This window portrays Christ calling Peter and Andrew to be disciples:  “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).  The Wilson family chose this theme because of their deep attachment to St. Andrew’s-by-the-Sea, N.B.  The window, given by the family, honours Norman Frank Wilson (1875-1956) and his wife, the Hon. Cairine Ray Wilson (1885-1962), devoted members of St. Andrew’s Church.  Norman Wilson was born on the family farm in Cumberland, graduated from Upper Canada College, then from the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph.  After farming for a few years, he joined the C.W. Edwards lumber business, first in Rockland, then in Ottawa.  Norman Wilson served as the youngest member in the House of Commons from 1904 to 1909.  He also served as a long-time board member and president of the Perley Home, and as a Glebe Trustee for 20 years (1932-1953).  Cairine Reay Wilson, the daughter of Senator Robert Mackay of Montreal, devoted her life to social welfare and humanitarian work, especially among immigrants, women and youth.  Named Canada’s first woman Senator on February 15, 1930, she is ever remembered for her tireless efforts to open Canada’s borders to desperate refugees from Europe in the turmoil of the 1930′s and the post-war period.  In 1949 she was named Canada’s first woman delegate to the United Nations.

This rendition of the calling of Saints Peter and Andrew derives from a Byzantine mosaic in the church of San Apollonare Nuova in Ravenna, Italy.  The window was designed and executed by Theo Lubbers of Montreal.
(Photo by Elizabeth P.)