c. 389-461
Feast Date: March 17

The patron of Ireland, this bishop was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped at 16 by Irish raiders and sold into slavery in Ireland. He was a lonely shepherd for six years before escaping and returning home. But his dream of converting the Irish pagans propelled him to priestly studies in Gaul (now France), and about 432 Pope Celestine I consecrated him bishop and sent him to Ireland. For nearly 30 years he preached tirelessly, made countless converts, founded monasteries and established the primatial see at Armagh. Toward the end of his life he made a 40-day retreat in Mayo that gave rise to the famous ongoing Croagh Patrick pilgrimages. Stories of him using the shamrock to explain the Trinity and driving snakes from the island are legend.

(From Catholic News Service)

The reasons the church continues to honor the Apostle of Ireland more than 1,500 years after his death shine forth in the film “I Am Patrick” (CBN), a docudrama screening in theaters for two nights only, March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day — and March 18.

Written and directed by Jarrod Anderson, the profile — subtitled “The Patron Saint of Ireland” — seeks to debunk many of the myths and legends that have grown up around its subject over the centuries. The goal is to capture who Patrick really was as a man and a follower of Christ.

Read more of Sister Hosea Rupprecht review here.

March 17 and 18, 2020 (Showtimes both days are at 6:30 p.m.)

Gates: Cinemark Tinseltown
Henrietta: Regal Henrietta Cinema 18
Horseheads: Regal Arnot Mall 10
Ithaca: Regal Ithaca Mall 14
Victor: Regal Eastview Mall 13
Webster: AMC Webster 12

First Century

Feast Date: March 19

Husband of Mary, mother of Jesus, and the legal father of Jesus according to Jewish law, Joseph is a model of humility and obedience to God’s will. He followed God’s instructions, given by angels in dreams, and took the pregnant Mary into his home as his wife. He protected her and Jesus from the time of the child’s birth in Bethlehem through the family’s sojourn in Egypt, and provided for them as a carpenter in Nazareth. His feast, which was celebrated as early as the ninth century, became a feast of the universal church in the 16th century. Pope Pius IX named Joseph patron of the universal church in 1870. He also is the patron saint of carpenters, the dying and of workers.

In the midst of the Lenten season, the church commemorates the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19. The day is sometimes overshadowed by the nearby memorial of St. Patrick on March 17. But as patron saint of the universal church, the unborn, fathers, laborers, travelers, immigrants and a happy death, St. Joseph is worthy of notice in recognition of his role in the Holy Family, as husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Read more of Deacon John Brasley’s 2016 blog here. 

St. John the Evangelist Church in Spencerport celebrates St. Joseph’s Day with a St. Joseph’s Day Table that featured a variety of meatless Italian dishes. Click here to see photos from their 2019 St. Joseph’s Day Table.