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 The Year of Saint Joseph Scott 1764 (2021) March 19 marks the feast day of Saint Joseph. The year 2021 was declared the Year of Saint Joseph by Pope Francis, and the souvenir sheet above was issued to commemorate the Year. Little is known about Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and foster father of Jesus. He is cited in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke and is said to have descended from the House of David. He is described as a carpenter and considered to be older than Mary. Historian David Farmer provides information on the growth of devotion to St. Joseph. A Greek cult of St. Joseph developed in the 5th century. A Feast of St. Joseph is recorded prior to 1100 in England. Some medieval saints promoted devotion to Joseph. Fifteenth-century breviaries cite St. Joseph and he was included in the 1505 Roman missal. St. Teresa of Avila dedicated her reformed Carmelite convents to St. Joseph and promoted devotion in her writings as did St. Ignatius of Loyola. Pope Gregory XV made his feast a holy day of obligation and, in 1870, Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church. Saint Joseph is a patron of fathers, of families, of manual workers such as carpenters, and of those who desire a holy death. Many churches, hospitals, and schools are dedicated to St. Joseph. Some statues of Joseph show him with his tools of the trade and describe him as Saint Joseph the Worker. There are few portraits of St. Joseph appearing alone as he is commonly shown with Mary and Jesus. In his role as foster father of Jesus, he is depicted on many Vatican City stamps, including Christmas stamps of the nativity scene, as shown below.  Christmas: Nativity by Murillo Scott 1019 (1996) REFERENCES: |
