Little is known about St. Joseph.

We know he was a carpenter. He wasn’t rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised, he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb.

Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage. The angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as “son of David,” a royal title used also for Jesus.

We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew that women accused of adultery could be stoned to death, so he resolved to send her away quietly to not expose her to shame or cruelty. However, when an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him,  “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit,” he did as the angel told him and took Mary as his wife. 

When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back.

Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus’ public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public ministry.

Joseph is the patron saint of the Universal Church, families, fathers, expectant mothers, travelers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general.

We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker.

The symbol of St. Joseph is the letter ‘J’ for “Joseph”.  Other symbols in this design are carpenter’s tools and a workbench, using the letter “J” as the handles and as the bench’s legs.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, pray for me to have a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.