Joseph (of Nazareth)

In the Christian tradition

Joseph of Nazareth is the husband of the Virgin Mary, the foster father of Jesus, the just man (Matthew 1:19) who received the angel's message and protected the Holy Family. The Catholic Church celebrates two major Saint Joseph feasts: the Solemnity on March 19 and Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1. He is the patron saint of fathers, workers, and a happy death.

Joseph of Nazareth is one of the most-honored figures in Christian tradition, despite his silence in the gospels (no spoken words are recorded). Catholic tradition holds him as the Universal Patron of the Church (declared by Pope Pius IX in 1870), the patron of fathers, of workers, of a happy death, and of many countries and dioceses. The Solemnity of Saint Joseph on March 19 is a major feast in the Catholic calendar and a public holiday in some Catholic countries; Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1 was added by Pius XII in 1955. Orthodox tradition honors Joseph the Betrothed on the Sunday after Christmas alongside David and James the Lord's brother. The name Joseph has been in continuous Christian use; modern Christian families use it freely and often as one of the principal saint's names for boys.