Roman Catholics will celebrate the feast of Saint Joseph, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tuesday, March 19.
Commemorative masses will be offered in several churches placed under the patronage of the revered saint in different parts of the country on Tuesday.
At the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph (Baras Church) in Baras, Rizal, Diocese of Antipolo Bishop Ruperto C. Santos will lead the concelebrated fiesta mass at 5 p.m. it will be followed by a solemn procession at 7 p.m.
This year marks the 338th parish fiesta. A holy mass will also be celebrated at 7 a.m. and a caracol at 9 a.m.
On March 20, Wednesday, a thanksgiving mass will be offered at 6 p.m. to be followed by a solemn procession in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 7 p.m.
Other activities include a procession of the relic of St. Joseph, a Lenten recollection, a mass confirmation and a San Jose procession.
Incidentally, the Baras Church is known as the oldest parish dedicated to St. Joseph in the Southern Tagalog Region. It is where the miraculous, centuries old image of San Jose de Baras is enshrined.
St. Joseph is the beloved patron saint of the Universal Church, fathers, workers, and the dying.
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.
The year 2020 to 2021 was declared as the Year of Saint Joseph in recognition of his important role in the lives of the faithful.
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.”
St. Joseph was a descendant of David, the greatest king of Israel.
St. Matthew described St. Joseph as “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.