Statue of Saint Joseph – Gift to the St. Joseph Seminary – Although stylistically a product of modern religious art, this sculpture of Saint Joseph reflects the traditional features of its 19th century models, while faithfully respecting the iconography of the Saint as the “silent guardian” of our Lord.
Saint Joseph supports with his left hand the tiny Salvator Mundi in the act of blessing, while with his right hand he holds the staff that,
according to the apocrypha, miraculously bloomed with lilies at the time when the priests of the Jerusalem Temple were to select the
husband of Mary from among the unmarried descendants of the tribe of Judah.
The statue also evokes the humility of Saint Joseph, who bows his head slightly as a sign of his respect for the Son of whom he is only the foster father and, at the same time, of the importance of his “silent care”.
Pope Francis has a deep devotion to Saint Joseph. Upon his election to the See of Peter on 13 March 2013, he chose to celebrate the
inauguration of his Petrine Ministry on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, whom he held up as an example of someone able to “walk in the
dark”, an expert “in hearing the voice of God” and of “going forward in silence”.
