The month of March is dedicated to St. Joseph.The entire month falls during the liturgical season of Lent which is represented by the liturgical color purple — a symbol of penance, mortification and the sorrow of a contrite heart. During the month of March, three prominent ideas are proposed for our contemplation by the liturgy of Lent: the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, baptism, and penance.
The Solemnity of St. Joseph is a special landmark this month in which we will celebrate the great honor bestowed upon the foster father of Jesus.
“St. Joseph was chosen among all men, to be the protector and guardian of the Virgin Mother of God; the defender and foster-father of the Infant-God, and the only co-operator upon earth, the one confidant of the secret of God in the work of the redemption of mankind.” -- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
In the Western Church, the feast of St. Joseph wasn’t fixed until the 15th century. According to some traditions, March 19 was the day of Joseph’s death, though there is little evidence to support it, because it is unclear when Joseph died.
By 1621 Pope Gregory XV extended a feast of St. Joseph to the entire Church, and it was elevated even more when Pope Pius IX declared Joseph the “Patron of the Universal Church” in 1870. For many decades March 19 was a holy day of obligation on par with other major feasts in the Catholic Church.
Since March 19 falls during Lent, and is a solemnity, it offers a rare respite from the rigors of Lent.
The feast of St. Joseph has acquired a variety of local traditions over the years, such as the St. Joseph's Table, as well as a novena that precedes this special feast.
While March has many other feasts and special celebrations, the feast of St. Joseph stands-out as one of the primary highlights of this month.
Saint Joseph, even though he doesn’t speak a word in Sacred Scripture, has been deeply loved by Christians since the very beginning of the Church. It did not take long for St. Joseph, on account of his role as the protector of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus, to become known as the principal patron of the Universal Church and by extension a quiet protector of all Christ's faithful.
In particular, Italians have had a special love of St. Joseph, because a famous miracle led the people of Sicily to begin a tradition known as the Tavola di San Giuseppe (Table of St. Joseph).
According to legend, when a great famine struck the land of Sicily the villagers immediately prayed to their beloved St. Joseph for protection and relief. They prayed fervently and pledged that if the rain returned they would hold a special feast to honor God and St. Joseph. Miraculously the rain started to fall and when the fall harvest came, the people of Sicily prepared a wonderful feast in thanksgiving.
The great feast in honor of St. Joseph then became an annual tradition and was typically celebrated on March 19. Typically the feast would be held in thanksgiving for a particular intention, remembering how God had blessed a family or city during the past year.
Wealthy families would often invite the poor, homeless and sick to take part in the festivities and excess food would be distributed to those in need. Traditions vary by region and city, but generally all activities for the feast center on a table that is covered in different types of food that hold symbolic value.
Read more: The Powerful 30 Day Prayer to St. Joseph
