Topic: Would you tell me how Mary & Joseph became saints?

Date originally posted: March 8, 2002

Source of this posting: Moderator response to emailed question

Moderator who originally posted this source: J. Ruffo

Question:  What is St. Joseph a forgotten Saint?  We pray to Mary with the rosary. But St. Joseph, is responsible for the financial and safe keeping of the Holy Family- yet he gets very little mention or credit in Catholic faith. Why? Wasn't it Saint Joseph who had a dream to take the Holy Family in the middle of the night to escape King Herod's massacre of newborns?  If is weren't for our patron saint of Fathers, history would be different.  Also was Mary actually CANONIZED a saint? Many refer to her as Saint Mary. Just wondered.  Thanks. This is my first time to your site .Jim

Answer:

Dear Jim, 

Thanks for your interest in St. Joseph, patron saint of the Universal Church!  I hope he’s not forgotten, especially by all the people named after him. 

His next feast day is coming up pretty soon: March 19th, when we honor Joseph as the husband of Mary.  We, as a Church, also celebrate Joseph as the patron of workers on May 1st each year.  Most traditional Catholic churches have at least one statue depicting St. Joseph where the faithful can pause and offer a prayer through Joseph’s intercession. 

Yes, Our Blessed Virgin Mother Mary was “canonized” by the Church… since it’s beginnings!  The earliest documents we have giving evidence of an “official” Church canonization date back to the 10th Century, way long after the people of God had venerated Mary as a Saint.  Popular devotion to the saintly Mary dates back to the 3rd Century.  The Council of Ephesus in 431C.E. declared Mary the Mother of God, voicing what the faithful believed since apostolic times. 

So, the Church has more popularly, or devotionally, referred to Mary as: “Our Blessed Mother”, or “The Virgin Mary”, or the “Mother of God”, and many other special titles, although she is still “St. Mary” as well. 

I hope this is helpful to you, Jim.  Come back to www.CatholicQandA.org again! 

Father John