The feast day of Saint Joseph the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be celebrated on Monday, March 20, this year instead of the traditional March 19 in deference to the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) which will be observed on March 19. Special masses will be celebrated in several diocesan shrine and parish churches around the country placed under the patronage of St. Joseph. At the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph in Las Pinas City, a fiesta mass will be celebrated in his honor on Monday, March 20, at 6 p.m. The mass will be preceded by the praying of the holy rosary. Novena masses that will be preceded by the praying of the holy rosary will be offered from March 11 to 19 at 6 p.m. On Sunday, March 19, a solemn procession will follow the ninth novena mass. St. Joseph is the beloved patron saint of the Universal Church, fathers, workers, and the dying. Considered as the second greatest saint after the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph was a skilled carpenter by profession. He was a model husband to Mary. As the foster father of Jesus, he taught Him basic carpentry skills and “made Jesus aware of the dignity of labor.” Under his guidance, “Jesus grew in wisdom and grace.” The Holy Father Pope Francis was inaugurated as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church at the Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy on March 19, 2013. The Pontiff is also known to keep an image of a sleeping St. Joseph on top of his work desk at the Vatican. In recognition of his important role in the lives of the faithful, the Catholic Church observed Dec. 8, 2020 until Dec. 8, 2021 as the Year of St. Joseph. St. Joseph was a descendant of David, the greatest king of Israel who, according to St. Matthew was “a righteous, compassionate, and caring man. He was a man of faith and was very subservient to God.” St. Joseph’s other feast day is on May 1 as St. Joseph the Worker, which coincides with the observance of Labor Day. RELATED TAGS: #ST JOSEPH   #MARCH 20   #SPOUSE OF THE VIRGIN MARY