Worship Sundays @ 8am, 10 am, 12:30 pm · Details

  2701 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28209  ·   704.332.4171  ·       Give

Holy Comforter Charlotte
  • Welcome
  • About Us
    • Mission
    • Finding Us
    • Leadership
    • Clergy
    • Staff
    • History
  • Worship & Music
    • Worship Services
    • Bulletins
    • Sermons
    • Music
    • Baptisms
    • Weddings
    • Funerals
  • Children & Youth
    • Worship with Children
    • Children's Formation
    • Youth Formation
    • Parents Connect
    • La Escuelita Weekday School
  • Community
    • Adult Christian Formation
    • Fellowship
    • Outreach
    • Pastoral Care
    • Circle Groups
  • Connect
    • Clergy
    • Staff
    • Finding Us
    • Calendar
    • Newsletter
    • Prayer Request
    • Member Login
    • Give
    • Contact Us
  • Give

Our Tiffany Window

We are blessed to have a striking Tiffany Window prominently positioned above our Altar. An article that originally ran in The Charlotte News in May 1934 tells the story behind the window, and it is even more breathtaking than the artistry itself.

Story of Gift to Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter is Told for First Time - Rev. R.B. Owens Gives History of Window

By Fannie Lou Bingham, Charlotte News Staff Writer

It glitters and gleams in the changing light - the most beautiful church window that Tiffany can build. Visitors to the Holy Comforter Episcopal Church here look and marvel - for the experienced eye the window is easily worth a high percent of the value of the church it adorns.

For 17 years, it has hung over the altar and until yesterday its story had not been told. The Reverend Mr. Owens, Rector of the church, was pledged to secrecy until after the death of the donor. He died two years ago but the window had become so accepted that no one thought to ask for the story.

STORY OF MR. SMITH

E.A. Smith, who built the Chadwick-Hoskins Cotton Mills here, later moved to Hickory, building the Rodhiss Mill and then again moved back to Charlotte, building other mills, was living in Charlotte at the time the Holy Comforter Episcopal Church was built. With his family he lived on Park Avenue.

Mr. Smith was a generous impulsive man with a wife whom he adored. Although of Episcopalian background he was not at the time a member of any church. However, since his wife was interested in building Holy Comforter, no man worked harder than he did on the project.

In the influenza epidemic of 1919 his wife died. Mr. Smith came to me and expressed his desire to place a memorial over the altar. He wanted something that would spread the spirit of love and comfort over the congregation that his wife's presence had done during her lifetime.

The plan of the window was worked out and we went to New York to Tiffany and Company to have it designed.

Mr. Smith told the man sent to take his order just what he wanted. The man began with the usual. "How much do you wish to spend - for this amount we can give you certain colors. For another amount we can give you another combination." To these suggestions, the reply was. "I did not come here to trade and barter. This window is a memorial to the most precious possession I have ever had. I want the most beautiful window you can build."

THE DESIGN

Mr. Owens tells that they had a great deal of difficulty in working out the design of the window. As it is completed, however, it is a scene from the Last Supper as Christ was speaking to the disciples. Judas has already left to betray Him - but Christ and the eleven are all pictured in the scene.

The window is divided into five panels. The center panel pictures Christ with outspread hands and in the distance is a white dove. It was explained that the designing of the center panel offered the most difficulty. The dove is the symbol of HOLY COMFORTER and a ritual of the Episcopal Church is that no window shall hang above the altar of a church that does not contain the figure of the Christ; hence, the combination of the two as the central theme of the picture.

MR. OWENS CONTINUES THE STORY:

A Mr. Wilson was the artist sent to us. We gave him our plan and left the details in his charge.

Later we were notified that the window was finished and we returned to New York to see if it was all that we desired. Tiffany had it on display in their studio and we, even with all our expectations, were awed by the beauty of it.

"Do you like it?" the artist asked. "I myself have only one person in this world to love and that is a daughter who is dying of tuberculosis. When I was told that I was to build a window without regard for price, I resolved that I would design a window which would bring comfort to souls who sat beneath it to worship who might be in need of it even as I."

Even at yesterday's telling of the story, Mr. Owens refused to reveal the exact cost of the window for he said the donor wished it to be appreciated for its beauty and not for the money involved.

The church of the Holy Comforter would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Chadwick Smith for furnishing us the above article at some point after 1934.

Share this page: Our Tiffany Window
History Bishop Thomas Atkinson, Bishop of North Carolina, 1853 - 1881 Our Tiffany Window

Realm

Worship Sundays @ 8am, 10am, 12:30pm
Office Hours M-F 9am-4pm

© Holy Comforter Charlotte
2701 Park Road · Charlotte, NC 28209
704.332.4171
Privacy Policy · Powered by Membership Vision
Subscribe to Our Newsletter

The Episcopal ChurchDiocese of North Carolina

  View Entire Post

Service Times

Our goal at Holy Comforter is to make our worship simple and holy, lively and engaging. We invite you to join us, wherever you may be along your own journey of faith.

Sunday Morning Worship

  • 8 a.m. English Service
  • 10 a.m. English Service (simulcast on our website and Facebook page.)
  • 11 a.m. Coffee Hour
  • 12:30 p.m. Spanish Service

Bulletins Nursery Care

Location

Holy Comforter Charlotte
2701 Park Road
Charlotte, NC 28209

Contact Us
704.332.4171

Newsletter Signup

Welcome This Sunday Get Connected Ministries in Spanish Baptisms, Weddings & Funerals

If you are looking for a church to call your own, we hope you will consider us! At the root of all we do is our desire to build a community where Christ’s love is known and shared by supporting each other, serving our neighbors and sharing our abundant gifts. We hope what you see here will inspire you to visit.

We’re known around the city and our diocese for the warm welcome we extend to everyone.

Learn More Newcomer Welcome Card Newcomer FAQs Covid Protocols

Our goal at Holy Comforter is to make our worship simple and holy, lively and engaging. We invite you to join us, wherever you may be along your own journey of faith. Our Sunday Morning Worship:

  • 8 a.m. English Service
  • 10 a.m. English Service (simulcast on our website and Facebook page.)
  • 11 a.m. Coffee Hour
  • 12:30 p.m. Spanish Service

Bulletins Nursery Care Learn More

Whether you attend church often or have not been in quite some time, whether you are new to Holy Comforter or new to the faith, whether you come with doubts and questions or with certainty and conviction, we are glad that you are here... and we are eager to help you find what you are seeking!

There are myriad ways to get connected at Holy Comforter, from participating in Christian Formation classes and our worship to setting up Coffee Hour or getting involved in Outreach. Visit our Circle Groups page to learn about some of them.

Learn More

Holy Comforter is proud of our groundbreaking Hispanic Ministries programs. We take a three-pronged approach to serving the educational, spiritual and day-to-day needs of our area Hispanic population by offering English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes, a La Misa Sunday afternoon service, and a dual language preschool.

Ministries in Spanish La Escuelita Weekday School



Many of the most frequent questions we receive center around life changes such as baptisms, weddings and funerals and how the church can be present for you during these times. We hope this quick reference answers your initial questions.

Baptisms Weddings Funerals

Give Now Annual Pledge Foundation Legacy Giving

When you recognize your blessings, gratitude naturally follows; and generosity becomes an outward expression of your gratitude. There are many ways to be generous with a gift to further the mission and ministries of Holy Comforter.

Want to donate online? You may make a gift at any time using our PayPal link. Please note that when you pay by text or online, Holy Comforter pays fees that amount to roughly 3% of the amount you give. You may choose to cover those fees by adding 3% to your donation.

Give Now Learn More

Your annual pledge goes to fund the operating budget of the church which makes it possible to share God’s love through our many ministries. Giving is an act of generosity that multiplies God’s love in the world. When you recognize your blessings, gratitude naturally follows. And generosity becomes an outward expression of your gratitude.

Pledge Now Learn More Pledging FAQs

The Holy Comforter Foundation is charged with granting money to further the mission and ministry of the church, outside the annual operating budget, and separate from capital campaigns. Currently the Foundation manages two funds - the Mission and Ministry Fund and the Building and Grounds Fund.

Learn More

At Holy Comforter, we are blessed to be stewards of a legacy that we inherited from generations before us, and we have an opportunity to continue that legacy for generations to come. Even small legacy gifts can make a big difference in the lives of our parishioners and community.

“The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” Henry James


Learn More

Capital campaigns are conducted every few years to fund major and long-term expenses and capital investments in the church. Our most recent capital campaign, Making Room for the Spirit, was completed in 2018 and successfully raised over $1.2 million to renovate the Atkinson building, reduce debt, purchase the property next door at 2729 Park Road, and conduct strategic site planning for the future.