"Saint Joseph: the Extraordinary Witness to the Holiness of the Ordinary"

By Sr. Cecelia Cavanaugh, S.S.J., Ph.D. The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia

In the Motherhouse chapel of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia, a large stained-glass window commemorates Pope Pius IX’s naming Saint Joseph as the patron of the universal Church in 1870. Joseph is center stage, overshadowed by the Trinity and Mary, surrounded by angels and persons of every walk of life representing the Communion of Saints in glory and on earth. Pope Pius points to Joseph, making it official. I love this window, not for its majesty and celestial flair but for the crowd of so many “on the ground,” the universal Body of Christ of which Joseph is patron and protector. Given what we know of Joseph, we would find him among the workers and laborers in the gathering.

Joseph, who never speaks a word, about whom we read so little in the Scripture, has been a mystery to many. Scholars and preachers have sought to fill in the gaps, with resultant insight and pious myths. I have come to treasure the fact that we do not know much about Joseph. I believe that the “book his days were writing,” to borrow from Dag Hammarskjold1, is read in the life of Jesus. We learn about Joseph from the words, actions, values and choices of the Son he helped to raise. I am always moved by Jesus’ attention to and apparent familiarity with so many aspects of life. Nature, building, cooking, planting, animals all figure into his parables. His easy relating with others, his broad range of interests and, it appears, his knowledge, can be attributed to his upbringing and in part, to Joseph.2

Scripture scholars have noted that the profession of carpenter attributed to Joseph is more accurately “tekton,” a craftsman or builder, versatile beyond the working of wood.3 Given the economic context in which Joseph and Mary lived and raised Jesus, it makes sense that he had to be able to work varied kinds of jobs to provide for his family. Working as a general laborer probably put Joseph into contact with many people in diverse settings. Perhaps it also made him even less of a standout. He would not have been the carpenter of Nazareth, but rather one of many laboring at different jobs in and out of the village.

This resonates with the history and manner of proceeding of my Congregation since 1650. “Our name, Sisters of Saint Joseph, reminds us to serve others by our lives with the same care and concern with which Joseph served Jesus and Mary.” 4 This service was not through a particular ministry. While other Congregations worked only in nursing or in education, for example, we were “to practice all the spiritual and corporal works of mercy of which woman is capable and which will most benefit the souls of our dear neighbor.”5 We might smile today at “of which woman is capable,” but the flexibility inherent in this statement allowed and allows us to serve every dear neighbor, even and especially those whose needs might lie beyond a Sister’s assigned work. Praying with Joseph as tekton, I have come to appreciate even more this connection with him. Rather than understanding our patron as a uniquely focused, “niche” craftsman, limited to wood working, we see him as a multifaceted, multi skilled worker, ready to meet the demands and opportunities of each moment. For more than three centuries, we have engaged in professional work, as educators, health care workers, attorneys – anything of which woman is capable – but our outreach always extends beyond the limits of our profession. Like so many generous lay people, those ministering to one group in our “day job” might volunteer in prison at night or spend Saturdays in a legal clinic or soup kitchen. When a dear neighbor approaches us in a specific context, our commitment to the whole person often leads to meeting other needs – feeding children we meet in school, for example, helping families who come to a clinic to apply for food stamps, etc. This unofficial, “spin off” ministering resembles the activity of Joseph and Jesus as they sought out opportunities in and out of the carpenter’s shop. More significantly, it places them amid many others, often invisible, not noticed or recognized.

Would we have recognized Joseph in a work crew? I suspect he blended in. I like to imagine that he made a difference in the lives of those with whom he interacted. This blending in, being indistinguishable from those with whom we live and work, resonates with the Mission of our Congregation: “The Sister of Saint Joseph moves always toward profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction from whom she does not separate herself.6 Living and working among others, blending in, sharing their circumstances, joys and sorrows – this is our call. In my experience, it is also a great blessing. The dear neighbors whom I have come to know and from whom I do not wish to be distinguished or separated have borne extraordinary witness throughout my religious life to the holiness of the ordinary. Their fidelity to love, to family and to community challenges me to examine how I measure worth, progress, and accomplishment. An exquisite piece of furniture, hand crafted calls attention to the artist. A wall constructed, a field plowed and sown, a well dug – none of these are likely trophies. But the care and love and respect for one’s work invested in their creation and the community created in the process are the hidden legacy of those whose labor makes them a reality.

In Patris Corde, Pope Francis invokes these hidden heroes and workers:

“Our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history. Doctors, nurses, storekeepers and supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caregivers, transport workers, men and women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests, men and women religious, and so very many others. They understood that no one is saved alone.”7

Pope Francis celebrates our patron, our hidden, ordinary, silent foster father: “Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”8 Let us take inspiration and example from Joseph, show his care and concern to every dear neighbor and rejoice in the ordinary, even as we celebrate the extraordinary love and courage with which so many people lead quiet, hidden lives that build the Body of Christ.

  1. Hammarskjold, Dag. Markings, English translation, London: Faber & Faber, 1964.
  2. See Martin, James, SJ. Jesus: A Pilgrimage. NY: HarperCollins, 2014, 89-91.
  3. Fleming, James. The Jewish Background of Jesus. LaGrange, GA: Biblical Resources, 2004; 11.
  4. Constitutions of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, 10.
  5. Primitive Texts, Selections from the Documents of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Philadelphia: Eldon Press, 1981, 10.
  6. Constitutions, 7.
  7. Patris Corde, Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father Francis on the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.
  8. Patris Corde, Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father Francis on the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.