Joseph, Saint

Joseph, Saint, husband of the Virgin Mary, a carpenter, a descendant of the house of David. He was apparently dead at the time of the Passion, for his last appearance in the Gospels is at the finding of the 12-year-old Jesus in the temple (Luke 2.42–50). As the foster father of Jesus and the chaste spouse of Mary, St. Joseph is highly honored by Orthodox and Roman Catholics. The latter regard him as patron of the Church. Feast: Mar. 19; another feast, the Solemnity of St. Joseph: third Wednesday after Easter.

---

Joseph, Saint

(flourished 1st century AD, Nazareth, Galilee region of Palestine; principle feast day March 19; Feast of St. Joseph the Worker May 1) In the New Testament, the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. Descended from the house of David, he was a carpenter in Nazareth. Betrothed to Mary when he found her already pregnant, an angel appeared to him in a vision and told him the expected child was the son of God. He and Mary journeyed to Bethlehem to be counted in the Roman census, and while they were there the child was born. The last mention of Joseph occurs in the Gospel of Luke, when he and Mary take the 12-year-old Jesus to Jerusalem.