Journeying with Saint Joseph

My relationship with Saint Joseph, one might say, started at birth! You see, I was born in a town named San Jose in the province of Nueva Ecija.

San Jose was the Nazareth of my growing up years. It was in the parish church of St. Joseph in San Jose where I was baptized, learned my catechism, received my first communion, and served at masses as an altar boy. Saint Joseph has been a constant companion since then.

Saint Joseph accompanied me during the years of my formal education. I went to San Jose Elementary School and later to Saint Joseph School for high school. During these years, however, Saint Joseph stayed in the background and was not a strong influence in my life. But my own father was. He was my Saint Joseph at this stage of my life. He was a righteous, quiet, and unassuming man, almost always in the background and one who hardly spoke a word. But he was a powerful influence to us his children, nonetheless, as he went about doing his job as a father who worked hard to provide for his family and instilled values on us his children by his example. Just like Saint Joseph.

Saint Joseph loomed larger in my horizon when at age 16 I left home and went to the seminary after I graduated from high school. My education continued at a Jesuit-run seminary in Quezon City named, believe it or not, San Jose Seminary, although I was training to be a missionary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. At San Jose Seminary where I completed my Philosophy and Theology studies, my Jesuit teachers and mentors molded me with Saint Joseph, the ultimate formator of the young Jesus, as their inspiration.

It was not surprising then that later as husband and father, I would always go to Saint Joseph for guidance. Whatever success I have today as a husband and father I must say is due to my devotion to Saint Joseph. He has never failed me to this day.

It was truly a pleasant surprise for me, therefore, when a huge beautiful painting of Saint Joseph greeted me one morning when I went to our parish church for mass some weeks ago. The painting depicts him with an angel appearing in his dream and telling him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife – a scene described by Matthew in his gospel (Mt. 1:18-25). The painting was done by the same artist who created the parish church’s official Our Lady of the Annunciation image that is now enshrined at the left side-altar of the church. Saint Joseph takes his place of honor at the right side-altar.

The similarity of rendition between the two images and the intention of placing them parallel to each other are easily noticeable. The two icons depict the two annunciations by God’s angels heralding the birth of Jesus the Redeemer.

This new icon of Saint Joseph will be solemnly blessed on Thursday, March 19, his feastday and interestingly just five days before the parish church’s big day of the Annunciation of Our Lady on March 25. This icon of Saint Joseph in the church of the Annunciation is being offered to the faithful as Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary and patron saint of husbands and, if I may add, the patron saint of fathers too.

Now that I have become a grandfather and Saint Joseph is near to me once again, I realize that my journey with him has come full circle. And when death comes knocking for me, I pray it will be a peaceful one like St. Joseph’s own death -- with Jesus his son and Mary his wife being around to accompany me to my final resting place at the end of my journeying with Saint Joseph.