A beautiful new Death of St. Joseph sculpture, handcrafted by artisan Edwin Gonzalez, was recently installed in Christendom’s new Christ the King Chapel. An original work that was designed, sculpted, and painted over the course of many months, the Death of St. Joseph will serve as a powerful reminder of the deep love found in the Holy Family for generations to come.
Christendom began work on the concept for this new statue with Heritage Liturgical and its artistic director, Enzo Selvaggi, along with Gonzalez, in the fall of 2021. Wood carving began in May of 2024, with the statue proving to be a more complicated piece than Gonzalez’ Pieta statue for Christ the King Chapel, due to the presence of three separate figures.
The statue portrays St. Joseph at the moment of his death, with Mary just barely touching his hand and Our Lord holding up his head. In the finished piece, it appears as though Christ has been crying. St. Joseph is lying on a bed partially covered with a blanket, with the color of the blanket intentionally similar to the color of the robe worn by St. Joseph in the Nativity stained glass window directly above the sculpture. Additionally, the patterning on the collar of Christ picks up some of the details on the blanket covering the baby Jesus in the stained glass as well.
In addition to these details, Mary’s garments in this sculpture are the same color as in the Pieta in the left transept of the chapel, and a wood carving chisel rests on the sculpture’s base as if dropped at the moment of St. Joseph’s death. This chisel is Gonzalez’ own — one of many chisels used to carve the piece.
The sculpture was intentionally placed underneath the Nativity window, signifying St. Joseph being present at the birth of Jesus, then Jesus present, in the sculpture, at the death of St. Joseph.
The Death of St. Joseph is one of 10 original life-size sculptures being crafted by Gonzalez for Christ the King Chapel, following on his Pieta and his Christ the King statue. Future sculptures will also include St. Anthony of Padua and six adoring angels for the Piazza of Christ the King.
To learn more about Christ the King Chapel, visit here.