St. Joseph,
(flourished 1st century CE, Nazareth, Galilee, region of
Palestine; principal feast day March 19, Feast of St. Joseph the Worker
May 1), in the New Testament, Jesus’ earthly father and the Virgin Mary’s
husband. St. Joseph is the patron of the universal church in Roman Catholicism,
and his life is recorded in the Gospels, particularly Matthew and Luke.
Joseph is
the patron saint of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus' public
life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to
leave this earth.
Joseph is
also patron saint of the Universal Church, families, fathers, expectant mothers
(pregnant women), 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. March 19 has been the most commonly celebrated
feast day for Joseph, and it wasn't until 1955 that Pope Pius XII
established the Feast of “St. Joseph the Worker” to be celebrated on May 1.
This is also May Day (International Workers' Day) and believed to reflect
Joseph's status as the patron of workers.
Many places
and churches all over the world are named after St. Joseph, including the
Spanish form, San Jose, which is the most commonly named place in the world.
Joseph is considered by many to also be the patron saint of the New World; of
the countries China, Canada, Korea, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Peru,
Vietnam; of the regions Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol, Sicily; and of several main
cities and dioceses.
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