Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Joseph was a descendant of King David who lived in Nazareth and worked as a carpenter or builder. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us that he was betrothed to Mary, and when he learned she was expecting a child, he resolved to separate from her quietly, until an angel told him in a dream that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph obeyed at once, took Mary into his home and gave the child the name Jesus.

He led his family to Bethlehem, protected them on the flight into Egypt, brought them back to Nazareth and searched anxiously for the boy Jesus in the Temple. The Gospels record no words of his, only his faithful actions. He likely died before Jesus began his public ministry, traditionally in the arms of Jesus and Mary, which is why he is invoked for a holy death. Blessed Pius IX declared him Patron of the Universal Church in 1870, and Pope Francis dedicated a Year of Saint Joseph in 2020–2021.

Sicilian and Italian-American families set up Saint Joseph's Tables, altars laden with breads, fava beans, citrus and pastries like zeppole and sfinci, shared with the poor in memory of a medieval famine ended through his prayers; New Orleans keeps the custom too. In Valencia, Spain, the Fallas festival climaxes on the night of March 19 with the burning of giant figures, honoring Joseph as patron of carpenters. Spain, Italy and Portugal celebrate Father's Day on this date, and San José, Costa Rica's capital, honors its patron with Masses and fairs.