"Here I stand."

After a day at Busch Stadium as an 'honorary Lutheran' - thank you LCMS! - and some fantastic pizza, I explored the Concordia Lutheran Seminary in Clayton, Missouri with some new friends.  Along the way we encountered a second year seminarian who gave us a brief history of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a look inside the seminary's Luther Tower, a bulwark of a structure and keeper of a beautiful carillon.

The Chapel of Saint Timothy and Saint Titus.  Dedicated in 1992, the chapel follows the form and style set forth by the older buildings of the campus.  The seminary was founded in 1839 and moved to its present location on 72 acres in the city of Clayton in 1926 (Clayton is located about 7 miles west of downtown Saint Louis).

This piece can be seen in the photo above, fixed to the front of the chapel.  Does anyone know what this is?

Stained glass chancel window of Saint Timothy.  In the window, Saint Timothy holds a palm branch - a mark used by artists to tell us he was martyred.  Tradition tells us that he was stoned to death.

Saint Titus, pictured in the chancel window next to Saint Timothy (above).

Concordia Lutheran Seminary Quadrangle.  The LCMS holds a special place in my family - two great-great grandfathers of mine were LCMS pastors in rural areas of Nebraska and Minnesota, and a great grandfather of mine served for decades as an LCMS grade school teacher and principal in urban Cincinnati, Ohio.  I am now proud to be a confirmed Roman Catholic and I stand firm in my Catholic faith and belief, but I will always respect, honor, and pray for the LCMS because it is through them and the Presbyterian Church that my Christian faith began to be grow.

Looking to the top of the Luther Tower.

The Luther Tower houses a carillon - "a musical instrument consisting of 23 or more cup-shaped bells, made of cast bronze, which have been precisely tuned so that many such bells may be sounded together to produce a pleasant musical effect." (Luther Tower-Concordia Seminary, St. Louis brochure).  This is the second largest bell of the carillon (it produces a 'D') - the largest and heaviest bell (tenor 'C') weighs 2.5 tons, while the smallest bell weighs 17 pounds.  Each one was cast with names and dates honoring those who donated funds to purchase the carillon or dedicated in memoriam.

Copper and stone in the seminary's quad.

Drainage for the quadrangle.

Stonework in the quadrangle.

Utility building located on the south side of the seminary campus.