Feast of Saint Joseph: Happy Father's Day

St. Joseph and the Infant Jesus (by Reni)

Although a majority of nations celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June, a number of others (such as Italy, Spain and Portugal) celebrate it on March 19^th.   And why not?  March 19^th is also the Feast Day of Saint Joseph, which honors the “earthly father” of Jesus Christ.

Deacon Dana of Being Is Good states that Saint Joseph is “the perfect model for fathers today.”  He goes on to list Joseph’s many attributes:  his obedience to God, his protectiveness of the Child and His Mother, his humility, his willingness to endure hardships, his patience and his perseverance.  Deacon Dana then suggests that fathers accept Saint Joseph as their model - and that single

mothers “turn to him, asking for fatherly intercession in the lives of their children.”

Wikipedia reports that Joseph is “venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran faiths.”  Joseph is considered to be the patron saint of the Catholic Church, as well as of workers.  He is said to pray “especially for families,

fathers, expectant mothers…  travelers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers…”

Joseph is called San Giuseppe in Sicily, where his Feast Day is celebrated with gusto.  Legend has it that San Giuseppe prevented a medieval famine by sending rain to water the Sicilian fava bean crops.  To this day, the fava bean looms large in Saint Joseph’s Day traditions there.  Other Sicilian ways of celebrating this Feast Day include the wearing of red clothing and the eating of sweets.

Saint Joseph’s Feast Day is also honored by Italian communities within the United States (e.g., within New York City, Chicago, and Kansas City).  New Orleans, which once was “a major port of entry for Sicilian immigrants,” celebrates Saint Joseph with citywide altars and parades.

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father's_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph

http://beingisgood.blogspot.com/2010/06/happy-fathers-day-st-joseph.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph's_Day

Copyright March 19, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved