Happy Solemnity of St. Joseph: Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

One often wonders whether given the scarcity or rather silence of Joseph in the Sacred Scriptures, there is something new to be learnt. And there is just a lot to be learnt about Joseph. Every year, it seems like a good practice to seek to learn something new about St. Joseph. It was groundbreaking in 2021 when Fr Donald Calloway's book: Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father became very popular and helped take away the “fog” around St. Joseph. Even more was Pope Francis' declaration of the Year of St. Joseph and Francis' Apostolic letter Patris Corde- “With a Father's Heart” written to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church Even though the “cult of Joseph” continues to grow,  the ignorance about this great saint needs to be eradicated. In 2025, I have learnt three new things about St. Joseph. 

First, the initiative to start a Society of St Joseph, which initiative you can read about on https://www.ncregister.com/features/st-joseph-society-pronechen

which is a kind of school on St. Joseph is not just cool but long overdue. The Josephology School International dedicated last October 2024 seeks to not only fill the gap but also deepen knowledge of and devotion to St. Joseph. Like Pronechen explains, this follows the logic that given we have  Theology - the Logos and Theos - Knowledge of God, Mariology - Knowledge of Mary so too should we have Josephology - knowledge of St. Joseph. This new society is hosting its first symposium on Thursday March 20, 2025. Consider enrolling and becoming a member. Find out more on josephologysociety.com https://josephologysociety.com/symposium The theme for the symposium is: “Joseph: Beacon of Hope for the Pilgrim Church.”

Second, I have known that Pope Francis had a special devotion to St. Joseph. There is a prayer he has prayed every Wednesday in honor of St. Joseph for over 40 years. I love that prayer and have dedicated Wednesdays to St. Joseph. As this Solemnity falls on a Wednesday, it seems only appropriate that we pray to St. Joseph, first  for Pope Francis who thankfully is recovering in the hospital and for all men, especially husbands, that we may have the heart of St. Joseph to be guardians of our spouses. Guard their physical, emotional and spiritual health. I learnt recently that Pope Francis has a particular devotion to the sleeping St. Joseph. Mary Farrow recounts that when Pope Francis visited the Philippines in 2015, he talked about his devotion to St. Joseph, sleeping. Pope Francis stated that on his table he has an image of St. Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, St. Joseph is taking care of the Church. And so each time he has a problem, a difficulty, he writes a little note and puts it underneath St. Joseph, so that he can dream about it. In other words, the Pope says, I tell him: Pray for this problem.  On this Solemnity of St. Joseph, it seems apropos to follow the example of Pope Francis and write little notes for St. Joseph.

Third, from the Mill Hill Missionaries, who have a special dedication to St. Joseph, learnt about the significance of St.Joseph and his offering of two turtle doves

. https://millhillmissionaries.com/novena/

There is an image or picture of St. Joseph carrying these two turtledoves. In St. Luke’s Gospel we read that Joseph and Mary offered a pair of turtledoves as a sacrifice when their son, Jesus, was presented in the Temple in Jerusalem. A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons, were only allowed to be offered by those who were too poor to afford a more costly sheep to sacrifice. These turtledoves carry a deep symbolism and this image of Joseph with two turtledoves or pigeons have deep significance for our devotion to St. Joseph. 

First, turtledoves are also symbols of love and faithfulness, since they mate for life and work together to build nests and care for their young.
They are a sign of a covenant, a partnership, a sign of solidarity and loyalty. Turtledoves symbolise Joseph’s love and faithfulness to his wife, Mary. He took her as his wife and cared for her until his death. Together with her, Joseph entered into a covenant with God to raise and nurture God’s Son, Jesus, and thus play his own crucial role in God’s plan for salvation, fulfilling God’s promise in the Old Testament and bringing it to fruition in the New.

With this image of St. Joseph holding two turtledoves, we find a representation of his guardianship as husband and father. In our contemporary culture, only the rich can afford these turtledoves which they rent and release on their wedding day. It is a sign of their bond. St. Joseph the guardian helps husbands to guard and protect their marriage. In my mind, it is an image of St. Joseph holding married couples in the hollow of his hands. Every family should have this image of St. Joseph with the two turtledoves among their arsenal of religious paraphernalia. 

Secondly, “the two turtledoves offered in the Temple by Joseph and Mary at Jesus’ presentation, represented the offering of the poor. They were a sign of Joseph’s experience of and identification with poverty.” St. Joseph is invoked as “lover of poverty.” This image helps us appreciate this title in the Litany. 

“The wooing call of the turtledove heralds the end of winter and the he beginning of spring. Similarly, the Feast of St. Joseph, occurring as it does just two days before the spring equinox, marks the threshold of regeneration, rebirth, of life springing anew.” This Solemnity often falls during the season of Lent. We can journey through Lent with St. Joseph and through his intercession there is rebirth. 

May St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for us all.