The first, nearest the sacristy door, is Isaiah. He bears a saw, a reminder of the tradition that he suffered martyrdom by being sawn in two. A passage from his book, the famous almah prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, “Behold a virgin shall conceive” is inscribed below him. The initial “I” is to the lower left. Jeremiah shares the window with Isaiah. He bears a scroll in remembrance perhaps of how Baruch, the son of Neriah, took dictation from Jeremiah and wrote the prophet’s words down in a book. “A woman shall compass a man, “ is the quote chosen from Jeremiah 31:2. To the lower right is the initial “J”.

On the other side of the central window we see Ezekiel holding a model city, a pictorial representation of the Temple in Jerusalem as he prophesizes that it will appear after the Jewish exiles in Babylon have returned and rebuilt the Holy City. According to Ezekiel 44:2, “This gate shall be shut.” And below, to the left, the initial “E”.

The fourth prophet is Daniel and his symbol is the most obscure. It appears to be a pilgrim’s staff and may allude to his status as an exile in Babylon. The famous incident of the three young men thrown into a fiery furnace in retaliation for their refusal to worship an idol is the inspiration for the verse from Daniel 3:27, “The fire touched them not at all.” The initial “D” certifies the prophet’s identity.

The great central window, portraying the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, draws the attention of all four prophets and unites their prophecies into a theological affirmation about the Mother of God. As a virgin she conceived the Son of God and compassed him in her womb. This was not the result of man’s willing it, but the work of the Holy Spirit; for the gate of her virginity was perpetually shut. That same Holy Spirit, whose symbol is a tongue of flame, touched Mary not at all to harm her, but to clothe the Word of God in her flesh.

The opposite transept continues the theme by depicting Mary surrounded by the Apostles on Pentecost in the central window. Flanking it are depictions of the Eastern Fathers of the Church, St. Athanasius and St. John Chrysostom, in one window and the Western Fathers, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine in the window opposite. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, those learned teachers and others like them helped the Church of later generations to understand more fully the wonderful work of our redemption carried out by Jesus, the Word made flesh, who made his dwelling place among us. The artist who designed these priceless works of art may have drawn his inspiration from the Cathedral of St. James in Compostela where a similar motif can be found in the transepts.