Joseph

Holy and Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Virgin Mary was the son of Jacob, of the line of David, and a carpenter by trade (Matthew 13:55). Tradition says that when he was betrothed to Mary he was already of a respectable age. The Protoevangelium of James tells how he was chosen as betrothed of the Virgin, as proof of his honesty and righteousness.

The Gospel according to Matthew shows his goodness and purity in the way he received the news of the Virgin's pregnancy: he did not make a legal complaint, which would have led to her being put to death under the Law of Moses, but thought to leave secretly without making her pregnancy known. An angel revealed to him in a dream the mystery of the Incarnation, and he took Mary into his house. He protected the Mother of God and the Child Jesus, took them to Egypt and then to Nazareth, where Jesus learned the trade from him. The Gospels say nothing about his death.

The Church commemorates him on the Sunday after the Nativity and on 28 December (new style). Where his relics lie is not known with certainty.