feast day/ solemnity:
- March 19 (St. Joseph, Husband of Mary)
- May 1 (St. Joseph the worker)
patron saint of: universal Church, workers, carpenters
about:
- born: 90 BC, Bethlehem (apocryphal date)
- died: July 20 AD 18, Nazareth (apocryphal date)
- Joseph (Hebrew יוֹסֵף, Yosef; Greek: Ἰωσήφ, Ioseph)
- attributes: Carpenter's square or tools, the infant Jesus, staff with lily blossoms, two turtle doves, spikenard
- a figure in the Gospels, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus and is venerated Saint Joseph in some Christian traditions
- According to Matthew 1:16 "Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary", while according to Luke 3:23, Joseph is said to be "[the son] of Heli". Some scholars reconcile the genealogies by viewing the Solomonic lineage in Matthew as Joseph's major royal line, and the Nathanic lineage in Luke to be Mary's minor line.
- The glorious St. Joseph was lineally descended from the greatest kings of the tribe of Judah, and from the most illustrious of the ancient patriarchs; but his true glory consisted in his humility and virtue. The history of his life hath not been written by men; but his principal actions are recorded by the Holy Ghost himself God entrusted him with the education of his divine Son, manifested in the flesh. In this view he was espoused to the Virgin Mary.
- March 19 was dedicated to Saint Joseph in several Western calendars by the 10th century, and this custom was established in Rome by 1479. Pope St. Pius V extended its use to the entire Roman Rite by his Apostolic Constitution Quo primum (July 14, 1570). Since 1969, Episcopal Conferences may, if they wish, transfer it to a date outside Lent.
links/ sources:
- "St. Joseph" (EWTN):
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4
- "Saint Joseph" (Wikipedia):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph
- "St. Joseph" (Catholic Encyclopedia):
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08504a.htm
- "St Joseph's Day" (Wikipedia):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Joseph%27s_Day
- "St. Joseph, Husband of Mary" (American Catholic):
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1327
- "St. Joseph" (Catholic Online):
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4