Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus, c. 1635
(Credit : Guido Reni, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Joseph, adoptive father of Jesus and husband of Mary, is a key figure in Christian tradition, both because of his role in the economy of salvation and because he was a model of virtue. Which is why we celebrate St Joseph as Protector of Families and Patron Saint of Workers. That is also why St Joseph has two feast days: March 19th, as the Spouse of Mary, and May 1st, under the title of Joseph the Worker.
A righteous man and the protector of the Holy Family
Joseph is not mentioned in detail in the Bible. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke are the ones which reveal the most about him.
Joseph was originally from Bethlehem but lived and worked in Nazareth as a carpenter. He is described in the Gospel of Matthew as being a "righteous" man, and a descendant of King David. When his wife, Mary, became pregnant through the Holy Spirit, Joseph, a righteous man, initially wanted to divorce her quietly, so she could be spared from dishonor. But an angel appeared to him in a dream and urged him to take Mary as his wife and to welcome the Child she would bear, because the child was the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Joseph obeyed and married Mary, taking the Child Jesus into his care.
After Jesus's birth, Joseph acted as his adoptive father and protected the Holy Family from the wrath of King Herod, who wanted to kill the newborn. Joseph fled with Mary and Jesus to Egypt, where they lived until Herod's death. The last mention of Joseph in the Gospels is when Jesus stayed behind in the Temple of Jerusalem at the age of 12, causing great alarm to both him and Mary.
Joseph is known for his humility, diligence, and gentleness. He was a tireless and devoted worker, capable of profound faith and obedience to God. It is said that Joseph died before Jesus began his public ministry and that Mary and Jesus were beside him in the final moments of his life, which is why he is invoked for divine assistance at the hour of death.
Patronage and Devotion
In the West, the oldest reference to the cult of Saint Joseph (Ioseph sponsus Mariae) connected with 19 March appears around the year 800 in the north of France. Thereafter, reference to Joseph, the spouse of Mary, becomes more and more frequent from the 9th to the 14th centuries.
In the 12th century, the crusaders built a church in his honor at Nazareth. But it was in the 15th century that the cult of Saint Joseph spread due to the influence of Saint Bernadine of Siena, and especially of Jean Gerson (+ 1420), Chancellor of Notre Dame in Paris, who promoted the cause that a feast to Saint Joseph be officially established. There were already some celebrations in Milan in Augustinian circles, and in many places in Germany.
It was in 1480, with Pope Sixtus IV’s approval that the feast began to be celebrated on 19 March. It then became obligatory with Pope Gregory XV in 1621.
In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church, and Pope Saint John XXIII inserted his name into the Roman Canon of Holy Mass in 1962.
On 1 May, 2013, "by virtue of the faculties granted by the Supreme Pontiff Francis", the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments decreed "that the name of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is henceforth to be added to Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV as they appear in the third typical edition of the Roman Missal, after the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary".
On May 1, 2021, Pope Francis approved seven new invocations in the Litany to Saint Joseph: Guardian of the Redeemer, Servant of Christ, Minister of Salvation, Support in difficulties, Patron of exiles, Patron of the afflicted, and Patron of the poor.
Article by Catholic Time Staff
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