Saint Joseph’s Day: March 19th, a solemnity and the month dedicated to Saint Joseph
By Prof. Dr. Daniel C. Afonso · Updated
Saint Joseph’s Day is March 19th, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the highest feasts on the Church’s calendar, celebrated even in the midst of Lent. The Church also celebrates Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1st, and Catholic piety dedicates the month of March and every Thursday to him.
In summary
- Date: March 19, a Solemnity (the highest level of celebration). In 2027: Friday, March 19th.In 2028: March 19 falls on a Sunday during Lent, so the feast is transferred to Monday, March 20.
- Another feast: Saint Joseph the Worker, on May 1st, established by Pius XII in 1955.
- Devotion: The month of March and the fourth Wednesdays are dedicated to Saint Joseph. In Brazil: March 19th is a state holiday in Ceará, which has Saint Joseph as its patron.
Why is Saint Joseph’s Day March 19th?
The date of March 19 already appears in Western calendars and martyrologies from the Middle Ages and spread with the devotion to Saint Joseph in the 15th and 16th centuries. It does not mark a known fact from Joseph’s life, because the Gospels do not say when he died: it is the date on which the Church chose to honor him.
The feast grew in importance. When Blessed Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the Patron of the Catholic Church on December 8, 1870, by the decree *Quemadmodum Deus*, he also elevated the feast of March 19 to the highest rank in the calendar of that time. Today it is a Solemnity. See Saint Joseph patron of the universal Church.
The full title of the feast, “Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” reveals the focus of the celebration: Joseph as Mary’s husband and Jesus’ guardian. See The betrothal of Mary and Joseph and Is Saint Joseph the father of Jesus?.
When March 19th Falls on a Sunday or During Holy Week
As March 19th always falls during Lent, it sometimes coincides with a Sunday or Holy Week, which take precedence. The liturgical norms provide for this:
- If it falls on a Sunday of Lent: the feast is transferred to the following Monday. This is the case in 2028, when it will be celebrated on Monday, March 20.
- If it falls during Holy Week: the solemnity is anticipated to Saturday before Palm Sunday.
In 2027, the feast of Saint Joseph falls on a Friday, March 19th, and is celebrated on that day.
Saint Joseph the Worker: the May 1st feast
On May 1st, 1955, addressing Italian Christian workers in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, on the same date that the world celebrates Labor Day. In the current calendar, it is a facultative memory. The two dates do not compete: in March, the Church contemplates the person and mission of Joseph in the mystery of the Incarnation; in May, Joseph’s work as a carpenter in Nazareth. See São José operário: o trabalho e a festa de 1.º de maio.
The Month of Saint Joseph and Wednesdays
Catholic piety dedicates Saint Joseph Marchwhich contains its solemnity, and As Wednesdays of each week. They are traditional moments for prayer. Hail of Saint Joseph“as” Prayers to Saint Joseph and to make Dedication to Saint Joseph“Mariology, angelology, demonology, josephology”
Recent popes have given new impetus to this devotion:
- Saint John XXIII placed Saint Joseph’s name in the Roman Canon of the Mass in 1962.Saint John Paul II wrote the exhortation *Redemptoris custos* in 1989. See Redemptoris custos.In 2013, the name of Saint Joseph was also included in the Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV.Pope Francis published the letter *Patris corde* on December 8, 2020, the 150th anniversary of the patronage of Pius IX, and opened a Year of Saint Joseph, running until December 8, 2021. See Patris corde.
How to Live the Feast of Saint Joseph
- Participate in the Mass of the Solemnity. In many parishes and dioceses dedicated to Saint Joseph, there are processions and novenas in the days leading up to it.”Pray the Litanies or the prayer of Pope Leo XIII, ‘To you, Saint Joseph, we turn.'”Trust Saint Joseph with the family, work, and the hour of death, as the Church invokes him as patron for these intentions. See The Transit of Saint Joseph.Read what the Gospels say about him, in the Dreams of Saint Joseph and in Who was Saint Joseph?
To study the theology of Saint Joseph, see Josefology: the theological study of Saint Joseph.
Frequently Asked Questions
Qual é o dia de São José?
19 de março, solenidade de São José, Esposo da Bem-aventurada Virgem Maria. A Igreja também celebra São José Operário em 1.º de maio.
O dia de São José é feriado?
Não é feriado nacional no Brasil. É feriado estadual no Ceará, que tem São José como padroeiro, e feriado municipal em várias cidades que o têm como padroeiro.
Por que o dia de São José é em 19 de março?
É a data em que a tradição do Ocidente passou a honrá-lo desde a Idade Média. Os Evangelhos não dizem quando José morreu, por isso a data não marca um fato da vida dele: é a data escolhida pela Igreja para celebrá-lo.
O que acontece se 19 de março cair num domingo?
Como os domingos da Quaresma têm precedência, a solenidade passa para a segunda-feira seguinte. Em 2028, por exemplo, ela será celebrada em 20 de março. Se o dia cair na Semana Santa, a solenidade é antecipada para o sábado antes do Domingo de Ramos.
Qual é o mês de São José?
O mês de março, que contém a solenidade de 19 de março. As quartas-feiras também são dedicadas a São José pela piedade católica.
Qual é a diferença entre o dia de São José e São José Operário?
Em 19 de março, a Igreja celebra José como esposo de Maria e padroeiro da Igreja universal. Em 1.º de maio, celebra José trabalhador, numa festa instituída por Pio XII em 1955.
References
- GENERAL ROMAN CALENDAR (1969): Feast of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 19); Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker (May 1). Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. Decree “Paternas vices”, May 1st, 2013 (inclusion of Saint Joseph in the Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV).FRANCISCO. Apostolic Letter Patris corde, Dec. 8, 2020.John Paul II. Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris custos, August 15, 1989.PIUS IX. Decree Quemadmodum Deus, Sacred Congregation of Rites, Dec. 8, 1870.PIUS XII. Address to ACLI, May 1st, 1955.
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