St. Joseph the Worker (BK 31) Metal Ornament

St. Joseph is traditionally associated with woodworking. Here he is shown on break, deep in thought, and leaning on his axe. In the full-length version of this image, a recently shaped beam lies across his workbench with wood chips scattered on the ground beneath. Although we have little in the way of direct testimonials, we infer from Matt. 1:19 that as a “just” or “righteous” man St. Joseph was a model worker embodying such virtues as reliability, efficiency, and industry as he went about his daily tasks. His attitude is far from servile but rather suggests a dignity and sense of accomplishment in using his God-given abilities to be of service to his community as he provides for his family. + By virtue of his traditional occupation as a carpenter, St. Joseph is patron saint of artisans and laborers. In 1955, Venerable Pope Pius XII instituted a special feast, the feast of “St. Joseph the Worker”, to be celebrated on May 1. Its liturgy emphasizes the right to work and the dignity of labour. + Image Credit (BK 31): Detail of an antique image of St. Joseph the Worker from an early 20th-century devotional print in chromolithography originally published ca. 1909 by B. Kühlen, at Mönchengladbach, Germany, from the designer’s private collection of religious ephemera. + Feast: May 1; Principal Feast: March 19