A 16-foot circular stained glass window at St.

Thursday, January 31, 2002

A 16-foot circular stained glass window at St. Lawrence O’Toole Church (above) may receive repairs, thanks to a contribution made by one Catholic organization. The 110-year old church is home to an historic window that depicts St. Patrick in the center, and bears multiple insignias of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. The AOH is an Irish-American Catholic Fraternal Organization, founded in New York in 1836. The order can trace its roots back 300 years to an organization of the same name located in Ireland. Upon learning the parish was trying to restore the window, which was placed in the church in 1892, state representatives of AOH came to Ironton to view it firsthand. Michael J. Coogan, a past national AOH president, said "After seeing the window firsthand, we felt we had to help in some way. The restoration of this window is important to preserving the history of both the AOH and St. Lawrence O’Toole Church."