Page Title

Text Box: who had, in 1400, composed an Office of the Espousals of Joseph particularly at the Council of Constance (1414), in promoting the public recognition of devotion to St. Joseph. Only under the pontificate of Sixtus IV (1471-84), were the efforts of these holy men rewarded by Roman Calendar (19 March). From that time the devotion acquired greater and greater popularity, the dignity of the feast keeping pace with this steady growth. At first only a festum simplex, it was soon elevated to a double rite by Innocent VIII (1484-92), declared by Gregory XV, in 1621, a festival of obligation, at the instance of the Emperors Ferdinand III and Leopold I and of King Charles II of Spain, and raised to the rank of a double of the second class by Clement XI (1700-21). Further, Benedict XIII, in 1726, inserted the name into the Litany of the Saints. One festival in the year, however, was not deemed enough to satisfy the piety of the people. The feast of the Espousals of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, so strenuously advocated by Gerson, and permitted first by Paul III to the Franciscans, then to other religious orders and individual dioceses, was, in 1725, granted to all countries that solicited it, a proper Office, compiled by the Dominican Pierto Aurato, being assigned, and the day appointed being 23 January. Nor was this all, for the reformed Order of Carmelites, into which St. Teresa had infused her great devotion to the foster-father of Jesus, chose him, in 1621, for their patron, and in 1689, were allowed to celebrate the feast of his Patronage on the third Sunday after Easter. This feast, soon, adopted throughout the Spanish Kingdom, was later on extended to all states and dioceses which asked for the privilege. No devotion, perhaps, has grown so universal, none seems to have appealed so forcibly to the heart of the Christian people, and particularly of the labouring classes, during the nineteenth century, as that of St. Joseph.

Text Box: This wonderful and unprecedented increase of popularity called for a new lustre to be added to devotion to the saint. Accordingly, one of the first acts of the pontificate of Pius IX, himself singularly devoted to St. Joseph, was to extend to the whole Church the feast of the Patronage (1847), and in December, 1870, according to the wishes of the bishops and of all the faithful, he solemnly declared the Holy Patriarch Joseph, patron of the Catholic Church, and enjoined that his feast (19 March) should henceforth be celebrated as a double of the first class (but without octave, on account of Lent). Following the footsteps of their predecessor, Leo XIII and Pius X have shown an equal desire to add their own jewel to the crown of St. Joseph: the former, by permitting on certain days the reading of the votive Office of the saint; and the latter by approving, on 18 March, 1909, a litany in honour of him whose name he had received in baptism. ACCORDING TO TRADITION: (apocryphal literature) According to some traditions, Joseph the Carpenter, spouse of the Blessed Ever Virgin Mary, the Holy Theotokos, was married to Salome before he married the married the Ever Virgin Mary. Before she died he had four sons by his wife Salome: James, Hosea, Simon and Jude (see Luke 6:16, Acts 1:13;) The Holy Apostle Jude, the Brother of the Lord, was one of the Twelve and a kinsman of the Lord according to the flesh. As an Apostle, St Jude preached in Mesopotamia, Arabia and Syria, and met a Martyr's end in Beirut. He is the author of the New Testament Epistle that bears his name. His name ("Judas" in Greek, from "Judah" in Hebrew) means "praise". The Holy Myrrh-bearer Salome, was also by tradition, a daughter of Saint Joseph and his wife Salome. The Holy Myrrh-bearer Salome was the mother of the Apostles James and John, the wife of Zebedee, and the daughter of Joseph the Betrothed, who was a widower when he became betrothed to the Mother of God. She was a disciple of

Text Box: the Lord and one of the Myrrh-bearing women who first brought tidings of the Resurrection to the world. That St. Joseph was elderly: The New Testament Apocrypha speak of Joseph as an elderly man, a widower with adult children, who was quite reluctant to be included among those from among whom a protector for Mary would be chosen. Although the Apocrypha were not included in the canon of Scripture their importance is great and much in evidence in the liturgical texts of some of the great Feasts. However, the Gospels too give evidence for an elderly Joseph. For example he is no longer mentioned after Jesus' trip to the temple as an adolescent. Note also that as Jesus was dying upon the Cross He asked John to look after His mother. That would have been unnecessary - and even insulting to Joseph had he been alive. But as an elderly man he would have reposed well before Jesus' crucifixion at the age of 33. Mary, however, would only have been in her middle age. The New Testament clearly speaks of Jesus' brothers and sisters. Had they been Mary's as well as Joseph's they would have been able to take care of their mother and again, He would not have had to entrust her to John's care. (Life for a woman without a male protector would have been enormously difficult in those days). These brothers and sisters must have been Joseph's children from his previous marriage. As such they would still have been considered Jesus' brothers and sisters. It is not strange, as things usually go with us imperfect (but perfectible) humans, that they would have looked with disapproval upon Jesus and His Mother - who was likely younger than they were. This would especially be the case since Jesus' origins would be the subject of suspicion all His life (and indeed for as long as His story would be told) - for only by faith would people

Go to page