BROTHER JOSEPH . .
TH ROUGH our his pontificate Pope John XXIII fostered devotion to his patron, the saint whose name he received in baptism, St. Joseph.
At papal audiences, in papal documents. and in radio messages to the world Pope John hailed Joseph, the carpenter, as the model of the Catholic father and patron of the universal Church.
In a radio message on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1, 1960, he warned workers to avoid the lures of Communist ideology, and urged those in power to help promote better living and working conditions.
On St. Joseph's feast, 1961, still 18 months before the Vatican Council was to open, Pope John announced that it would be placed under St. Joseph's protection.
In an apostolic letter he urged a rekindling of devotion to St. Joseph as patron of the universal Church and said he intended to have St. Joseph's altar in St. Peter's Basilica renovated and enhanced by the addition of a large mosaic -the first permanent image of the Saint for the Basilica. The mosaic, now made, depicts St. Joseph as a young man holding the Child Jesus in one arm. An angel hears a banner with the words "You ihall rule over my house".
When Pope John received Jewish leaders in audience in October 1960, he greeted them with the words, "I am your brother, Joseph". His last great action in honour of St. Joseph was to decree during the Vatican Council that his name was to bc inserted in the Canon of the Mass immediately after that of Our Lady. An action which was warmly acclaimed by the Council Fathers.