Saint Joseph the Worker — In the Eastern Church the devotion to St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesusand husband of the Virgin Mary, is ancient. In the Western Church it developed only from the 10th Century and was celebrated on March 19. Today this feast is intended to honor the Saint under the title of Patron of the Universal Church.

The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was instituted in 1955 by Pope Pius XII and is celebrated on May 1st, "Worker's Day," as it is called and celebrated in many countries, especially in Europe and the Soviet Union. The statue represents Joseph with the tools of his carpenter's trade, the hammer and the square. Commissioned to Italian artists, this statue was made with marbles of different colors: the mantle is in Asiago Red; the robe in Mandorlato; the belt in Yellow Sienal the flesh in Portugal Rose Aurora; the hammer in Bardiglio; and the square in Onyx Stalactite.

Saint Jude, Apostle — St. Jude, known also as Thaddeus, was the brother of St. James the Less and a relative of Jesus. He is not to be confused with Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed our Lord. The name Jude appears in a list of the 12 Apostles in Luke (6:16) and Acts (1:13), whereas in the lists of Matthew (10:3) and Mark (1:13) the name Thaddeus is used.

St. Jude, the author of the letter of Jude in the New Testament, is said to have preached the Gospel in Palestine, Mesopotamia and Persia. He died a martyr, first clubbed unconscious and then beheaded with a broadaxe. His body is buried in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The statue in our church, made of different marbles, represents him holding a club of his martyrdom and the other hand resting at the base of his own image on a cloth hanging from his neck that symbolizes his beheading. Venerated as the saint of the "impossible cases," his feast is celebrated on October 28 together with St. Simon, apostle and martyr.

The Immaculate Conception — On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed as a teaching of faith that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, "was by singular grace and privilege of Almighty God in view of the merits of Jesus Christ the Savior of the human race, preserved from all stain of original sin from the first instant of her conception." Contrary to a common misconception, this teaching of faith has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ from His Virgin Mother, but with her own conception in the womb of her Mother Anne. Thus Mary was exempted from original sin, the sin we all inherited from Adam and Eve, and was clothed in sanctifying grace from the very first moment of her life. In the mysterious plan of God, this unique privilege was granted to her as a worthy preparation of the woman who would be called to become the Mother of His own Son.

The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., was built to honor Mary, Patroness of the United States of America, under this title.

The statue in our church, work of Italian artists, is made with the following marbles: the veil in Blue Bardiglio; the robe in Botticino; the belt in Asiago Red; and the flesh in Portugal Rose Aurora.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus — The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is intended to honor and reciprocate Christ's consuming love for man. Christ is shown pointing to a flaming heart, wounded by the lance, crowned with thorns and a cross. The devotion was made popular by the visions and revelations of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart is usually expressed in these forms: mortifactions, suffering and sacrifices offered up to God in atonement for the sins of mankind; observance of the First Friday Devotion, with confession, Mass and communion of reparation; consecration of families and enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the home; litany of the Sacred Heart and other prayers.

Saint Anthony of Padua — St. Anthony, called "of Padua" because of his long stay in that city, was a native of Lisbon, Portugal, where he was born in 1195. Having joined the Order of St. Francis, he sailed as a missionary for Africa but the ship was diverted to the coast of Italy by a violent storm. Here in Italy, particularly in the northern city of Padua, he spent the rest of his life. St. Anthony was a profound theologian, a brilliant preacher and a formidable foe of heretics whom he confounded repeatedly not only with his arguments, but also with his innumerable miracles until he became known as "The miracle worker." He died in Padua in 1231. He is venerated as one of the greatest Franciscan saints, and the faithful appeal to him for special graces, but particularly to recover lost articles. His feast is celebrated on June 13.

His statue represents him as dressed in the Franciscan habit with the Child Jesus speaking to him from the Bible. The biographies of the Saint tell us that one day, as St. Anthony was meditating on a particularly difficult passage of the Bible, the Child Jesus appeared to him out of the book and gave him the correct interpretation. The lilies on his left arm are symbols of his purity.

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus — Born in Alencon, Normandy, in 1863, Marie Frances Therese Martin entered the Carmelite Order of Lisieux at the age of fifteen and died there nine years later on September 30, 1887. Under obedience, she had written the story of her spiritual life in the convent. This "Story of A Soul," published after her death, became the basis of a new spiritual movement called "The Little Way" for its simplicity and unpretentiousness. Pope Pius XI declared her a Saint on May 17, 1925, and her feast is celebrated on October 1. St. Therese never left the convent, but due to her great devotion, prayers and sacrifices for the missionaries in foreign lands, she was proclaimed Patroness of all Catholic missionaries with St. Francis Xavier named as the missionaries' Patron.

The statue represents St. Therese wearing the habit of the Carmelite nuns, carrying a crucifix for her love of Jesus crucified and a bouquet of roses in the arms: "I will shower the earth with a rain of roses (graces) as soon as I enter Heaven."

Tour Home Page

Photos by Saint Joseph Photography • www.stjoephoto.com