An oil painting representing St Joseph, patron saint of the Universal Church, will embellish one of the meeting halls at Manresa Retreat House in the outskirts of Victoria.

Under the responsibility of the Jesuit community, the house is a perfect place for prayer, where one can experience peace and silence.

The painting, by young artist Daniel Mercieca Pavia, depicts St Joseph holding Baby Jesus. St Joseph is figured as an old man, symbolising wisdom and God’s grace, while Baby Jesus is joyfully playing with St Joseph’s beard and blessing the world.

Mercieca Pavia, having studied both art and theology, enforces his believe that art and theology go together.

According to Mercieca Pavia, an artist with a theological insight can easily depict the beauty of God in his work.

Art has the power to comunicate a religious message. It can be of great help to the Universal Church and to evangelisation in a secular world. The artist believes that sacred images are a silent form of language, which have the power to speak loudly, leading Christians towards an encounter with God’s beauty.

Mercieca Pavia is one of the artists working at Eikon, a new Gozitan centre for projects of liturgical art. The centre is located in Triq il-Papa Ġwanni Pawlu II, on the road to Ta’ Pinu.