The Valle Catholic 1st Graders in Mrs. Joggerst’s class planned the Mass for the Feast of St. Joseph celebrated on March 19, 2014. Fathers, grandfathers, godfathers, or any special man in the lives of the students were invited to celebrate Mass together.
Father Gregory Klump was the main celebrant. The 1st Graders filled all the liturgical roles including readers (Amara Basler, Wil Kuehn and Colin Anderson) and commentator (Tyler Gegg) who were joined on the altar by their fathers, stepfather and godfathers. Servers were Gage Heil, his father, Jeff Heil and grandfather Bob Kist. Gifts were presented by Carter Viox and grandfather Paul Brischle.
After Communion there was a special blessing for fathers recited by Kacy Fahnestock and Ella Kraenzle.
Everything we know about the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus comes from Scripture. We know Joseph was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, “Is this not the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55). He wasn’t rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).
We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. We know Joseph was man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. We know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child entrusted to him. Joseph is the patron of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus’ public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth.
Joseph is also patron of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice. We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker.
**St. Joseph was the patron of the sisters who taught at Valle from the early days of the school’s existence (1838) until the late 1990’s.