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Feast of St. Joseph

by Anthony Parente

Related Articles
St. Joseph Symbols
St. Joseph's Altar
Viva St. Joseph

March 19 is a very special day for Italians because it marks the Feast of St. Joseph. In addition to the feast it is also considered to be Father's Day in Italy. What makes this feast day so special? Why is it important to the many Italians throughout the world?

Let's start by looking at some of the things we know about St. Joseph:

Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Adoptive father of Jesus Christ
Patron Saint of carpenters, Canada, house hunters, dying, laborers, fathers, families, Peru, and social justice
He was a carpenter
He most likely passed away before Jesus.

In addition, we know that Joseph was not Italian. In fact he was Judean. If he is not Italian then why is he so important to the people of Italy? As we all know Italians are extremely religious people. A big part of their beliefs involves praying to various saints to help them in their time of need. It was a prayer to St. Joseph that was answered that made March 19 a special day to Italians. In the middle ages there was a drought in Sicily. The people of Sicily turned to St. Joseph and asked him to stop the drought. If he would do so the people of Sicily would have a giant feast in honor of him saving them from the drought. St. Joseph answered their prayers and the people of Sicily kept their word. They prepared a giant feast in which everyone was invited including the poor. It is this kindness that continues today. This is how March 19 became such a special day to the Italians. St. Joseph is a patron saint to many and he is recognized by having two feast days: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the worker. Below is related links to the feast of St. Joseph and to his life.

Life and Feast of St. Joseph

St. Joseph from Catholic Encyclopedia
St. Joseph from Catholic Online
St. Joseph's Table and Altars
Virtual St. Joseph Altar

Prayers to St. Joseph

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