Devotion to Joseph in the West rose dramatically when his feast day was introduced to the Roman calendar in 1459. Various saints claimed a special interest in him, too, mentioning him in their writings, which further publicized his name and his life. Two of his more notable “fans” were St. Teresa of Ávila and St. Francis de Sales.

Joseph also became an example for fathers. In 1870 Pope Pius IX declared him Patron of the Universal Church. Pope Leo XIII placed him next to the Blessed Mother among all saints. This saint has two feast days, one on March 19 and another on May 1, which was named the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker by Pope Pius XII.

He is the patron saint of carpenters, manual workers, all workers (May 1), fatherhood and families, holy death, social justice, Belgium, Canada, China, Korea, and Peru. Also, priests, brothers, and nuns turn to St. Joseph in particular when praying about financial problems in their communities.

St. Teresa of Ávila, on praying to St. Joseph: “I don't recall up to this day ever havingpetitioned him for anything that he failed to grant. It is an amazing thing the great many favors God has granted me through the mediation of this blessed saint. … For with other saints it seems the Lord has given them grace to be of help in one need, whereas with this glorious saint I have experience that he helps in all our needs.”

Those busy revisionists have been at it again. It is thought now that Joseph might have been a tekton, a Greek word for a skilled craftsman, because biblical references use that word for him. A tekton works with metal of all kinds and with stone, although Joseph might have been a carpenter, too. Also, small-town Nazareth was within sight of Sepphoris, a large Palestinian city second in size only to Jerusalem. Sepphoris, destroyed by military action around the time of Jesus's birth, was then under reconstruction, providing plenty of work for artisans like Joseph and Jesus.

A curious trend surfaced during the economic recession of the late 1980s. Roman Catholics struggling to sell their homes would “plant” a statue of St. Joseph on the property, head down, and then pray to the saint for success with their venture. The practice continues today with hard-to-sell properties. The Church considers this a superstition.

Still, this custom persists. When some Catholic families move into a new home, they bury a statue of this saint right-side up on their property, as a way of invoking his blessing for their life there. When the family decides to move and hopes to sell their home, they might dig the statue up and bury it upside down.