Inauguration of a mosaic depicting Christ Pantocrator in the Vatican Gardens
Symbol of the Mission of the Trinitarians
On Thursday morning, 5 December, a mosaic depicting Christ Pantocrator, made by young people with disabilities and their teachers, was officially inaugurated in the Vatican Gardens. The impressive mosaic was the result of a collaboration with the mosaics laboratory of the Centro di Riabilitazione Ada “Ceschin Pilone” (rehabilitation centre) of the Institute of the Trinitarian Fathers of Venosa-Bernalda. Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, presided over the inauguration ceremony.
The mosaic donated to the Pope by the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives, through International Trinitarian Solidarity, is a replica of the Christ Pantocrator mosaic on the gate of the Monastery of Saint Thomas in Formis, in Rome, a symbol of the Trinitarian Order, made in the early 13th century by Master Jacobus and his son Cosimatus, Roman artists of the Cosmatesque School. It depicts the vision that inspired Saint John of Matha to found the Order. In the mosaic, Christ is seated on a throne. with two captives in chains beside him: the one on the right is white, the one on the left is black. An inscription surrounding the mosaic bears the words: Signum Ordinis Sanctae Trinitatis et Captivorum, which means “Emblem of the Order of the Holy Trinity and of the Captives”. The red and blue crosses, one held by the white captive, the other above the mosaic, are also symbols of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and its mission: to be a bridge between religions and unite believers, regardless of their faith, on a journey of salvation.
During the ceremony, Cardinal Vérgez Alzaga blessed the mosaic and prayed, saying, “We bless you, Holy Father. In your limitless love for humanity, you sent to the world as Saviour your only begotten Son, the Eternal Word, Christ, our example of holiness. We worship him in this Pantocrator, that reminds us that he is the perfect image of the Trinity. He takes us by the hand and introduces us to his Kingdom of Glory, a Kingdom of redemption and liberation”. Remembering in his prayers all those who were persecuted because of their faith in Christ, he added, “Holy Father, may the blood of those who suffer persecution because of their faith in your Son, in imitation of his passion, help us, your children, make our lives pure and holy, so that in this way, with the Spirit of Love, your Kingdom may be proclaimed throughout the world”.
The ceremony was attended by Fr. Luigi Buccarello, General Minister of the Order, Fr. Antonio Aurelio Fernández Serrano, Vicar General and President of International Trinitarian Solidarity, members of the General Council, Fr. Franco Fontana, Chaplain of the Directorate of Security and Civil Protection Services and of the Vatican Museums, numerous Trinitarian men and women religious, and members of the laity associated with the Order.
The following is the address delivered by the Cardinal President at the ceremony.
Dear Fr Luigi Buccarello,
General Minister of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives,
Fr. Antonio Aurelio Fernández Serrano,
Vicar General and President of International Trinitarian Solidarity,
Fathers of the Extended General Council
Members of the Trinitarian Family,
We are gathered here to inaugurate the mosaic that depicts a vision of Saint John of Matha, Founder of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity. During his first Mass on 28 January 1193, the Saint asked the Lord to show him the way forward and which Order he should enter for his salvation. It was then that, as we see in the mosaic, Christ appeared to him, holding two men with shackles on their feet, by the hand. One of them was pale and emaciated, the other black and deformed. From that vision, Saint John understood that he had to dedicate himself to ransoming and freeing Christians who had been captured as slaves by the pirates that plagues the Mediterranean Sea.
With his Bull of 1209, Innocent III approved the houses of the Order and granted concessions and privileges. The Church of Saint Thomas in Formis, an ancient Benedictine Abbey on the Caelian Hill, was listed among these homes. The Founder transformed the Abbey into a hospital for the poor and for ransomed slaves.
The original of the mosaic we are inaugurating today, is located on a niche above the old gate of the hospital. The inscription that surrounds the mosaic, Signum Ordinis Sanctae Trinitatis et Captivorum (Emblem of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives) is a program for life for the disciples of Saint John of Matha. Still today, Trinitarians are dedicated to freeing brothers and sisters from all forms of slavery, both of the body and of the soul. There are unfortunately, still an alarming number of examples of constraints on freedom, today. Not only drug use, but also addiction to alcohol, smoking, the internet and social media.
Christ, as depicted in the mosaic before us, holds his hand out to these people, shackled by chains that prevent them from being free. Through International Trinitarian Solidarity, Trinitarians help Christians who are persecuted throughout the world, as well as victims of discrimination and people deprived of their freedom due to injustice and violence, countering all this suffering with the mercy of the Trinity, that frees humanity from any bond or imposition that shackles it and prevents it from achieving fulfillment.
The mosaic is a reminder to anyone who passes by it, that the only Liberator is Christ himself.
Thank you to all those who have contributed to this initiative.
