Saint Joseph - Church of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village & The Catholic Center at NYU

Church of St. Joseph
in Greenwich Village
& the Catholic Center at NYU

A Ministry of the Dominican Friars...
serving New York University, Cooper Union,
New School, Pace University,
and Greenwich Village
Catholic communities

Saint Joseph

About Our Parish > About our Patron Saint

There is so little we know of St. Joseph. What we do know is that he was the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. He was a blue-collar worker, a carpenter by trade. He was descended from the house of David. He was, as Scripture tells us, a 'righteous' or 'just' man.

For centuries, the Church has honored him as a patron of fathers, of workers, and of many countries, including Russia, Mexico, Vietnam, and China.

Special veneration of St. Joseph probably arose first in the East as early as the fifth or sixth century. In England, his feast was observed by 1100 but it was not until 1479 that St. Joseph was introduced into the Roman Calendar. In 1962, Pope John XXIII added Joseph to the list of saints in the First Eucharistic Prayer. The Feast of St. Joseph is celebrated on March 19th