{"id":4161,"date":"2021-03-18T10:06:57","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T14:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/?p=4161"},"modified":"2021-03-18T10:06:57","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T14:06:57","slug":"object-of-the-week-engraving-of-the-holy-family-by-sc-muller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/2021\/03\/object-of-the-week-engraving-of-the-holy-family-by-sc-muller\/","title":{"rendered":"Object of the Week: Engraving of The Holy Family by Sc. Muller"},"content":{"rendered":"

Image: The Holy Family<\/em> by Sc. Muller from The Holy Bible, The Latin Vulgate <\/em><\/strong>Revised with Annotations by The Right Rev. R. Challoner D.D.
\nNew York:\u00a0 Thomas Kelly, Publisher, 1879.
\nCourtesy of Archives and Special Collections<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of [St. Joseph] which he has failed to grant\u2026 To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succor us in some of our necessities, but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succors us in them all\u2026\u201d[1]<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This year we celebrate the 150th<\/sup> anniversary of Pope Pius IX\u2019s declaration of Saint Joseph as the patron saint of the Universal Church in 1870. To mark this occasion, Pope Francis proclaimed a special \u201cYear of St. Joseph,\u201d which began on the observance of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 2020 and will conclude on this same feast day in 2021.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Additionally, the annual Feast of Saint Joseph is celebrated at this time of year.\u00a0 Veneration of Saint Joseph began in ancient Egypt, though Pope Sixtus IV officially recognized this custom around 1479.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Saint Joseph is revered as a loving and tender father to Jesus and protector of Mary. \u00a0Called by God to serve the mission of Jesus, he \u201ccooperated\u2026 in the great mystery of Redemption,\u201d as Saint John Paul II said, \u201cand is truly a minister of salvation.\u201d\u00a0 He encourages us to accept and welcome others as they are, and to show special concern for the disadvantaged.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s compassionate nature is expressed in the above engraving by Sc. Muller in The Holy Bible<\/em><\/strong>, published in 1879 by Thomas Kelly Publishers, just nine years after Saint Joseph achieved sainthood. Prior to the 19th<\/sup> century, iconography of the Holy Family would often depict Joseph in the background, shrouded in shadows.\u00a0 After Joseph\u2019s elevation to sainthood, portrayals of the Holy Family included him as an integral part of the subject and composition – as shown in Muller\u2019s interpretation.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 Saint Joseph\u2019s attributes are the lily and spikenard, an aromatic oil.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Engraved<\/a>
Engraved image of Pope Pius IX \u2013 from The Holy Bible, The Latin Vulgate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saint Joseph is the patron of tradesmen and workers, travelers and refugees, the persecuted, families and homes, purity and interior life, engaged couples, people in distress due to insecurity related to food, home or clothing, as well as sickness, the poor, aged and dying.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 On his feast day, many attend church services in his honor. Cultures throughout the world celebrate Saint Joseph\u2019s feast day in a variety of ways. In Spain and Portugal, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph coincides with Father\u2019s Day, generating visits to fathers and father figures.\u00a0 In some areas, traditional observances include the wearing of special richly colored outfits which might be worn to a parade in Saint Joseph\u2019s honor. In the coastal city of Valencia, Spain, people make elaborate, publicly displayed papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 scenes which are then burned to the ground in a celebration of creativity, mortality and rebirth known as Las Fallas<\/em>.[8]<\/a> Sicily has its own rich traditions for the Saint Joseph\u2019s Feast Day.\u00a0 In Palermo, people organize huge bonfires known as \u201cVampa\u201d in the city\u2019s piazzas. Many towns organize moving processions accompanied by the singing of prayers and songs. Sicilians also set a Saint Joseph\u2019s table, an altar with special foods, flowers and devotional objects to praise and give thanks.[9]<\/a>\u00a0 Polish families set up a Saint Joseph’s table decorated with red and white to symbolize both their country and Saint Joseph. These tables include holy cards and candles, as well as meatless foods in observance of Lent.\u00a0 Polish hymns are also recited.[10]<\/a>\u00a0Some in the Philippines maintain ritual banquet customs in which community members are chosen as representatives of Saint Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. The three participants are fed an opulent feast during which hymns are sung.[11]<\/a>\u00a0 Contemporaneous celebrations in the Philippines are more overtly altruistic, and include volunteering to feed the poor, homeless and the hungry.[12]<\/a><\/p>\n

In his recent Apostolic Letter, Patris corde<\/em> (\u201cwith a father\u2019s heart\u201d), Pope<\/p>\n

\"Decorative<\/a>
page from The Holy Bible, The Latin Vulgate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Francis characterizes Saint Joseph as \u201ca beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.\u201d\u00a0 On the occasion of this Saint Joseph Feast Year, Pope Francis urges us to see the importance of \u201cordinary\u201d people who, though far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope every day. In this, they resemble Saint Joseph, \u201cthe man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,\u201d who nonetheless played \u201can incomparable role in the history of salvation.\u201d[13]<\/a>\u00a0 Pope Francis\u2019 letter concludes with a prayer to Saint Joseph, which he encourages us to pray together:<\/p>\n

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
\nSpouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
\nTo you God entrusted his only Son;
\nin you Mary placed her trust;
\nwith you Christ became man.
\n<\/em>Blessed Joseph, to us too,
\nshow yourself a father
\nand guide us in the path of life.
\nObtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
\nand defend us from every evil.\u00a0 Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a\u00a0<\/em>research request form\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/strong>to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Teresa, and E. Allison Peers. Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila<\/em>. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2010.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/en\/pope\/news\/2020-12\/pope-francis-proclaims-year-of-st-joseph.html<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Saint-Joseph<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/en\/pope\/news\/2020-12\/pope-francis-proclaims-year-of-st-joseph.html<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> https:\/\/www.christianiconography.info\/holyFamily.html<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a>https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saint_Joseph#:~:text=Joseph%20is%20venerated%20as%20Saint,associated%20with%20various%20feast%20days<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> https:\/\/www.catholicculture.org\/culture\/liturgicalyear\/activities\/view.cfm?id=1050<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> https:\/\/www.worldtravelguide.net\/features\/feature\/las-fallas-burning-valencia-to-the-ground\/<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> https:\/\/www.scent-of-sicily.com\/news\/st-josephs-day-traditions-in-sicily\/<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saint_Joseph%27s_Day<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saint_Joseph%27s_Day<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> http:\/\/www.asianews.it\/news-en\/Manila:-feast-day-of-St-Joseph-for-the-poor-33765.html<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/en\/pope\/news\/2020-12\/pope-francis-proclaims-year-of-st-joseph.html<\/a>, accessed 3\/9\/2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Image: The Holy Family by Sc. Muller from The Holy Bible, The Latin Vulgate Revised with Annotations by The Right Rev. R. Challoner D.D. New York:\u00a0 Thomas Kelly, Publisher, 1879. Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections   YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH \u201cI do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of [St. … Continue reading “Object of the Week: Engraving of The Holy Family by Sc. Muller”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3623,"featured_media":4162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[184,274,362,361,363],"class_list":["post-4161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gallery","tag-bible","tag-saint","tag-saint-joseph","tag-st-joseph","tag-the-holy-bible"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3623"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4161"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4188,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4161\/revisions\/4188"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}