Patron St. Joseph

The following biography of St. Joseph is adapted from www.catholic.org.

Who is St. Joseph?
Our parish patron saint, St. Joseph, is the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the foster father of our Lord Jesus. 

Early life and work
Sacred Sripture tells us that St. Joseph worked as a carpenter. The skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, "Is this not the carpenter's son?" (Matthew 13:55). He was not rich, for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised in the Temple, he and Mary offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons - a practice allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).

Royal Lineage
Despite his humble work and means, St. Joseph came from royal lineage. Gospel authors Luke and Matthew present different details about St. Joseph's genealogy. However, they both mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Indeed the angel who first tells St. Joseph about Jesus greets him as "Son of David," a royal title used also for Jesus.

Compassion and Care
St. Joseph was compassionate and caring. When he discovered that Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his, but he was yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He knew that women accused of adultery could be stoned to death, so he resolved to send Mary away quietly to not expose her to shame or cruelty. However, an angel came to St. Joseph in a dream and told him, "Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." He did as the angel told him and took Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:19-25).

Model of Obedience
St. Joseph was obedient to God.  When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and their new baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23).

Model of Fatherhood
St. Joseph loved Jesus. His primary concern was for the safety of the child entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his return, he settled in the obscure town of Nazareth for fear of their lives. On the occasion that Jesus stayed behind in the Temple, St. Joseph (along with Mary) searched with great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48). St. Joseph treated Jesus as his own son. Over and over the people of Nazareth say of Jesus, "Is this not the son of Joseph?" (Luke 4:22).

Model of Faith
St. Joseph respected God and followed God's commands. He went with Mary to Jerusalem to have Jesus circumcised and Mary purified according to Jewish custom. In addition, he took his family to Jerusalem every year for Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man.

Birth, Death, and Commemoration
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the apocryphal date for St. Joseph's birth is 90 BC in Bethlehem. Sacred Scripture does not record St. Joseph's presence during Jesus' public life, death, or resurrection.  Therefore, many historians believe that St. Joseph likely died before Jesus entered public ministry. The apocryphal date of St. Joseph's death is July 20, 18 AD, in Nazareth.

Saint and Patron
St. Joseph is the patron saint of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus' public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth.  St. Joseph is also patron saint of the Universal Church, families, fathers, expectant mothers, travelers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and all working people.

Feast Days
The Catholic Church celebrates two feast days for St. Joseph: March 19 for “Joseph the Husband of Mary,” and May 1 for “Joseph the Worker.” May 1 is also May Day (International Workers' Day) and believed to reflect St. Joseph's status as the patron of workers.

Namesake
There are many churches and other places throughout the world named after St. Joseph.  These include the Spanish form, San Jose, which is the most commonly named place in the world. St. Joseph is considered by many to also be the patron saint of the New World; of the countries China, Canada, Korea, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Peru, Vietnam; of the regions Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol, Sicily; and of several main cities and dioceses.

St. Joseph in Religious Art
In art, St. Joseph is often portrayed as an older man, with grey hair and a beard, often balding, sometimes appearing frail and a marginal figure next to Mary and Jesus. Some statues of St. Joseph show his staff topped with flowers. St. Joseph is shown with the attributes of a carpenter's square or tools, the infant Jesus, his lily blossomed staff, two turtle doves, or a spikenard.

A Righteous Man
Much remains unknown about St. Joseph, but Sacred Scripture offers a most important insight: that he was "a righteous man" (Matthew 1:18).

Prayer to St. Joseph
St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church, watch over the Church as carefully as you watched over Jesus.  Help protect it and guide it as you did with your adopted son.  Amen.