Introduction
St Monica Cathedral’s Peace Windows were designed and made by Gerry Cummins and Jill Stehn and were installed in 1995. The windows celebrate the fifty years of peace in the Pacific region since the end of WWII.
The Cathedral itself was built as a war memorial commemorating the decisive Battle of the Coral Sea which was fought due east of Cairns between the 4th and 8th of May in 1942.
The battle was the first in naval history fought between aircraft carriers and aircraft, not ships. As such it became the precursor to modern-day missile warfare.
Troops stationed in Cairns and the Tablelands recall seeing the glowing flashes reflected over the horizon at night during this fierce battle.
The windows incorporate layers of meaning: natural, historical, and spiritual.
