St. Joseph has two feast days in the Church’s liturgical calendar:

      -   19th March — Joseph, the Husband of Mary

      -    1st May — Joseph, the Worker

Pope Leo XIII wrote of St. Joseph’s example of protection and care:
“In Joseph… heads of the household are blessed with the unsurpassed model of fatherly watchfulness and care.”

Pope Francis reminds us of St. Joseph’s quiet but powerful presence in the family:
“Each of us can discover in Joseph — the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence — an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.”

Although there is little written about Joseph in Scripture, we know that he was the husband of Mary, the foster father of Jesus, and a carpenter. He was not wealthy, yet he came from the royal family line of King David.

From his actions, we see Joseph as a compassionate and obedient man who listened to God’s will. He loved Mary and Jesus deeply and devoted his life to protecting and providing for them.

Joseph is the patron of many things, including the universal Church, fathers, the dying, and social justice. He is also the Patron Saint of our school.

A Patron Saint is a saint to whose protection and intercession a person, a society, a church, or a place is dedicated.

 

A Child’s Prayer to St Joseph

St Joseph, watch over me

and care for me

just as you cared for the child Jesus;

and by your help,

may I come to know your Son, and

so grow in strength and wisdom

and the favour of God. Amen

 

In Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), he describes Saint Joseph as:

• a beloved father

• a tender and loving father

• an obedient father

• an accepting father

• a father who is creatively courageous

• a working father

• a father in the shadows

The Letter also marks the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To celebrate this anniversary, Pope Francis proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph,” beginning on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2020 and extending to the same feast in 2021.