Pope inaugurates St. Joseph fountain, 100th in Vatican Gardens

Vatican City, Jul 5, 2010 / 11:25 am

The Holy Father presided over a ceremony to inaugurate the 100th fountain in the Vatican Gardens behind St. Peter's Basilica on Monday morning. The artistic construction leads us to contemplate the values of the Father of Christ, the Pope noted.

The St. Joseph fountain, located beside the Vatican City State Governorate building, is set into a hill of what the Pope called a "vital space" he often turns to for prayer and relaxation: the Vatican Gardens.

In its design, which involves six bronze panels depicting scenes from the life of St. Joseph, the new fountain "constitutes a symbolic call back to the values of simplicity and humility in carrying out God's will daily, values characterized by the silent, but precious life of the Guardian of the Redeemer," the Holy Father said during the ceremony.

Stone walls behind the fountain's double basins show the wedding of Mary and Joseph, the first dream in which the angel explains Christ's Conception, the Nativity, the flight into Egypt, the finding in the temple and, finally, the work of Jesus and his father as carpenters.

An engraving to one side of the piece records the moment in Latin, offering the fountain "in honor of the husband of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Guardian of the Holy Family, protector of the Universal Church and Patron of Workers." The commemorative message also recalls that Joseph was the patron saint given to Benedict XVI at his baptism.

Concluding his address for the inauguration, the Holy Father prayed for the intercession of the St. Joseph, saying, "together with the Virgin Mary, his bride, may he always guide my journey and yours, that we may become joyful instruments of peace and salvation."