In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church. It was on the 150th anniversary of that proclamation when Pope Francis declared the Year of […]
“Each of us can discover in Joseph—the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence—an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds […]
In his apostolic letter “With a Father’s Heart,” Pope Francis reminds us that Joseph was “creatively courageous.” We don’t often think of courage as being creative. Too often we think […]
Part of the iconography that we use to identify pictures of saints are the symbols that are often portrayed with their images. Those symbols help us understand that the image […]
When Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem after Passover, we are told his parents found him “in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking […]
When modern readers read the account of the Finding of Jesus in the Temple in Luke 2:41–52, most tend to think, “How could responsible parents lose their kid like that? […]
One of the most important things we are told about Joseph was that he was a “just man.” That didn’t mean he was honest only in his business dealings; it […]
After Mary, Joseph, and Jesus returned to Israel from Egypt, they integrated back into their ordinary society. We literally know nothing about what they are doing at the time, but […]
As is so often the case in Joseph’s life, he gets supernatural instruction when a decision must be made. After an indefinite period of time in Egypt, he was instructed […]
