By Griffin Noumair, ’24:
On January 24, Kellenberg got a statue of Saint Joseph from Monastery Icons. Kellenberg used this statue to rededicate the Latin School under the protection of Saint Joseph. This date also happens to be the anniversary of the death of Brother Joseph C. Fox, whom the Latin School is named after. Saint Joseph was his patron as well. Saint Joseph plays a big part in Marianist tradition. He is the co-patron saint of the Society of Mary along with Saint John and was also Blessed William Chaminade’s confirmation name.
Blessed William Joseph Chaminade was the man who founded the Marianists, and he devoted his entire life to learning about the family of Jesus and teaching others about it. He understood the importance of Saint Joseph and the role he played in Mary’s and Jesus’s life.
Saint Joseph isn’t just important to the Marianist Order, he is important to the entire church, and has the role of patron saint of the Universal Church. He is the perfect role model for a disciple of Jesus, as he was a pious man.
Joseph also is a great role model when it comes to hard work. Even though he was raising the child of God, he was still humble. Saint Joseph still kept his job, supported his family to the best of his ability and raised Jesus as a carpenter. He shows us to continue hard work no matter the circumstances. Though there aren’t many stories of him in the Bible, he clearly valued family and hard work greatly. He played a crucial role in the childhood and life of Jesus. He also supported Mary constantly and without him, Jesus would probably not have grown up to be the man he was. Saint Joseph worked as a carpenter when he was called by God to raise Jesus. Joseph did it, even knowing that he wasn’t Jesus’s biological father.
Saint Joseph was a good father and husband to Jesus and Mary. Joseph isn’t just the father of Jesus, he is the spiritual father of the entire church and protects everyone who is a part of it. His role, even hundreds of years after the Bible, is to guide and protect anyone who is a part of the Catholic family.
The Holy See has proclaimed 2021 as The Year of St. Joseph for the Universal Church. The celebration is for the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph being solemnly declared Patron of the Catholic Church by Pope Pius IX. It ranges from December 8th, 2020 to December 8th, 2021, and was instated by Pope Francis.