Foster father of Jesus, husband of the Virgin Mary, patron of the universal Catholic Church.
Saint Joseph appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. Matthew traces his lineage to King David (Matthew 1:1-17), establishing Jesus' Davidic claim. Joseph is described as a 'righteous man' (dikaios — Matthew 1:19) who, learning of Mary's pregnancy before they came together, planned to divorce her quietly to spare her shame — until an angel appeared in a dream and revealed that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph obeyed without recorded objection, took Mary as his wife, and named the child Jesus when he was born. The Gospels record at least four moments when Joseph receives divine direction through dreams: the announcement of Mary's conception, the warning to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13), the call to return from Egypt (Matthew 2:19-20), and the redirection to Galilee (Matthew 2:22). Joseph is described as a tekton (Matthew 13:55), usually translated 'carpenter' but more accurately 'craftsman' — someone who worked wood, stone, or both. Jesus would have learned this trade from Joseph. After Jesus' visit to the temple at age 12 (Luke 2:41-52), Joseph disappears from the Gospel record — leading to the traditional inference that he died before Jesus' public ministry began. The Catholic and Orthodox traditions venerate him as patron of the universal church, declared so by Pope Pius IX in 1870. His feast day, March 19, is one of the major Marian-Joseph feasts of the year. A second feast — Joseph the Worker — was instituted by Pope Pius XII on May 1, 1955, to provide a Christian alternative to the secular May Day.
Catholic tradition attributes many miracles to Joseph's intercession over the centuries. The most famous categories: assistance in selling homes (the popular folk practice of burying a small Joseph statue in the yard, asking his intercession for a buyer); assistance for fathers (especially fathers in crisis or hard work); protection in death (Joseph is the patron of 'a happy death' — having died with Mary and Jesus at his bedside, according to tradition); guidance through dreams (echoing the four dreams in Matthew); and intercession for workers and craftsmen.
O blessed Saint Joseph, faithful guardian of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, protector of thy chaste spouse, the virgin Mother of God, I choose thee this day to be my special patron and advocate, and I firmly resolve to honor thee all the days of my life. Therefore I humbly beseech thee to receive me as thy client, to instruct me in every doubt, to comfort me in every affliction, to obtain for me and for all, the knowledge and love of the Heart of Jesus, and finally to defend and protect me at the hour of my death. Amen.
Remember, O most pure spouse of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, my beloved patron, that never has it been heard that anyone invoked your patronage and sought your aid without being comforted. Inspired with this confidence, I come to you and fervently commend myself to you. Despise not my petition, dear foster-father of our Redeemer, but accept it graciously. Amen.
Saint Joseph is the husband of the Virgin Mary and foster father of Jesus Christ. The Gospels describe him as a 'righteous man' from the lineage of King David, a craftsman by trade, and the recipient of divine direction through four recorded dreams. He is patron of the universal Catholic Church, of fathers, workers, and a happy death.
Saint Joseph has two feast days. The primary feast is March 19 (Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary) — a Holy Day of Obligation in many countries. A second feast — Saint Joseph the Worker — is May 1, instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to provide a Christian alternative to May Day. Some Eastern traditions observe his feast on the Sunday after Christmas.
Saint Joseph is patron of the universal Catholic Church (declared by Pope Pius IX in 1870), of fathers, of workers (especially craftsmen and laborers), of a happy death (because tradition holds he died with Mary and Jesus at his bedside), of house sellers (from the folk practice of burying a Joseph statue in the yard while seeking a buyer), and of real estate transactions generally.
This folk practice — burying a small statue of Saint Joseph upside down in the yard or near a 'For Sale' sign while praying for his intercession — has no official church endorsement but has been widespread among American Catholics since the mid-20th century. The custom comes from older European devotional practices. It is not magical; it is meant as an act of trust and intercession, asking Joseph — patron of homes and a guardian of the Holy Family's earthly dwelling — to help in finding a buyer.