouds above the church bell tower and decided this would be my Sky Watch photo this week. I found out that to see the windows up close I’ll have to return for a 6:30 AM mass because that’s the only time during the day that the church is open. Here is a little of the history behind the windows. I find it fascinating.

“The most notable chapel fixtures were its magnificent 13 stained glass windows.  These azure, crimson, green, and gold windows tell a double story — one of the life of Christ, the other of a world at war.

While on a trip to Europe, Juan Camarillo selected the windows in Munich, Germany. The year was 1913 and the early rumbles of the continent gathering its strength for conflict were growing with each passing day. Somewhere between the studios of glass-blower F. X. Zettler of Munich and the church on a hilltop in faraway Camarillo, the stained glass windows were lost. Zettler’s name can be seen at the bottom of the windows depicting the Holy Family (east side) and Christ with the children (west side). Despite the best efforts of the Camarillo family through consuls and ambassadors, the windows appeared lost forever. Mrs. Carmen Camarillo Jones recalled that her uncle Juan feared they were at the bottom of the sea. One day a letter arrived from a German official. This official in Munich had been noticing several large crates staked outside a building with Juan’s name on them. He had written Juan several letters and finally one got through at the end of Word War 1. Much to the joy and relief of everyone, the lost windows had been found. However, it was a painfully slow and long trek to Los Angeles, and then on to Camarillo, before they were finally installed in the thick brick and plastered chapel walls in 1919.”

I’m not catholic but I’ll be happy to attend mass early in the morning and have my heart directed to God and then enjoy viewing the stained glass windows. I hope they’ll let me take pictures…

For more Sky watch click here.

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I posted on my blog from 2007-2015 hostage and replaced them with big black and grey boxes with threats. So discouraging…as I’m slowly trying to clean up thousands of posts!