St. Joseph, husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus, has been honored with two feast days, March 19 and May 1. The latter was established in 1955 by Pope Pius XII, to coincide with International Workers Day, and to refute the “erroneous principles” that “the Church is allied with capitalism against the workers.” Pius continued:
Yes, beloved workers; the Pope and the Church can not escape the divine mission of guiding, protecting and loving above all the suffering, the dearer, the more in need of defense and help, be they workers or other children of the people,” “In order for this meaning to be present … we are actually establishing the liturgical feast of St. Giuseppe craftsman, assigning to it precisely the day 1 May. … We are sure that yes, because the humble craftsman of Nazareth not only impersonates the dignity of the arm worker with God and the Holy Church, but it is also always the provident guardian of you and your families.
“Humanity is like God not only in thinking and loving, but also in creating,” according to the Josephites, a religious community of Catholic priests and brothers committed to serving the African American community. “Whether we make a table or a cathedral, we are called to bear fruit with our hands and mind, ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ. In addition to this, there is a special dignity and value to the work of caring for the family.”
The bronze Joseph statue pictured here is available exclusively through Mazzolini Artcraft. It stands a little more than five feet tall and weighs 400-500 pounds. Holy Family Church in Hilton Head, S.C., installed one of these statues as part of a shrine of the Holy Family.
For more information about this or any other statue, contact John Mazzolini at 888-437-4499 or [email protected].
