In the Catholic Church, the month of March is devoted to St. Joseph. St. Joseph, the foster father of Our Lord, is mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew (1:16,18-20,24; 2:13,19), Luke (1:27; 2:4,16; 3:23,24; 4:22) and John (1:45; 6:42).  He was a just man (Matthew 1:19), a man of humble obedience and strength.

St. Joseph is regarded as the patron saint of workers and is associated with various feast days. In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared him to be both the patron and the protector of the Catholic Church. St. Joseph is also the patron of the sick and of a happy death, due to the belief that he died peacefully in the presence of Jesus and Mary. The two major feast days are the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19, and the memorial of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st.

St. Joseph is also regarded as a model for fathers and husbands, and he is our model of what it truly means to live the vocation of marriage. How can you honor St. Joseph this month? If you’re married, you can pray for your husband or wife daily. If you have children, you can pray for your children. Those who are not married can pray for their parents. Finally, all the faithful are called to pray so that our culture would understand and accept the value of marriage as a sacrament.