St. Patrick and St. Joseph
St. Patrick, bishop of Ireland
St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped at the age of 16 by pirates and taken to Ireland as a slave. After six years, he escaped, returned to Britain and became a priest.
He was consecrated as a bishop and sent back to Ireland by Pope Celestine I. For nearly 30 years, he preached tirelessly, made countless converts, founded monasteries and established the primatial see at Armagh.
St. Patrick is the patron saint of the country of Ireland and the Archdiocese of New York.
St. Patrick’s feast day is March 17.
The Striking Strings Hammered Dulcimer Ensemble performed a St. Patrick’s Day concert of traditional Irish music at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse in Pittsford March 17, 2019. The performance raised more than $1,300 for the Annunciation House of El Paso, Texas, which provides hospitality to migrants and refugees coming across the border with Mexico.
St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Joseph was a skilled craftsman and descendant of King David. He was also the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus, and the legal father of Jesus according to Jewish law.
Joseph 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 he provided for them as a carpenter in Nazareth.
Pope Pius IX named Joseph patron of the universal church in 1870. He is the patron saint of workers, carpenters and the dying.
St. Joseph’s feast day is March 19.
Year of St. Joseph
Pope Francis proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph” that began on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in 2020 and will extend to the same feast in 2021.
In honor of the Year of St. Joseph, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has composed a novena to St. Joseph to be prayed daily from March 10-18, 2021, the nine days that precede the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19. This is the video for the third day of the novena, March 12. For a downloadable brochure for the novena, click here. For a Spanish version, click here.
Other saints celebrated during Lent this year
Information complied from Catholic News Service.
St. Katharine Drexel
(1858-1955)
When her wealthy father and stepmother died, Katharine inherited a substantial fortune. She joined the Sisters of Mercy with the intention of founding her own order, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, to work among African and Native Americans. She used her inheritance to establish schools and missions throughout the South and on reservations.
Her feast day is March 3. She was the second American to be canonized as a saint and the first one born a U.S. citizen. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2011.
St. Casimir
(1458-1484)
Born in Krakow, Casimir was the son of Casimir IV, king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, and Elizabeth of Austria. As the prince of Poland, Casimir refused to fight against other Christian nations or to marry. He instead chose a life of celibacy and asceticism. He was involved in government affairs and was renowned for his sense of justice and his care for the poor. He died of tuberculosis and was buried in Lithuania.
His feast day is March 4. He is the patron saint of Poland and Lithuania.
St. Frances of Rome
(1384-1440)
Francis was married at age 13 and had six children.
The death of two of her children made her sensitive to the needs of the less fortunate. She took care of the poor, the sick and the needy. Other women soon joined her in a life of prayer and caring for others as Benedictine oblates. When her husband died, Frances founded a monastery for oblates and remained its superior until her death.
She was canonized in 1608. Her feast day is March 9. She is the patron saint of widows, Benedictine oblates and automobile drivers.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
(315-387)
Cyril became a biblical scholar, a cleric in the Church of Jerusalem and eventually bishop of Jerusalem. He was embroiled in the political and doctrinal controversies following the Nicene Council and defending the Nicene Creed against the Arians. His 24 surviving homilies summarize the beliefs and theological traditions of the Jerusalem.
In 1883, Cyril was declared a doctor of the church by Pope Leo XIII. His feast day is March 18.
Theology on Tapas
What is Theology on Tapas? Check out this short video and consider joining us on March 18 at 7 p.m.
The final evening of the Catholic Courier and the Diocese of Rochester’s Lenten Theology on Tapas series is Thursday March 18, 2021.
We will be cooking up sawdust spaghetti, a recipe inspired by St. Joseph, and beer breadsticks, a recipe inspired by St. Patrick.
Young adults are invited to register to participate by Zoom.
Everyone can watch the livestream at youtube.com/catholiccourier.