Solemnity of St Joseph

While technically March 19th is St. Joseph’s Day, because it landed on a Sunday this year the solemnity was moved to Monday in the USA. No matter what day the feast of St Joe is celebrated on, it is an impotent feast in our family.

My wife’s family is Italian, and St Joseph is culturally an important saint. For me it is more personal, Joseph is my middle name. I have prayed to St Joseph for longer than I can remember. He is the patron Saint of unborn children, fathers, families, immigrants, workers, travelers and a happy death. That pretty much covers my whole life cycle. He is also the patron of the Catholic Church which has been an important part of my identity.

I have prayed to him for guidance in employment, for the protection of my unborn children, and protection of my family. He is the model of the man I want to be. A just man, and a good father. I plan on teaching our children our children the skills they will need for their lives.

Today is the day we will wear red (even if most of the people who wore green for St Patrick’s Day will miss the reference). We will eat delicious bread, and say a special prayer to St Joseph as a family. My daughter will play with her St Joseph Doll (confession; maybe 50% of that gift was that I wanted to play with it too) and we will come up with a special game like we always do. I think most importantly, it is a day to pray as a family and for our family.