In hard times, don't forget about the humble carpenter Joseph
by Nancy Haught, The Oregonian Thursday March 19, 2009, 7:35 AM
If there were a patron saint of tough financial times, it might be Joseph. Many Christians celebrate him today as the faithful husband of Mary, earthly father of Jesus and a carpenter who supported his family with the work of his hands.
In recent years he's been revered as a mover of real estate.
Homeowners have buried tiny statues of him near "for sale" signs and prayed that he'd bring them buyers. A cottage industry has arisen around the sale of St. Joseph statues and prayers.
But others say there's more to this man -- that his example offers hope when jobs are threatened, families face hardships and the future is uncertain.
"We put the holy family -- Jesus, Mary and Joseph -- on a pedestal, but really they were flesh and blood people," says the Rev. Jack Topper, a Servite priest at The Grotto in Northeast Portland. "Joseph is someone we can look to, especially in hard times.
"He was a man of faith who didn't always understand everything that was going on around him. ... He didn't always know how he would take care of his family."
Since the Great Depression, the Benedictine monks of Mount Angel Abbey have prayed before a statue of Joseph that stands in their refectory.
"In the 1930s, everyone was having hard times," says Brother Claude Lane, who adds that Joseph is still someone whose help is sought during financial struggles. But it's his role as the human father of Jesus that inspired the icon Lane wrote for St. Mary's Cathedral in Northwest Portland. (Because icons are created prayerfully, with color, light and line all bearing meaning, they are often described as being "written," rather than painted.)
Lane, who has written hundreds of icons, large and small, focused on the moment when Jesus, 12 at the time, understands his adult ministry.
"St. Joseph was silent," Lane says. "Not one word of his is found in the Scriptures, but his was a full silence, filled with all the wisdom of Jewish experiences, filled with justice and charity." The profound silence of Joseph might be just what a world overwrought with words needs, Lane says.
The cathedral icon was a gift from Joe Bianco, a longtime St. Mary's parishioner and a former writer and editor at The Oregonian. This year, Bianco is organizing a free parish dinner at St. Mary's in honor of his namesake.
"It's going to be a real Italian meal," Bianco says: spaghetti with olive oil and garlic, fish and, of course, zeppoli, the cream pastries traditionally served on the saint's day.
Bianco, who grew up in an Italian family, says it's customary to invite the poor to dinner on St. Joseph's Day. He hopes the meal he's planning will inspire parishioners to learn more about the saint and make their own contributions to people in need. ound silence of Joseph might be just what a world overwrought with words needs, Lane says.
The cathedral icon was a gift from Joe Bianco, a longtime St. Mary's parishioner and a former writer and editor at The Oregonian. This year, Bianco is organizing a free parish dinner at St. Mary's in honor of his namesake.
"It's going to be a real Italian meal," Bianco says: spaghetti with olive oil and garlic, fish and, of course, zeppoli, the cream pastries traditionally served on the saint's day.
Bianco, who grew up in an Italian family, says it's customary to invite the poor to dinner on St. Joseph's Day. He hopes the meal he's planning will inspire parishioners to learn more about the saint and make their own contributions to people in need.