Feast of St Joseph: Father's Day

St Joseph by Ambrogio Buonvicino, Santa Maria Maggiore

---

March 19th is the Feast Day of St Joseph, the patron saint of fathers and carpenters. The Festa di San Giuseppe is also known as the Festa del Papà. 

​The Epistles of St Paul, the oldest extant Christian writings, mention Jesus' mother (without naming her), but do not refer to his father. The Gospel of Mark, believed to be the first gospel to be written, also does not mention Jesus' father. The first appearance of Joseph is in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, often dated circa 80–90 CE. 
​
According to the Gospel of Matthew, an angel appeared to Joseph, confirming that Jesus had been conceived through the Holy Ghost: 'Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee to take Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost,' (Matthew 1:20). 

Joseph had, in fact, four dreams. In the second dream, he is warned to leave Bethlehem and flee to Egypt. While in Egypt, he has a third dream in which he is told that it is safe to return to Israel. In the fourth and final dream Joseph is again warned of danger and travels to Galilee instead of returning to Judea.​

---

The Dream of St Joseph by Domenico Guidi, Santa Maria della Vittoria