Marking the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph being declared patron of the universal Church, Pope Francis proclaimed a yearlong celebration dedicated to the father of Jesus starting from8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021. In order to celebrate the Year of St. Joseph, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel in Tai O, opened an exhibition called Meet St. Joseph on June 19 and will conclude 8 December 2021.
In his Apostolic Letter Patris Corde (With a Father’s Heart), Pope Francis describes St. Joseph as a beloved, tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.
Claretian Father Alberto Rossa, assistant parish priest of Epiphany Parish, Mui Wo, blessed the exhibition and opened it to pilgrims.
Enlarged prints of renowned paintings of St. Joseph from around the world, together with numerous statues of the saint, are on display in the exhibition. The exhibition also includes a short video introducing four dreams of St. Joseph and a series of short videos with a meditative reading of the apostolic letter Patris Corde in Cantonese.
A three-metre long statue of a Sleeping St. Joseph on the stage of the hall is a special attraction of the display. Pope Francis popularised the devotion to the Sleeping St. Joseph when he spoke of his personal devotion to the saint during his visit to the Philippines in 2015. The pope had a statue of a sleeping St. Joseph on his desk for decades in Argentina and when he was elected pope, he brought it with him to the Vatican. He told the story of his devotion during his meeting with families in Manila, saying he places slips of paper under the statue of the sleeping St. Joseph when he has a special problem.
“Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church! Yes! We know that he can do that. So when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it underneath St. Joseph, so that he can dream about it! In other words I tell him: Pray for this problem!” Pope Francis said, adding, “Do not forget St. Joseph who sleeps! Jesus slept with the protection of Joseph.”
Pilgrims who visit the exhibition can also write down their intentions and put them under the bed of the Sleeping St. Joseph statue and pray for his powerful intercession.
Claretian Father Jojo Ancheril, assistant parish priest of Epiphany Parish, and organiser of the exhibition expects to bring more people know about the person of St. Joseph during this year dedicated to the saint. “His sacrifices in life while taking care of child Jesus and Mother Mary, his obedience to God, his humility in spite of being a descendant of King David and his wholehearted devotion and love for his family are all worth reflecting and imitating,” Father Ancheril says.
St. Joseph never said a word in the Bible. He is mentioned in a few biblical scenes such as the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Flight into Egypt and Finding Jesus in the Temple. Although the Bible is also silent on the death of St. Joseph, the traditions suggest that he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. Dying in the presence of God the Son and the Mother of God is a happy death, any faithful would aspire to this and hence, St. Joseph is honoured as the patron of a happy death.
As early as the 1920s, there has been a Catholic community in Tai O. A small building was built around 1923, but it was not designated a church and was destroyed by a typhoon. After it was rebuilt in 1937, it was designated a church and named Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel, belonging to the Fatima Parish of Cheung Chau.
The present chapel was part of the Wing Cho Catholic primary school. The school closed down in 2003 due lack of students, but in 2012, the chapel was reopened to the public as a Mass centre of Epiphany Parish, Mui Wo.
In 2023, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Catholic Presence in Tai O.
The Meet St. Joseph exhibition is also the kick-off of a series of upcoming activities for the centenary celebrations. • Janice Mok
