HOLYOKE — A reproduction of a city church’s historic stained-glass window is on sale now as a festive way to mark Holyoke’s 150th anniversary.
The limited-edition reproduction, offered on 11-by-17-inch posters and holiday cards, is the result of a collaboration between St. Jerome’s Parish member Michael Moriarty and Hazen Paper.
“It’s a really cool treasure that nobody sees,” Moriarty said of the 14-by-21-foot window that now sits behind the altar at the Immaculate Conception Chapel on North Summer Street.
The artwork was commissioned in 1955 for the Golden Jubilee of what was then Immaculate Conception Parish. The parishes are now merged into St. Jerome’s.
The old Gothic church was torn down in 2006, and the window was preserved in the present-day chapel.
“There’s all manner of detail about Holyoke embedded in it,” Moriarty said. “This was commissioned as a tribute to Holyoke.”
The window consists of seven sections. Besides the image of Jesus in the center and the seals of the pope and the bishop of Springfield on the sides, the images include a micrometer and other machinery from the Paper City’s heyday and the Holyoke Dam, all rendered in a brilliant blue. Details are given on the St. Jerome Parish website.
Moriarty said he hired a photographer and took the image to Hazen Paper, a specialty paper business nearing an anniversary of its own — 100 years in Holyoke.
The window reproduction is a custom holographic origination, a specialty of Hazen’s through which three-dimensional and holographic shapes and complex artistic designs are created.
“It’s not just reprinting the photo,” Moriarty said.
He said Hazen uses the same process to create programs for the Super Bowl, which it has done since 2004.
Hazen donated the 50 posters and boxes to the parish, and they are available for purchase at the ARTery, 289 High St. and at Holyoke Sporting Goods, 1584 Dwight St.
The posters sell for $25 and a box of six cards is $20. They will also be offered at holiday pop-up shops and parish Masses while available. All proceeds benefit St. Jerome Parish.
Moriarty said he asked Mayor Joshua Garcia if he could organize a ceremony to present a framed poster to company president John Hazen.
Moriarty, who is executive director of OneHolyoke CDC and also serves on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, said he was happy to bring an artistic treasure to a wider audience.
“The buildings we have have objects of tremendous beauty,” he said of the parish.
James Lowe can be reached at jlowe@gazettenet.com.