In Search of St. Joseph in the Holy Land

Of all the figures central in the life of Christ, none seem so prominent and yet paradoxically elusive as Saint Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus and patriarch of the Holy Family. 

Little is known of Saint Joseph other than he was born in the Lower Galilee, presumably Bethlehem, of the House of David, and was a craftsman; as noted in the Gospel of Matthew that Christ was the son of a "tekton", a Greek word usually translated as "carpenter", but offers no hint of the exact nature of his trade. Apocryphal tradition from the Martyr Justin of Nablus holds that Joseph made agricultural implements including yokes and plow. Even the ordering of his life before marriage to the Virgin Mary is in debate, with the Eastern Orthodox tradition holding that Joseph was previously married and widowed. The last mention of Saint Joseph in the New Testament is in relation to the finding of the young Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem during Passover; no mention of him occurs during the years of Christ’s ministry, and it is largely assumed that he died at an unknown date between the Finding of Jesus at the Temple and the Wedding at Cana.

The feast day of St. Joseph occurs on March 19th in the Catholic Church and the Sunday after the Feast of the Nativity of Christ (the Orthodox terminology for Christmas). Each March, the Franciscan Custos, the Latin Patriarchate, members of innumerable Catholic religious Orders, pilgrims, and local Christians alike gather in Nazareth to celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph in services held in both the Basilica of the Annunciation (which celebrates yet another important feast day in the life of Saint Joseph, the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25th) which is built over the remnants of home of the Holy Family and the Church of Saint Joseph, under the care of the Franciscan Custos. Located a very short distance from the Basilica of the Annunciation, the church is built over what has been held to be the workshop of Saint Joseph. Several churches have been known to exist on the site, with the earliest known record of a church coming from the mid-seventh century. The town of Nazareth at the time of the Holy Family was believed to be a very small village, little more than a collection of a handful of extended families perhaps numbering approximately four hundred persons all told. While little archaeological evidence remains of the Biblical town of Nazareth, there are two sites within the vicinity of the Basilica of the Annunication that offer visitors a hint of what life may have been like for Joseph and his family. The Greek Catholic Church of Nazareth includes an ancient chamber believed to be the synagogue of Nazareth, while an even more remarkable set of expansive archaeological ruins under the foundation of the Sisters of Nazareth guesthouse provide a maze-like cluster of stone structures and the remnants of possibly one of the earliest churches of Nazareth.     

Two other sites in the Holy Land have a strong connection to Saint Joseph. The city of Sepphoris, located a few miles to the northwest of Nazareth, is believed to possibly be a place of employment for at least part of his life. And of course,  the city of Bethlehem, the place of the Nativity of Christ.

While Saint Joseph may be the greatest of the "silent saints" of the Church, with much of his life forever shrouded in mystery, he is still held with tremendous reverence and importance by the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, and his memory lives on in the many woodworking and carpentry shops of Christian homes in Nazareth, Bethlehem and elsewhere. 

Did you know that in the Orthodox Christian tradition, one of the Twelve Apostles is his half-brother through St. Joseph?  Learn more in our next blog!

Journey to the Holy Land!

Good Shepherd Travel includes Nazareth, the Galiiee, and Bethlehem as part of our Holy Land pilgrimages along with Jerusalem, Jericho, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. Other popular pilgrimage tours to locations such as Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, and Ireland are also available. For more information on how to begin preparing for a pilgrimage in late 2022 and 2023, contact Good Shepherd Travel owner and manager, Tony AbuAita at Tony@goodshepherdtravel.com.