Saint Joseph's Day
Saint Joseph's Day is marked in some branches of Christianity in honor of Saint Joseph (read below)spouse of Mary, the mother of Jesus and foster-father of Jesus of Nazareth.
| Who Was Joseph? Saint Joseph, also referred to as Joseph the Betrothed and as Joseph of Nazareth, was the foster-father of Jesus, according to the New Testament (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23). Not much is known of Joseph except that he was "of the House of David" and lived in the town of Nazareth. His date of death is unknown, though he was still living when Jesus was 12 years old. He is the patron saint of workers and has several feast days He was betrothed to Mary at the time that Mary conceived Jesus. Luke says that he lived at Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4); however, according to Matthew, it was only after the return from Egypt that he settled in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). He is called a "just man." He was by trade a carpenter (Matthew 13:55). He is last mentioned in connection with the journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that Joseph died before Jesus entered on his public ministry because only Mary was present at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, and he is not described at the at the crucifixion along with Mary (John 19:25). In addition Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus, a duty that would have fallen to Saint Joseph had he been alive. Jesus is described as being the brother of James, Joses, Jude, and Simon, and several sisters (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55). A tradition at least as early as the second century, still adopted by Eastern Orthodoxy, explains that these "brothers and sisters" were from Joseph's marriage to an unnamed woman, before Joseph married Mary and so making them step-brothers and step-sisters. Roman Catholicism has a tradition that these were cousins of Jesus, and that Joseph was celibate. That Jesus commended Mary to the care of John the Evangelist while he was hanging on the cross has been interpreted to also suggest that Joseph had died by that time, and that Joseph and Mary did not have any other children who might care for Mary. In many icons of the Nativity, Joseph is shown being tempted by the Devil (depicted as an old man with furled wings) to break off his betrothal, and resisting that temptation. Also in the imagery of the Christian church, statues of Joseph depict his staff topped with flowers, recalling the Protevangelion's account of how Mary's spouse was chosen. Among the collected walking sticks of widowers in Israel, Joseph was distinguished when his staff burst into flower. Joseph is the patron saint of various things and places. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him the patron of the Universal Church on December 8, 1870. Joseph is the patron against doubt and hesitation, as well as the patron saint of fighting communism, and of a happy death. Joseph is the patron saint of the Americas and the New World; of the countries China, Canada, Korea, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Bohemia, Croatia, Peru, Vietnam; of the regions Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol, Sicily; of the cities and/or dioceses of Florence, Turin, Baton Rouge, Buffalo, Cheyenne, Louisville, Nashville, San Jose, Sioux Falls, etc. Christians also believe he protects families, fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travelers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers and working people in general. To invoke Saint Joseph's selling effects, bury a small graven image of the saint inverted near the 'For Sale' sign. During the burial ceremony, recite a short heartfelt prayer requesting Joseph's intercession to sell your house. An example prayer would be:
The practice is very common in Italy. Once the house is sold, Joseph is "rewarded" by being dug up, set aright and set in a place of honor in the family's new home. The principal feast day of Saint Joseph is March 19, Saint Joseph's Day. Among Biblical saints, the veneration of Saint Joseph came very late to the Catholic Church. Pope Pius IX declared him patron of the universal Church, and Pope John XXIII added his name to the Mass canon. Some groups of Traditional Catholics reject this addition, but most use the 1962 missal, which includes this change.
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It is a feast day in Roman Catholicism, falling on 19 March.
In the Orthodox Church the Feast of Saint Joseph falls on the Sunday after Christmas.
The 11th and 12th of the Divine Praises of the Roman Catholic Church are as follows: "Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse".
Saint Bernardino of Siena was the main proponent of Joseph's veneration in the west, where his feast day was first celebrated in 1621.
Pope Pius IX declared Joseph to be the patron of the Universal Church in 1870, and promoted the "Patronage" (later Solemnity) feast of Saint Joseph on the third Wednesday after Easter.
However, as Joseph was a carpenter (or a builder), he is also the patron saint of workers. Pope Pius XII decided in 1955 to add the optional feast day of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1st, intentionally coinciding with the international labor day, the May Day.
St. Joseph's day is also the name day for many Josephs, Josephines, etc.
Catholic traditions of St. Joseph's Day, 19 March
In Spain, the day is a version of Father's Day. In some parts of Spain it is celebrated as Falles
In Sicily and many Italian American communities thanks are given to St. Joseph ("San Giuseppe" in Italian) for preventing a famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages. The fava bean was the crop which saved the population from starvation, and is a traditional part of St. Joseph's Day altars and traditions. Giving food to the needy is a St. Joseph's Day custom.
Saint Joseph's Day always falls during Lent, and St. Joseph's Day altars and feasts have no meat. However, since the feast day is classed as a solemnity, the requirement of abstinence from meat is technically abrogated, according to Canon Law, even if it falls on a Friday. If the feast day falls on a Sunday, the previous Saturday (March 18) is observed instead, and if it falls during Holy Week or Easter week, it is moved to the Monday after Low Sunday, or eight days after Easter (prior to 1970 the Tuesday after Low Sunday was used as the alternate date).
In New Orleans, Louisiana, in addition to the above traditions, some groups of Mardi Gras Indians stage their last procession of the season, after which their costumes will be dismantled.
At Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, California, a festival celebrates the return of migratory swallows.
In The Philippines, many families keep a tradition handed down from generations where they select an old man, a young woman and a small boy from among the poor, each dressed up as St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus respectively. They are then made to sit around a table set with the family's best silverware and china where they are served a variety of courses and literally spoon-fed by senior members of the family as the novena to St. Joseph is being recited in a nearby temporary altar.