St. Joseph's Day

St. Joseph's Day is, in Western Christianity, the principal feast of St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Why is it important?

St. Joseph's Day has the rank of a solemnity in the Catholic Church. It is a feast or commemoration in the provinces of the Anglican Communion, and a feast or festival in the Lutheran Church. Saint Joseph's Day is the Patronal Feast day for Poland as well as for Canada, persons named Joseph, Josephine, etc., for religious institutes, schools and parishes bearing his name, and for carpenters. It is also Father's Day in some Catholic countries, mainly Spain, Portugal, and Italy. It is not a holy day of obligation for Catholics in the United States.

Who was St. Joseph?

Saint Joseph as Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church, the latter title having been given to him by Pope Pius IX.

Originally celebrated on the third Sunday after Easter with an octave, after Divino Afflatu of Saint Pius X (see Reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X), it was moved to the preceding Wednesday (because Wednesday was the day of the week specifically dedicated to St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist and local patrons).

The feast was also retitled The Solemnity of Saint Joseph. This celebration and its accompanying octave were abolished during the modernization and simplification of rubrics under Pope Pius XII in 1955.

May 1st or March 19th?

At the same time, Pope Pius XII established an additional Feast of "St. Joseph the Worker", to be celebrated on 1 May, in order to coincide with the celebration of International Workers' Day (May Day) in many countries. Until this time, 1 May had been the Feast of the Apostles Saint Philip and James, but that Feast was then moved to the next free day, 11 May (and again to 3 May, in 1969, having become free in the meantime).

In the new calendar published in 1969, the Feast of Saint Joseph The Worker, which at one time occupied the highest possible rank in the Church calendar, was reduced to an optional Memorial, the lowest rank for a saint's day.

The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Saint Joseph on the Sunday after Christmas.

When is St. Joseph's Day?

Saint Joseph's Day, 19th March, has been the Feast of St. Joseph in Western Christianity since the tenth century. In Colombia, St. Joseph's Day is celebrated on the Monday closest to 19th March. In Spain, this is a regional holiday celebrated in Castilla-La Mancha, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla, Murcia and Valenciana only. In Switzerland, this is a regional holiday celebrated in Graubünden, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri and Valais only.



San Giuseppe, i.e. Father's Day in Italy

St. Joseph is the patron saint of fathers and in some catholic countries, notably Italy, Portugal and Spain, Fathers' Day is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day.

In Sicily, where Saint Joseph is regarded by many as their patron saint, and in many Italian-American communities, thanks are given to Saint Joseph (San Giuseppe in Italian). Giving food to the needy is a Saint Joseph's Day custom. In some communities it is traditional to wear red clothing and eat a Neapolitan pastry known as a zeppola (created in 1840 by Don Pasquale Pinatauro in Napoli) on Saint Joseph's Day. Maccu di San Giuseppe is a traditional Sicilian dish that consists of various ingredients and maccu that is prepared on this day. Maccu is a foodstuff and soup that dates to ancient times which is prepared with fava beans as a primary ingredient.

One prominent custom is the Saint Joseph's day altar, which has spread from Sicily to the United States in the 1800s. These altars are typically elaborate; being decorated with figurines, medals, and votive candles. The Saint Joseph's day altar is into three sections representing the three persons of the Trinity, and has a statue of Joseph at its head. The tables are dressed with food, which are donated to the poor on the solemnity. Upon a typical Saint Joseph's Day altar, people place flowers, limes, candles, wine, fava beans, specially prepared cakes, breads, and cookies (as well as other meatless dishes), and zeppole. Foods are traditionally served containing bread crumbs to represent saw dust since Joseph was a carpenter. Because the feast occurs during Lent, traditionally no meat was allowed on the celebration table. The altar usually has three tiers, to represent the Trinity.

Some villages like Avola used to burn wood and logs in squares on the day before Saint Joseph, as thanksgiving to the Saint. In Belmonte Mezzagno this is currently still performed every year, while people ritually shout invocations to the Saint in local Sicilian language. This is called "A Vampa di San Giuseppe" (the Saint Joseph's bonfire).

Customs

March 19 always falls during Lent, a season traditionally marked by fast and abstinence. Saint Joseph's day, however, is a solemnity and per the 1983 Code of Canon Law overrides Friday obligations in the Catholic Church. Previously, per the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the obligation of fasting and abstinence was not dispensed on St. Joseph's Day even where it was kept as a Holy Day of Obligation: "On [Sundays] or feasts of precept, the law of abstinence or of abstinence and fast or of fast only ceases, except during Lent, nor is the vigil anticipated; likewise it ceases on Holy [Saturday] afternoon" (1917 Code, Canon 1252 § 4).

Did you know?

If the feast day falls on a Sunday other than Palm Sunday, it is observed on the next available day, usually Monday, 20 March, unless another solemnity (e.g., a church's patronal saint) falls on that day. Since 2008, if Saint Joseph's Day falls during Holy Week, it is moved to the closest possible day before 19 March, usually the Saturday before Holy Week. This change was announced by the Congregation for Divine Worship in Notitiae in order to avoid occurrences of the feasts of Saint Joseph and the Annunciation both being moved to just after the Easter octave.

St. Joseph in New Orleans

In New Orleans, Louisiana, which was a major port of entry for Sicilian immigrants during the late 19th century, the Feast of Saint Joseph is a citywide event. Both public and private Saint Joseph's altars are traditionally built, especially in and around the Lake Vista neighborhood. The altars are usually open to any visitor who wishes to pay homage. The food is generally distributed to charity after the altar is dismantled. Saint Joseph's altars can be found in churches and public spaces throughout southeast Louisiana during this season.

There are also parades in honor of Saint Joseph and the Italian population of New Orleans which are similar to the many marching clubs and truck parades of Mardi Gras and Saint Patrick's Day. Tradition in New Orleans also holds that by burying a small statue of Saint Joseph upside down in the front yard of a house, that house will sell more promptly. In addition to the above traditions, some groups of Mardi Gras Indians stage their last procession of the season on the Sunday nearest to Saint Joseph's Day otherwise known as "Super Sunday," after which their costumes are dismantled