St Patrick's RC Church
Pentrebane Street, Grangetown, Cardiff
CF11 7LJ
St Joseph
St. Joseph has two feast days on the liturgical calendar. The first is March 19— Joseph, the Husband of Mary and the second is May 1— Joseph, the Worker.
“Saint Joseph is a man of great spirit. He is great in faith, not because he speaks his own words, but above all because he listens to the words of the Living God. He listens in silence.
And his heart ceaselessly perseveres in the readiness to accept the Truth contained in the word
of the Living God,” Pope John Paul II
There is very little known about the life of Joseph in scripture only that he was the husband of Mary, the foster father of Jesus, a carpenter and a man who was not wealthy. We also know that
he came from the royal lineage of King David. We can see from his actions in scripture that Joseph was a compassionate man, and obedient to the will of God. He also loved Mary and Jesus and wanted to protect and provide for them.
Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus' public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph had probably died before Jesus entered public ministry.
In our Church there are two stained-glass windows which feature St Joseph. The first shows Joseph the carpenter, and the second shows the death of Joseph. We also have a statue of St Joseph carrying the Infant Jesus.
He almost seems to be the forgotten person in the Christmas story, yet it was Joseph who took on the role of protector to Mary, and then the young child Jesus. It was Joseph to whom the angel appeared and told him to escape from King Herod’s soldiers, and it was Joseph whose skills as a carpenter provided all that was needed in Jesus’ early life. He ensured their safety when travelling from Bethlehem to Egypt and then back to Nazareth and he worried like any father with a missing child, searching unceasingly until Jesus was found in the temple.
St Joseph is the patron of many things, including the universal Church, fathers, the dying and social justice.