THE light will shine even brighter in a church which has installed a beautiful stained glass window to commemorate a landmark anniversary.

St John Fisher RC Church in Kearsley held a special service over the weekend in which the new piece of art ­— which depicts the saint the church is named after ­— was blessed.

The church opened its doors and celebrated its inaugural Holy Mass on September 13, 1968.

And in 2018, to commemorate the church’s 50th anniversary, a group of parishioners put forward the idea of installing a new stained glass window.

Designed by parishioner and artist Paul Cooper, the stunning new feature was manufactured by Bolton firm The Stained Leaded Glass Company.

The window was installed in the church in April and on Saturday, the window was officially blessed by the Bishop of Salford, the Right Reverend John Arnold.

A spokesman for the church said: "The central focus of the window’s design is of course Saint John Fisher who was born in Yorkshire in 1469. Made a Cardinal in 1535 he fell foul of laws introduced after King Henry VIII split with the Roman Catholic Church and was condemned for treason. He was executed on Tower Hill on 22 June 1535 and made Saint in May 1935.

"The design also acknowledges the local landscape, with Peel Tower in the distance, and the Shrine to Our Lady of Schoenstatt which is co-located on the same site as St

John Fisher’s."

The window was created using traditional methods; individually hand cut to match Paul’s design each piece of textured glass creates depth and character.

Some pieces were also painted and repeatedly, and delicately, fired in a kiln, etched with a sand-blaster or adorned with raised glass pieces which appear like jewels on St John

Fisher’s mitre and vestments.

The spokesman said: "Once the glass work was done the pieces were set in lead and soldered to form a solid, single panel. After finishing touches and cleaning,

the panel was sealed in a modern double glazed unit to protect it and keep it pristine for the next 50-plus years.

"Throughout the manufacturing process Paul and parish priest Fr Bryan Cunningham made regular visits to view progress and to speak with the craftspeople about the

many labour intensive and intricate processes and techniques involved in creating this beautiful piece of art."