Feast day: 19 March
Saint Joseph
Sanctus Ioseph
The just man chosen to be the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus, a silent model of faith, obedience and hidden labour.
Also celebrated as Saint Joseph the Worker on 1 May.
- Born
- 1st century BC, of the house of David
- Died
- 1st century, traditionally at Nazareth before Christ's public ministry
- Canonization
- Honoured as a saint from antiquity; declared Patron of the Universal Church by Blessed Pius IX in 1870.
- Country
- Holy Land (Israel/Palestine)
Biography
A just man of David's line
The Gospels of Matthew and Luke present Joseph as a descendant of King David and a tekton — a craftsman in wood and stone — living in Nazareth of Galilee. Matthew calls him 'a righteous man' (Matthew 1:19), a description that in Scripture means faithful observance of God's law joined to mercy.
Guardian of the Holy Family
Betrothed to Mary, Joseph discovered her pregnancy and resolved to dismiss her quietly until an angel revealed in a dream that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He took Mary into his home, named the child Jesus, presented him in the Temple, led the flight into Egypt to escape Herod, and returned to Nazareth. The last Gospel scene in which he appears is the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple.
Devotion and legacy
Devotion to Joseph spread widely from the late Middle Ages, promoted by Saint Bernardine of Siena and Saint Teresa of Ávila. Pius IX proclaimed him Patron of the Universal Church in 1870, Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955, and Pope Francis dedicated the Year of Saint Joseph in 2020–2021 with the letter Patris corde.
Timeline
- ~1st c. BC — Born of the house of David
- ~c. 4 BC — Birth of Jesus at Bethlehem; flight into Egypt
- ~c. AD 8 — Finding of Jesus in the Temple
- 1870 — Declared Patron of the Universal Church
- 1955 — Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker instituted
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Lily — Purity and his chaste guardianship of Mary.
Carpenter's tools — The dignity of manual labour offered to God.
Flowering staff — An ancient tradition of his being chosen as Mary's spouse.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Silence, obedience to God's word, chastity, courage and diligent work. Joseph teaches that holiness is lived in ordinary duties faithfully fulfilled.
Importance in the Church
As head of the Holy Family Joseph protected the Incarnate Word in infancy and gave Jesus his legal descent from David. The Church invokes him as protector, and his name is included in all the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite since 2013.
Quotes
“Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.”
Matthew 1:19
Prayers
Prayer to Saint Joseph (Leo XIII, Quamquam pluries)
To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also. Defend us from every enemy, and be with us in our final struggle. Amen.
Prescribed by Pope Leo XIII in the encyclical Quamquam pluries, 1889.
Places
Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth — Built over the traditional home of the Holy Family.
Saint Joseph's Oratory, Montreal — The largest shrine dedicated to Saint Joseph, founded by Saint André Bessette.
Scripture
Matthew 1:18–25 — The angel's message and Joseph's obedience.
Luke 2:1–52 — Bethlehem, the Presentation and the finding in the Temple.
Related saints
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)