St. Joseph Patron of the Holy Family
March, the month of St. Joseph, is fittingly the month of endings and beginnings - the ending of winter and the beginning of spring. Just so, Joseph, himself, stood at the end of the period of waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises and the days of their fulfillment. He was the guardian of Mary and her son, the quiet just man of Nazareth, poised on the edge of the unique revelation of God's Word in Jesus. His courage and strength preserved the Holy Family, and the decisions and choices that he and Mary made in the raising of the young Jesus were shaped by deep devotion to the Jewish tradition.Joseph was a descendant of David and a true son of Israel, an upstanding man of faith and character.
The stained glass window reproduced here was created in 1893 for the chapel of the Sisters' first Motherhouse at 890 Hayes Street in San Francisco, and St. Joseph is fittingly shown in a mood of quiet concern for the well-being of the two most precious persons in his life. It is especially because of that role of concern and protection in the Holy Family that the Sisters of the Holy Family, from the beginnings of the Congregation, have treasured a devotion to St. Joseph, celebrated most obviously on March 19.
The first pronouncement of vows made by the early community was made on the feast of St. Joseph in 1880. On that day, Lizzie Armer became Sister Dolores. She and five companions vowed 'to Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, and I place myself and all my labors under the protection of the Holy Family, the Divine Child, the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph.'
Sister Dolores' devotion to Joseph was very deep and practical. Whenever she had any material need in regard to her community or to people whom she served, she went immediately to this great saint. Her petitions were brief, specific, confident, and to the point - and they were answered.
Archbishop Riordan took issue with her over her faith in Joseph as provider in one serious request for money. A short note is preserved in the archives of the community, a note rescued by one of the sisters from beneath a statue of St. Joseph and kept as an example of the connection between the foundress and the saint, who did, after all, answer the request quite substantially. Sister wrote:
'If you answer my request I will tell the Archbishop because he says you were a poor man and don't know anything about money.'
The first house of the Congregation outside of the city of San Francisco was planned by Sister Dolores for the city of St. Joseph, San Jose. The death of Sister Dolores in 1905, and the horrors of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, disrupted plans for that foundation for a short time.
In 1907 the work did begin. St. Elizabeth's Day Home (still in operation) was opened there, as were the catechetical, home visiting and other works of the community.
Sister Dolores must have taken to heart the words of St. Teresa of Avila:
"I took for my advocate and master the glorious St. Joseph, recommended myself much to him and up to this time, I cannot remember having asked him for anything which he has not obtained for me."