SAINT JOSEPH

This suncather window is centered on St. Joseph holding the child Jesus in his arms. John Paul II, in his Apostolic letter (Guardian of the Redeemer) on St. Joseph, told us that St. Joseph had the heart of a true father in his love and concern for Jesus his adopted son, as well as the heart of a loving husband in love and concern for his spouse Mary. He also tells us that as Joseph grew in his vocation as husband and father he also grew in imitation of his Lord and savior Jesus. By the time he died in the loving presence of Jesus and Mary, he had become fully transformed to the heart and mind of Christ. As head and protector of the Holy Family, Pope Leo XIII declared him the Patron (protector) of the universal Church God’s family on earth. St. Joseph has also been declared the patron of a happy death as well as a patron of workers.

In the central image the child Jesus points to his foster father telling us to imitate him as well as telling us to seek his intercession and protection. He also holds some lilies as a symbol of the pure of heart, which St. Joseph was an exemplary model. Above the central image is the Holy Spirit that St. Joseph let form him into a pure image of Jesus. Surrounding the Holy Spirit in the outer frame of the window are seven winged shapes that represent the seven spirits that surround the throne of God in the Book of Revelation. Also in the outer edge of the window are twenty aqua blue circles that represent the twenty mysteries of the rosary, which is a contemplative prayer on the life of Jesus in union with Mary. In between the rosary beads are eighteen eight pointed stars that represent the angles assigned to minister to the Holy Family. In scripture we get a small glimpse of this angelic ministry in the lives of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Below the central image are three ovals. The central oval contains the sacred heart of Jesus, which St. Joseph learned to imitate and be transformed by. The oval on the left contains an image of the marriage of Mary and Joseph. The oval on the right contains a monstrance that contains Eucharistic Jesus and in a sense, represents the Holy Family that contained the child Jesus.