March 19: Feast Day of St. Joseph, the patron saint of the entire Church and the Vatican.

Let us devote the city-state of Vatican City to Saint Joseph, who is the guardian of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. May Saint Joseph bless us with strength and courage as we strive to create more room for God in our lives, putting good before evil every time. We ask Saint Joseph to protect and support us in having Grace continue to grow in us from this day forward.

Pope Francis spoke while blessing a new statue of St. Michael the Archangel in Vatican Gardens on July 5th, 2013. The Pope named St. Joseph as the co-Patron with St. Michael of the Vatican City State that day.

Pope Leo XIV, in his Angelus on December 21, 2025 – which was the 4th Sunday of Advent – pointed out that the 4th Sunday of Advent provides an opportunity in the Liturgy to reflect on Saint Joseph as the Universal Church’s Patron. In outlining the Patron’s role, he said: "Here we see him at the moment when he receives his mission from God to be the earthly father of the Son of God through a dream (c.f. Mt 1:18-24). This is one of the most beautiful events in the history of salvation, where both the central character and we ourselves can be seen to display the weakness and failures of being human but also strength, courage and faith in God's will."

The Evangelist Matthew describes Joseph of Nazareth as a "just man" (cf. Mt 1:19) and, according to the Pope, Joseph was a faithful Israelite who observed the Torah and went to the synagogue. In addition, Joseph of Nazareth appears to be a person of deep compassion and a great sense of humanity.

Before the Angel made known to Joseph the secret regarding Mary, he was in a situation that was hard for him to accept or comprehend regarding his fiancée's situation. Instead of choosing the cause of public shame and condemnation, he chose the means of private rejection, demonstrating to everyone the true meaning of his own faithfulness to God and thus the meaning of mercy.

In addition, as referenced in today’s liturgy and in modern-day conceptions of Joseph, we are shown how pious, charitable, merciful, and trusting in the will of God Joseph was when God disclosed to him via a dream His divine plan of salvation, thus revealing to him the unexpected responsibility he had as the husband of the Virgin Mother of the Messiah, as evidenced by Pope Leo the XIV’s declaration that the Nelson Nativity is a symbol of our Lord’s love for humankind in general.