The common date given for the feast of the Solemnity of St. Joseph is March 19th. Why this specific date was chosen is not entirely known, but some traditions claim that it is the date of St. Joseph’s death. Quite interestingly, there used to be a second feast day of St. Joseph on the calendar. This feast was created by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1870 and originally fell on the Third Sunday of Eastertide, celebrating St. Joseph under the title of Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church. The feast was then moved by Pope St. Pius X in 1910 to the preceding Wednesday. The reason for this is that Wednesday is the traditional day associated with St. Joseph, just as Saturdays are devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This year the feast would have fallen on Wednesday, April 16th, and originally it was celebrated with an octave, meaning that it was celebrated for eight days. The feast was removed from the universal calendar in 1955 during simplifications to many rubrics, and thus it doesn’t appear in the Editio Typica or current edition of the Roman Missal in either the ordinary or extraordinary form of the Mass.
Although the second feast no longer exists, it is still of great importance to renew and deepen our devotion to St. Joseph, the most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We should allow the example of St. Joseph to help us grow in all of the Christian virtues that we ought to exemplify in this Easter season.
One way of doing this is to reflect on the different titles given to the earthly father of Our Lord. For one, he is titled as Mary’s ‘most chaste spouse.’ In this world of great sin when it comes to chastity, Joseph is our example and model of what we ought to do, sacrificing our own desires for the work of God.
St. Joseph is also called the ‘Light of the Patriarchs,’ as he is the descendant of King David, and all of the holy ancestors of Christ flow from Adam through Joseph to Our Lord as his adoptive father.
As the foster father and defender of Our Lord Jesus Christ, St. Joseph is given the title ‘terror of demons.’ The war we fight here on this earth is spiritual and as Christians, we are always under attack by the evil spirit. St. Joseph, through his patience, his chastity, and his charity, was undoubtedly extraordinarily strong against the plots of the devil and his angels. Having been so close to Our Lord when he walked the earth, Joseph is someone whom the demons fear and his intercessions are incredibly powerful for this reason.
Lastly, St. Joseph is given the title of ‘Patron of the Universal Church’ under which his Eastertide feast day became known. This title was given to Joseph by Blessed Pope Pius IX on the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, in 1870. This title invites all Christians apart of the church militant to pray to St. Joseph in his role as our shared patron. Under his protection and through his great intercession we hope to find peace from sin and a firm humility and service to God. Although at the time of this publication, the Solemnity has now passed, we are still in the great octave of St. Joseph. Therefore, we should all use this opportunity and gift of the church to make a devotion to St. Joseph, our great patron whom we all seek to emulate in humility, poverty, chastity, servitude, and love for Our Lord and Our Lady. In this spirit, Ite ad Joseph!
Born and Raised to Jewish parents in New York City, Kai Breskin is a recent convert to the Catholic Faith. A member of the Boston College class of 2026, he is studying Political Science, Philosophy, and History. His intellectual passions include Christian theology, history, and liturgical study. His hobbies include sailing, playing the piano, and singing, with a specific focus in Gregorian Chant.
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