On March 19, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary and patron saint of the Church. We followed the celebrations in Nazareth, homeland of this saint.
Hundreds of pilgrims and local Christians celebrated the feast of St. Joseph in Nazareth, at the exact place that used to be his home.
Local Christian woman
"It is a blessing to live in Nazareth and to be able to participate in the celebration of the feast of St. Joseph that is held here. He is the patron of all fathers and the guardian of the Holy Family. He was a silent man of faith. Even in moments of crisis, he did not abandon Our Lady to herself and he was a good father to Jesus.”
Local Christian man
"St. Joseph was the father and the teacher of the Holy Family and the guide who protected them on their journeys to Bethlehem and also when they fled from Israel to Egypt. Today, many of us came to church to honor him and to learn with him how to teach our children about faith, righteousness, goodness and generosity.”
The day was marked by the traditional solemn entrance of the Custos of the Holy Land, Br. Francesco Patton, into the Church of the Annunciation.
Br. Francesco then celebrated mass in St. Joseph Church, which was built on the ruins of the saint's house.
In his homily, he invited all those present to contemplate what God did in St. Joseph's life and how the saint responded to the Lord's call.
Br. FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
"Saint Joseph teaches us to seek, first of all, the will of God, even though this is different from our plans. He teaches us to have faith: Joseph is a just man, a man who trusts in God. He teaches us how important it is to take action: to him, facts are more important than words.”
The celebration ended with a procession to the grotto (cave) where the archangel Gabriel appeared to Our Lady.
Br. BRUNO VARRIANO, ofm
Guardian Rector-Basilica of the Annunciation-Nazareth
“Joseph raised the son of God. Here, Jesus grew in age, wisdom and grace. It is with Joseph, therefore, that He learned human gentleness, human manners, human respect and charity: Jesus learned all this from Joseph.”
