I was asked by Maristella of the Communications Team in Rome to write an article on St Joseph, whose feast day is marked with great devotion throughout the Catholic Church on 19th March.
First of all I wondered how I could possibly have enough information on St Joseph to write an article, and then I was then amazed in my reflections and recommended reading, by the amount of information and insight that came to mind.
Firstly, the two main themes which came flooding back from my childhood were our family’s devotion to St Joseph as Protector of the home and Patron of a happy death.
Praying to St. Joseph as Protector of the Home, we as a family, way back at the beginning of the 1960s benefitted greatly from a swift answer to a novena recommended to my Mum to be able to buy a much needed, better conditioned home near to parents’ work and schools. In those days, because of discrimination towards Catholic families in the North of Ireland, it was difficult to procure a suitable house. Mother was not deterred by this and we as a family began a Novena to St Joseph on 10th March that year. Our prayers were answered in a surprising and generous way before the end of our Novena and we were very grateful to St Joseph.
All of us in the Catholic world and Holy Family Association are very well informed that Joseph was the spouse of Mary and foster-father of Jesus, and was of the royal line of King David. He protected the Holy Family when they had to flee from Herod and find safety in Egypt. He worked to provide for Mary and the Christ-child, teaching the boy Jesus the trade and skills of carpentry. He is often depicted as an older man, as he was evidently not alive when Jesus began his public ministry with his first miracle at Cana in Galilee. (Saints and Patrons by Joanna Bogle) Catholic Truth Society. In another CTS book ‘Saints of the Roman Calender by Fr Nicholas Schofield it says for the Solemnity of St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 19th March: ‘Not a single word of his is recorded in Sacred Scripture and yet St Joseph is one of the greatest and most popular saints, largely because of his humility and his closeness to Our Lord. He died before the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and, since he probably died in the presence of Jesus and Mary, is venerated as the patron of a good death. Blessed Pius IX named him patron of the universal church and Blessed John XXXIII added his name to the Roman Canon.
Christopher O’Donnell, O. Carm. in a Lecture on SAINT JOSEPH: A Saint for our Time gives some insight into the relevance and role of St Joseph through the ages. I will quote some of his insights as follows: “The image of Saint Joseph in the Church has changed from one age to another. This need not surprise us, as the figure of Blessed Mary has likewise been differently perceived in different centuries. Theologies reflect their times, and devotional patterns arise and are fashioned by the historical and cultural situations of diverse epochs.” In the Scriptures: “Joseph was a common name in both Old and New Testaments. However, Joseph, the husband of Mary, is named only fifteen times in the gospels. In John’s gospel Jesus is called the son of Joseph by those unaware of the mysteries of Jesus’ origins (John 1:45; 6:42). The other references are all found in the infancy gospels of Luke and Matthew. The concerns of these evangelists are quite different. It may be said that Luke tells the story of Jesus’ origins from the perspective of Mary, whilst Matthew sees it from Joseph’s point of view. They have some important points in common: the virginal conception of Jesus; the birth at Bethlehem; Jesus’ membership of the house of David through Joseph; the Nazareth home of the Holy Family.”
Over the centuries devotion to St Joseph varied and many of the Saints and Founders of Religious Orders had great devotion to him.
“A new era for the Church opened when Leo XIII became pope. In 1889 he wrote an encyclical on St Joseph (Quamquam pluries) in which he invited Catholics to prayer to Joseph along with Mary in the needs and concerns of the Church. He proposed Joseph as a model for fathers, husbands, virgins, the wealthy and the nobility, and above all of the poor as well as workers in general. He stressed St Joseph’s commitment to manual work. This encyclical also had the idea of consecrating the month of March to St Joseph”
In the 20th Century Pope John Paul II proposed St Joseph as ‘Guardian of the Redeemer: On the Person and Mission of St Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church’.
From a Liturgical perspective the texts of the Masses for the feasts of St Joseph before Vatican II stressed the powerful intercession of the saint. They called him the spouse of the Mother of the Son. After Vatican II, the revised preface of the Mass on the feasts of St Joseph reads: ‘Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks as we honour St Joseph. He is that just man that wise and loyal servant, whom you placed at the head of your family. With a husband’s love he cherished Mary, the virgin Mother of God. With fatherly care he watched over Jesus Christ your Son, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. ‘
It is also important to remember that John XXIII inserted the name of St Joseph into the Roman Canon (now the First Eucharist Prayer) before the names of the apostles.
In our modern liturgy we see the main themes of devotion highlighted: Joseph is husband of Mary, Guardian of Holy Family, foster father of Jesus and model of the Church which relies on his intercession.
“By far the most important teaching on St Joseph to date is the apostolic exhortation of John Paul II (Redemptoris custos (RC). The occasion was the centenary of the first encyclical on St Joseph by Leo XIII (Quamquam pluries 1889). The apostolic exhortation takes up many of the points traditionally made in writings about St Joseph, in the liturgy and in previous teachings. He repeats the papal teachings for the last one hundred years to the effect that Joseph is the greatest of the saints after Mary, but not of course her equal (RC 4,7)” (Christopher O’Donnell, O. Carm.).
While we have received many affirmations of the importance of St. Joseph from the Papacy we also have a lovely opportunity to reflect on St Joseph, the person of character, trusting in and obedient to God when the angel spoke to him in a dream. Referring to the PILGRIMAGE OF THE HOLY FAMILY (Updated in accordance with the spirit of the Venerable Pierre Bienvenu Noailles by The Spirituality Team of Britain and Ireland in 2012), we see particular references to St Joseph in the Second Station: St Joseph’s doubt and how,” after the angel appeared to him in a dream, he got up, and did what the angel prescribed and took his wife to himself. (Mt 1:18-24).” This station is worth reflecting on for the feast of St Joseph as are the Third, Sixth, Seventh and Twelfth Station. Having singled out these particular Stations for the feast of St Joseph, I am in no way undermining the other Stations in the Pilgrimage of the Holy Family.
Finally, let us remember each other in prayer, through the intercession of St Joseph as we celebrate his Feast on 19th March. May we be inspired by St Joseph in all our decisions and difficulties in life and may we always be aware of his protection.
Anne Connolly,
President of the Lay Associates, Britain.