Saint Joseph

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Saint Joseph

St Joseph with the Infant Jesus by Guido Reni
Patron of the Universal Church
Born unknown
Died believed to be prior to the Passion
Venerated in Catholic Church, All Christianity
Feast March 19
Attributes Carpenter's square or tools, old man holding the infant Jesus.
Patronage Against doubt and hesitation and of a happy death. Many others see [[4]]
Saints Portal
For other uses, see Saint Joseph (disambiguation).

According to Christian Gospel accounts and tradition Joseph "of the House of David" – also called Joseph the Man and St. Joseph and Joseph of Nazareth and Joseph the Worker – was the husband of Mary[1] and the legal father of Jesus of Nazareth,[2] although most Christian faith traditions hold Joseph did not physically beget Jesus, but that Mary had conceived him through divine means (see Virgin Birth).[3][4][5] Little else is known of Joseph except that he was apparently a skilled craftsman (often held to have been a carpenter) and for many years lived in the town of Nazareth. Joseph's death is not recorded; he is thought to have still been alive when Jesus was around 12 years old, due to scriptural mention,[6] but the lack of any mention of him in the Biblical accounts of Jesus' adult ministry (some 18 years later) is often taken to imply that he had died before then.

In the Roman Catholic and other traditions, he is the patron saint of workers and has several feast days (see Saint Joseph's Day). Saint Joseph was also declared to be the patron saint and protector of the Universal Catholic Church (along with Saint Peter) by Pope Pius IX in 1870, and is the patron of several countries and regions.


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[edit] Non-Gospel accounts and anecdotes

Jesus is very often described as working side by side with Joseph in the Joseph's carpenter shop at Nazareth, or staying with Joseph while the latter worked in Christian stories of Jesus' early life. In some Christian traditions (including Roman Catholic), Joseph is described as dying "in the arms of Jesus and Mary."[citation needed]

In the canonical Gospel accounts Jesus is described as being the brother of James, Joses (Matthew has the spelling: Joseph, Mark has Joses), JudJudas, and Simon, and of sisters whose names however are not mentioned (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by Eastern Orthodoxy, explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary, thus making them Jesus's step-brothers and step-sisters. This version of events is related in the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter. The Roman Catholic tradition is unclear, and either the explanation above, or the explanation that these "brothers and sisters" are the cousins of Christ are both considered equally possible by the Church, but it affirms strongly that Joseph remained chaste while married to Mary. Some Protestant denominations (including many Evangelical or Fundamental Protestant traditions) no longer espouse strong views on the subject.

Joseph led his family to safety in Egypt to escape from Herod, as depicted by Lorenzo Monaco
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Joseph led his family to safety in Egypt to escape from Herod, as depicted by Lorenzo Monaco

Adherents to the tradition of Jesus being an only child suggest that Jesus' commendation of Mary to the care of John the Evangelist while he was hanging on the cross may be interpreted to suggest that Joseph had died by that time, and that Joseph and Mary did not have any other children who might care for Mary.

In many icons of the Nativity, Joseph is shown being tempted by the Devil (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and resisting that temptation.

Also in some imagery, statues of Joseph depict his staff topped with flowers, recalling the non-canonical Protevangelion's account of how Mary's spouse was chosen. Among the collected walking sticks of widowers in Israel, Joseph was distinguished when his staff burst into flower.

An iconic image of St. Joseph – a carpenter square is a symbol of his trade, and lilies symbolize chastity.
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An iconic image of St. Joseph – a carpenter square is a symbol of his trade, and lilies symbolize chastity.

The Author Aramis Thorn, has written an intriguing fictional account of the life of Joseph, The Foster Father of God, wherein he recounts the betrothal, birth, and rearing of the Christ story.

[edit] Sainthood

Within the Roman Catholic tradition, Joseph is the patron saint of various things and places. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him the patron of the Universal Church on December 8, 1870. Joseph is the unofficial patron against doubt and hesitation, as well as the patron saint of fighting communism, and of a happy death. Joseph having died in the "arms of Jesus and Mary" according to Catholic tradition, he is considered the model of a pious believer who received graces at the moment of death.

In addition to his primary feast day in the Catholic and other traditions, St. Joseph is honored by the Feast of St. Joseph the Workman (May 1), introduced by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to conteract May Day, a Communist holiday. This reflects St. Joseph's status as what many Catholics and other Christians consider the "patron of workers" and "model of workers." Catholic and other Christians teachings and stories about or relating to Joseph and the Holy Family frequently stress his patience, persistence, and hard work as admirable qualities which believers should adopt.

In that tradition, Joseph is the patron saint of the New World; of the countries China, Canada, Korea, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Bohemia, Croatia, Peru, Vietnam; of the regions Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol, Sicily; of the cities and/or dioceses of Florence, Turin, Baton Rouge, Bemidji, Buffalo, Cheyenne, Haugesund in Norway, Louisville, Nashville, San Jose, Sioux Falls, etc.

Roman Catholics also believe he prays especially for families, fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travellers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers and working people in general. There is no official patronage assigned to him, however.

[edit] Feast day and role in Christian churches

The principal feast day of Saint Joseph is March 19, Saint Joseph's Day in the Roman Catholic tradition. Another feast day is May 1, Feast of St. Joseph the Workman, introduced by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to counteract May Day, a Communist holiday. The veneration of Saint Joseph, when compared with that of other biblical saints, was introduced rather late in the Catholic Church. Pope Pius IX declared him patron of the universal Church; and Pope John XXIII added his name to the Mass canon. Some groups of Traditional Catholics reject this addition, but most use the 1962 missal, which includes this change. Some Protestant traditions also celebrate this festival as a commemoration of Joseph's life and witness.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the feast day of St. Joseph is celebrated on the First Sunday after the Holy Nativity of Christ. The following hymn is chanted in honor of the saint:

Verily, Joseph the betrothed, saw clearly in his old age that the foresayings of the Prophets had
been fulfilled openly; for he was given a strange earnest,
receiving inspiration from the angels,
who cried, Glory to God; for he hath bestowed peace on earth.

[edit] Josephite Order

In the 1800s, the Josephite Order of the Roman Catholic Church was created under the patronage of Joseph, intending to work with the poor. The first Josephites in America re-devoted their part of the Order to ministry within the newly-emancipated African American community.

[edit] Places named after and dedicated to Joseph

Many cities, towns, and geographical features are named after Joseph. At least 6 places named St. Joseph exist in France and its overseas possessions, and at least 14 towns, counties, or townships in the United States. Numerous bays, rivers, peninsulas, and other features are named after Joseph (or St. Joseph) in North America.

St. Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago is the oldest town in Trinidad and Tobago. Originally named San José de Oruña, it served as the capital of Spanish Trinidad between 1592 and 1783.

Probably the most-recognized place named after Joseph is San Jose, California, United States, given its name by Spanish colonists (San José is St. Joseph in Spanish).

[edit] Churches

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph is located in San Jose, California and is the cathedral (episcopal headquarters) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose. The Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral is a prominent Roman Catholic church in Bardstown, Kentucky, United States; it was the first Roman Catholic Cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains and the cathedral mother church of the former Roman Catholic Diocese of Bardstown.

Saint Joseph's Oratory is a Roman Catholic oratory and basilica (historically-designated special church) in Montreal, Canada. Constructed at the wishes of Brother André Besette (Congregation of Holy Cross)—a blessed in the Catholic canon—it is dedicated to St. Joseph who is believed to have performed many miracles of healing in Montreal. In the oratory are hundreds of crutches and other items left by those who experienced a spontaneous healing (like those at Lourdes, France). The Oratory is the largest church in Canada, with the largest dome of its kind in the world after that of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. (Some churches named after St. Joseph are actually dedicated to a different saint, Saint Joseph of Cupertino.)

Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Muenster, Texas is dedicated to St. Joseph after its first two churches where destroyed by tornados on St. Joseph's feast day. Since the parishoners have attended mass on his feast day the recent church has not been destroyed.

[edit] Other St. Josephs

[edit] See also

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[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Matthew 1:16
  2. ^ Matthew 1:25; Luke 3:23
  3. ^ Belief in the virgin conception and birth are held by Christians of most faith traditions [1], including Evangelicals [2], Roman Catholics [3], Eastern Orthodox, and most traditional Protestants [http://www.ancient-fu
  4. ^ <number(1)>ture.net/marynew.html].
  5. ^ Matthew 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35
  6. ^ Luke 2:41-42

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Heli		 Ancestry of Jesus - Father of Jesus Succeeded by
Jesus
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