by Theresa CavicchioEach year on May 1st, we peer into the workshop at Nazareth to view the daily life of Saint Joseph the Worker. Added to the liturgical calendar by Pope Pius XII in 1955, this feast calls our attention to the humility and everyday practicality of the manual labor performed by a unique man among men.
by Theresa CavicchioAlthough each year it falls during Lent, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph on March 19th affords us an opportunity to celebrate. We remember the humble man chosen by God to fulfill two extraordinary life roles: husband to Mary, the Mother of God; and foster father to her Son, Jesus Christ. By reason of his exemplary fulfillment of these while here on earth, from heaven Saint Joseph assumes a third role, ongoing and continuing: patron for the faithful seeking his assistance.
Joseph of Nazareth has been a trusted confidant, beloved father figure, and favorite saint to me over a span of many years. Researching his life, I am reassured; I have chosen my mentor well. The same sterling characteristics – faithful, compassionate, humble, hard-working, obedient, strong, protective – reveal themselves over and over again in his story. Those, and countless other positive adjectives, make up the portrait of a righteous man whose life was centered on God and family.
