St. Joseph: the supposed father of Jesus

St. Joseph is a very beloved figure venerated by Christians and with affection and incomparable devotion. In his being considered the supposed father of Jesus and faithful and respectful husband of the Virgin Mary, has ended up becoming the father of the whole Church, of which is in fact the Patron, and the symbol of all the fathers in the world.

His decision to serve God by submitting himself entirely, made him an ideal caretaker of the Family, not just the Holy Family composed by him, Mary and baby Jesus, but all families in every place and every time.

St. Joseph is also patron of workers in general, particularly of carpenters and joiners, given his profession in life. To him we turn the prayers and hopes of those who come to fight with death.

A fair man, given by God to the Virgin as a husband, not only as a companion in life, but as a witness to his virtues, guardian and protector of his immense mystery.

St. Joseph is the object of great veneration starting from the sixteenth century. It was especially the Jesuits to contribute to the flourishing of his cult.

Figurative art represents St. Joseph as an old, bearded man. He often wears work clothes, or at least nothing that points to a noble and solemn role, but rather to his humility and dignity. St. Joseph statues are countless. In them, St. Joseph often brings with him a flowering rod, symbol of the choice made by God to him as the husband of Mary. Other St. Joseph’s attributes are his wanderer stick, the working tools and the lily, symbol of purity of the Virgin.

In Italy, the cult of St. Joseph statues goes hand in hand with that of the Holy Family statues, mostly from the Baroque period onwards.

There are statues of St. Joseph of all sizes and materials, from wood to fiberglass, suitable for any context and devotion. They are often beautiful works of artisanship, carved and painted by hand, enriched with precious decorations and gold leaf to make them even more valuable. In addition, statues of St. Joseph of lesser material value can be priceless objects for prayer and comfort at all times.