A new addition for Our Lady of Fatima

Catholic church in Moses Lake installs stained glass behind crucifix, ending 10-year wait.

It's a colorful new day at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church.

Long a point of reunion for the Catholic faithful in Moses Lake the church has unveiled the newest improvement to its building, a set of stained glass windows behind the central crucifix hanging high above the altar.

Father John Morse said the stained glass, mostly composed of orange, white and reddish hues has as a theme "a symbolism of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Morse said the installation of the stained glass, which began on Thursday of last week and ended the day after, had been one of the projects drawn up when the church had first been built.

What makes it special for Morse is not just the fact that the church finally has its long-desired stained glass behind the crucifix, but that it was put together, constructed and installed by members of the church and parishioners.

Matt Ahmann, a member of the church, agreed with Morse, saying the glass makes the church a bit more welcoming. Ahmann praised the efforts of those involved, saying that this waas a very talented community.

"The whole project took 10 years," he said, including the time needed to put the money together. "Planning began the first of the year, and work on it began in March."

Beverly Duzon, one of the members of the committee working on the stained glass project, said that the committee started raising money even before the church went up.

Though she declined to give specific figures, she said that the whole project had cost less than $5,000, a figure she considered highly economical, due that labor costs were nonexistent thanks to the volunteer work of the parishioners.

Angel Hernandez, another member of the church said that the money had been gathered through church activities. Other churchgoers highlighted the artistic qualities of the new glass.

"The stained glass makes the cross stand out," Jerry De La Rosa said. "The white glass surrounding the Lord's head looks like a dome,"

"It's very exciting," she said. "We have been holding our breath for the last couple of months, wanting to see it up there. It's breathtaking."

This weekend was the first weekend the faithful could attend mass with the fully-completed stained glass in place, highlighting the crucifix and protecting the masses from the sun.

"It's precious," Hernandez said. "We needed it up there."

Mike Ahmann, Matt's uncle