Collection: St. Joseph and Son

ARTIST: Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS

ARTWORK NARRATIVE:

Prayer to Saint Joseph Be mindful of us, O blessed Joseph, and intercede for us with thy foster-Son by the pleading of thy prayer: do thou, in like manner, render the blessed Virgin Mary thy Spouse, gracious onto us, for she is the Mother of Him, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen.
His feast day is March 19.

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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.

 

After an angel told Mary that she would be the Mother of God, Saint Joseph wondered what to do. An angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to worry, that the child was the Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was to be her husband and protect the child as He grew. Joseph decided to trust the angel and God. He married Mary and took her into his home.

 

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the angel appeared to Joseph again, warning him that the Child was in danger. Joseph followed the advice of the angel, later on took Mary to Bethlehem for the census. They could not find a place to spend the night except for a stable, this is the place where Jesus was born.

 

After Joseph and Mary presented Jesus in the temple, an angel advised Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and her child to be protected from the hatred of Herod. They came back when Herod was dead and at then when Jesus was twelve years old, they lost Jesus for three days but they found him in the temple. Jesus said to Mary and Joseph: "Don't you know that I must be in my Father's house?"

 

As he was the head of the humble home in Nazareth and guardian of the Holy Family, so Saint Joseph is the protector of the Church on earth. He is also patron of a holy or happy death because he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth. Saint Joseph is also invoked for finding a good husband.

 

Saint Joseph has two special Feast Days, one for his royalty on March 19, and one for his humility as a workman on May 1. His genealogy is the first one given in the New Testament. It was told of the Israelites in the Old Testament “Go to Joseph" if they wanted any favor or benefit. “Go to Joseph" is the advice and counsel given to every Catholic who wants a favor or benefit and who believes in the sanctity of the Holy Family and in its simple and innocent hierarchy. Anything that Saint Joseph asks of Jesus through Our Lady in eternity, he receives, and asking for his powerful intercession has been a source of many miracles and strengthened the faith of countless millions to Our Savior. He is still considered the head of the Holy Family and one of his greatest admirers among the saints was Saint Teresa of Avila.

 

Prayer to Saint Joseph

 

Be mindful of us, O blessed Joseph, and intercede for us with thy foster-Son by the pleading of thy prayer: do thou, in like manner, render the blessed Virgin Mary thy Spouse, gracious onto us, for she is the Mother of Him, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen.