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St. Joseph Catholic Church

1875 S C R 700 W
North Vernon, IN 47265

Rev. Jonathan P. Meyer, Administrator

Office Hours:

Monday Office closed
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:30 AM till 12:30 PM

St. Joseph Rectory Phone: 812-346-4783
Fax: 812-352-9033

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What is the flag that is flying under the American Flag at St. Joseph and St. Mary’s?

That is the Vatican flag. It represents our church, our heritage and the smallest, but most spiritually powerful, country in the world. The flag of Vatican City was introduced in 1825, but was not officially adopted until 1929, just after the Vatican gained independence from Italy. Vatican City-State is the smallest independent country in the world, both in area and in population. It has its own printed money, police, government, jail and leader…the Pope. Vatican City is the home of the Pope and forms what is known as the Holy Sea, which is the central authority of our Church. The flag consists of two vertical bands, one of gold and one of white. The Vatican City Coat of Arms can be found in the white half. The coat of arms consists of the papal tiara (used until the pontificate of Paul VI) and the 2 keys. The papal tiara is reminiscent of the many years when the Pope was not only just a spiritual leader, but also a political ruler, governing large portions of Europe. It is often referred to as the “triple crown tiara,” for its three crowns symbolizing the Pope’s leadership/authority as coming from on high. The Vatican and the Church are to be governed from on high- from the Most Holy Trinity. The crossed keys consist of a golden and a silver key. The gold one, on the right, alludes to the power in the kingdom of the heavens; the silver one, on the left, indicates the spiritual authority of the papacy on earth. The mechanisms are turned up towards the heaven and the grips turned down, in other words into the hands of the Vicar of Christ-the Pope. The red cord that unites the grips alludes to the bond between the two powers which was brought about by our Lord’s bloody death and resurrection. The two keys represent the keys to Heaven (Matthew 16:19) given by Jesus Christ to Peter. The Keys have been a symbol of the papacy from ancient history. However, they became official symbols of the Church in the 13th century. In its pure form it is in the shape of a square, not a rectangle. The flag is one of only two square country flags in the world, the other being the flag of Switzerland.