Xaghra Parish » Gallery » 2008 » 19 MAR 08 LITURGICAL FEAST OF ST JOSEPH
The liturgical feast of St Joseph is universally celebrated by the Catholic Church. In Xaghra it is celebrated in a special way as St Joseph is co Patron Saint of the Parish with Our Lady on her Birthday, Il-Bambina. It is celebrated with more devotion when the day falls on a Wednesday like this year. However, the feast had to be brought forward to Saturday 15th March since the following day was Palm Sunday with Holy Week starting that day. This is very exceptional and many decades have to pass for Lent to start so early and therefore the liturgical feast of St Joseph cannot be celebrated on the day. This led to a most unusual scene in the Basilica with the statue of the Crucifixion on the High Altar and St Joseph below on the presbytery. With the statues of the Passion of Christ taking all available space in the church there was no other choice. Picture A6 gives rise to a moment of meditation. In the background the titular painting depicting the birth of Our Lady, on the right of the picture St Joseph holding Jesus when he was a baby, and high above them both Mary in sorrow grieving at the foot of the Cross with Jesus her son dead on it. It encompasses the whole mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption of Mankind.
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