“From the Archives” — Saint Joseph in the Basilica #2

A lovely, small stained-glass window of Saint Joseph holding the Christ Child is nearly hidden, like much of the life of Saint Joseph, inside the stairwell leading to the choir loft on the south side (right side) of the church.  Saint Joseph is holding a staff with lilies, a traditional symbol of purity associated with both Joseph and the Blessed Mother. There is no donor’s name on this window, so we can’t be sure of its history or source.

Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus and spouse of the Blessed Mother, also is featured elsewhere in the Basilica of Saint Mary. In the sanctuary, there’s a large white marble statue of Joseph holding the Child Jesus. The statue was purchased in Italy in 1920 and placed above a small altar that was once located, and later removed, on the north section of the sanctuary. Joseph is featured in the larger, Holy Family stained-glass window along the south wall of the nave. The window was dedicated in memory of Thomas N. Scott and family. Scott was a carpenter from Ireland who worked on the church in 1883 when it was being enlarged. Saint Joseph also can be seen in one of the large paintings on the ceiling of the Basilica. The painting depicts the death of Saint Joseph with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary at his side. While the artist is not certain, it is believed to be the work of F.S. Shuman of Alexandria.

— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

 

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2022. An archive of the features is located here.