Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Taunton had stained glass windows. Church of St. Mary in Arlington needed them. A deal was struck — sealing a bond between the two communities.

By Gayle VanVooren
Mascot Editor  

The history of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Taunton will live on, thanks to what some are calling, “A match made in heaven.”
The stained glass windows, such an intrinsic part of the sanctuary, are now part of the renovation process that took place at the Church of St. Mary in Arlington, MN.
“The windows are so beautiful,” said life-long church member Frank Swedzinski. “It was so much better that they went to a church where they belong,” he added.     
In the latter part of October, 2008, the Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Taunton closed its doors.
It then became the goal of parishioners to sell the facility. An appraisal of the building  and inspection of the stained glass windows revealed that the windows were actually valuable art treasures.
The subject of the stained glass windows came up at a Priest Council meeting, with Fr. Jerry Paulson of the Church of St. Mary in Arlington showing marked interest. His parish was facing some major projects, including replacing windows.
The church in Arlington had 45-year-old energy “inefficient” windows. And the church at Taunton had windows that were beautiful, and just the right size.
They began planning and negotiating — and the stained glass windows of Sts. Cyril and Methodius were purchased to replace their older windows.
Swedzinski said, “The (Arlington) church had been saving money for new windows. They came down one day and looked at the sizes and found they would work just wonderfully.”  he added, “The window openings were two inches wider, so our windows went right in. It was just a perfect match.”
A team of specialists came to remove the windows from Sts. Cyril and Methodius — work that took two days. They installed them in Arlington with very minimal work.
“The windows were in perfect condition,” added Swedzinski.     
“The folks in Arlington were so appreciative of those windows, and have made us feel so special for sharing them. We got a letter from them, and then
special hand-made invitations to come to the Blessing Ceremony,” he added.

(More in The Mascot, 10-14-09)