From parishioner Dick Pottorf: Found on the internet:
St. Joseph The Worker
1. Patron of a multitude
Joseph is the patron saint of many things, including the universal Church, fathers, the dying, social justice, unborn children, travelers, immigrants, a happy death, families, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travelers, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general.
2. Pius XII Established the Feast Day
In 1955, Pius XII established the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker, explaining that “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work.”
3. He is patron of the Universal Church
In 1870, Pius IX declared St. Joesph patron of the Universal Church.
From parishioner Keith Charles: Found on the internet:
For me, St. Joseph, as an important figure of our faith, and in the life of Jesus, and Mary. Amazingly, Scripture records nothing that he ever said. His actions speak louder than words.
From parishioner Frank Kaleta: Found on the internet:
Joseph is the patron saint of many things, including the universal Church, fathers, the dying, social justice, unborn children, travelers, immigrants, a happy death, families, expectant mothers, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers and working people in general. Info from the internet site called EpicPew.
Devotion for Saint Joseph goes back to at least the 9th century when he was commonly referred to as "nutritor Domini" meaning guardian of the Lord!
In 1870 Pius IX declared St Joseph patron of the Universal Church.
From parishioner Anna DuShole: In a booklet from Catholic Digest, I found this helpful perspective on Saint Joseph as Patron of Workers:
In answer to the question "why work?", we are likely to say it's to provide for the well-being of ourselves and our families. Plus, there's a deeper purpose - to participate in the Divine Plan for the human race. The example of Saint Joseph shows us the difference between work and vocation. His efforts were not drudgery because he embraced the tasks given. It can help us turn our tasks into prayers: framing how we feel about work, how we do it and even the meaning of the work itself.
"St. Joseph, you show us by your life that all work is sacred when we remember our importance in God's plan. Please ask Our Lord for us, for the grace to recognize the value of what we do."
From parishioner Ginny Vereb: These facts were found in the book "From To Know Christ Jesus" by Frank Sheed. Page 67. "A Carpenter and His Wife":
Like all the poor in Galilee, Joseph would have lived in a small house. He probably plied his trade in a corner of it. We get some notion of what a carpenter did from the Jewish records. From the Mishnah, a codification of Jewish law complied a couple of centuries after Joseph's time, we get a list of the things a carpenter made then, and we can take it as giving a fair notion of how Joseph spent his days.
One of a carpenter's jobs was to square off beams to support the roofs and terraces of houses. He made doors and doorframes and frames for the windows. He made the wooden ploughs the farmers used, on-handled ploughs-when Scripture speaks of putting one's hand to the plough, it is being literally accurate. He made winnowing forks, harrows, harnesses for the plough-animals' wear and goads for their stimulation; he made beds, bins, wooden chests, chairs, and tables for those who could afford these extras, kneading-troughs, deed boxes-all the normal daily things, in whose making wood was used, were for Joseph to make.
A small boy would be watching him as he made them, would soon be helping him, would at last be a carpenter himself.
From parishioner Roberta Buckel: Year St. Joseph Fact Finding. These facts were found in a book "Give us this Day" from the Litany of St. Joseph:
St. Joseph was:
1. Renowned offspring of David.
2. Spouse of the Mother of God.
3. Foster father of the Son of God.
4. Mirror of patience.
5. Lover of poverty.
6. Model of artisans.
7. Patron of the dying.
8. Protector of the Holy Church.
9. Listener not speaker.
10. Provider and protector.
11. Carpenter, poor working man.
12. Enduring man of faith
From staff member and parishioner Irene Lucas: From Matthew 1:16.:
Jacob is the name of the father of Saint Joseph. We don't know his mother's name.