St. Joseph, the Kind Carpenter
St. Joseph was a kind carpenter who took care of Jesus and Mary. God chose him to be Jesus's dad here on earth, and he loved his family with all his heart!
St. Joseph
The Kind Carpenter
Guardian of Jesus!
Meet St. Joseph!
St. Joseph was a kind carpenter who took care of Jesus and Mary. God chose him to be Jesus's dad here on earth, and he loved his family with all his heart!
He is the patron saint of dads and families
Follow St. Joseph!
Let's follow Joseph and his little family.
Story 1
The Kind Carpenter
Nazareth, long ago
Long ago, in a little town called Nazareth, lived a kind carpenter named Joseph. He made tables, chairs and doors out of wood. He loved God with all his heart.
Joseph was gentle and fair, and he loved to help his neighbors. He was going to marry a kind young woman named Mary.
Let us pray
St. Joseph, help me to be kind and helpful, just like you.
Story 2
A Dream with an Angel
Nazareth
God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son! Joseph didn't understand it all, and he wasn't sure what to do. So he prayed, and then he fell asleep.
An angel came to Joseph in a dream: “Joseph, don't be afraid to take Mary into your home. Her baby is from God. You will name Him Jesus!” (Matthew 1:20–21)
When Joseph woke up, he did just what the angel said! He married Mary and promised to take care of her and the baby.
Let us pray
Dear God, help me to listen and to say yes to You.
Story 3
No Room at the Inn
Bethlehem
Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem, a long, long way. Mary rode on a little donkey, and Joseph walked beside her, leading the way.
In Bethlehem, every inn was full. “No room here!” said the innkeepers. At last, a kind man showed Joseph a stable where the animals slept.
That night, Baby Jesus was born! Joseph made a soft bed of hay in the manger. Then shepherds came to see the baby, just as the angels had told them.
Let us pray
Thank You, Jesus, for coming to be with us!
Story 4
Off to Egypt!
Bethlehem to Egypt
Then the angel came to Joseph in another dream: “Get up, Joseph! Take Jesus and Mary to Egypt, where they will be safe.”
Joseph got up right away, in the middle of the night! He packed their things and led his little family all the way to Egypt.
Joseph kept Jesus and Mary safe in Egypt. When the time was right, an angel told him in a dream that they could go home to Nazareth.
Let us pray
St. Joseph, please keep my family safe.
Story 5
Lost and Found
Jerusalem
When Jesus was twelve, the family went to Jerusalem for a big feast. On the way home, Mary and Joseph looked around. Where was Jesus?
Joseph and Mary went back and searched for three whole days! They asked friends and neighbors, “Have you seen Jesus?”
At last they found Him in the Temple, listening to the teachers and asking questions. Then Jesus went home with them, happy and obedient.
Let us pray
Jesus, help me always to stay close to You.
Story 6
Jesus's Helper
Nazareth
Back home in Nazareth, Joseph taught Jesus to be a carpenter. They sawed, hammered and sanded together. Jesus was a great helper!
Did you know? In the Bible, Joseph never says a single word! He showed his love by what he did: working, caring and playing with his family.
Every evening, Joseph, Mary and Jesus prayed and ate together. Their little home was full of love.
Let us pray
St. Joseph, bless my family and our home.
Story 7
The Mystery Staircase
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1878
Long, long after Joseph went to Heaven, some sisters in Santa Fe built a beautiful chapel. But oh no! There were no stairs up to the choir loft. So they prayed to St. Joseph for nine days.
Then a quiet carpenter arrived with a donkey and a box of tools. He worked and worked, and he built a beautiful twisty staircase, made without any nails!
When it was finished, the carpenter went away without being paid, and no one knew his name. Many people believe St. Joseph sent him to help!
Let us pray
St. Joseph, thank you for always helping us.
A Prayer to St. Joseph
Let's pray it together!
St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus and husband of Mary, you worked hard and loved your family with all your heart. Please watch over me and my family. Help us to love each other, to help each other, and to trust God in everything. Amen.
A little prayer for little ones
Joseph, Joseph, kind and true, Jesus loved to work with you. Watch my family night and day, and keep us safe along the way! Amen.
Be Like St. Joseph!
Color in a hammer each time you do it!
I can help with a job at home.
I can be gentle with little ones.
I can listen and obey right away.
I can build or make something.
I can pray for my family!
St. Joseph's Special Day
March 19
Every year on March 19, the Church celebrates St. Joseph, the guardian of Jesus. Here are some fun ways to celebrate!
Share bread with others
Build something together
Thank a grown-up who cares for you
Pick a flower for St. Joseph
Color St. Joseph!
Strong, gentle and kind!
You can be a helper too!
St. Joseph didn't say much, but he loved with all his heart. When you help, work hard and care for your family, you are a lot like him. St. Joseph is cheering you on!
Dear Jesus, thank You for St. Joseph. Help me to love my family the way he did. Amen.
For Grown-Ups
Where these stories come from: the Gospels of Matthew and Luke and the Church's traditions about St. Joseph, retold here simply and gently for young children.
The Kind Carpenter. Joseph, of the house of David, lived in Nazareth and was betrothed to Mary (Luke 1:26–27). Jesus is called “the carpenter's son” (Matthew 13:55), from the Greek tekton, a builder or craftsman, and Matthew calls Joseph “a righteous man” (1:19).
A Dream with an Angel. Matthew 1:18–25. Learning that Mary was with child, Joseph planned to release her quietly; an angel told him in a dream to take Mary as his wife and to name the child Jesus, and he did so.
No Room at the Inn. Luke 2:1–20: the journey to Bethlehem for the census, the birth, the manger “because there was no room for them in the inn,” and the shepherds. The donkey and the kind innkeeper are traditional details.
Off to Egypt! Matthew 2:13–23. Warned in a dream that King Herod was seeking the child, Joseph took Jesus and Mary to Egypt by night; after Herod's death another dream told him to return, and the family settled in Nazareth.
Lost and Found. Luke 2:41–52. After the Passover, the twelve-year-old Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem; on the third day his parents found him in the Temple among the teachers. He went home with them and was obedient to them.
Jesus's Helper. Tradition holds that Joseph taught Jesus his trade. No words of Joseph are recorded in the Gospels. He is believed to have died before Jesus' public ministry, with Jesus and Mary at his side, which is why he is patron of a happy death.
The Mystery Staircase. The Sisters of Loretto in Santa Fe completed their chapel in 1878 with no stair to the choir loft. Tradition says they prayed a novena to St. Joseph, and an unknown carpenter built the spiral staircase, with two full turns and no central support, then left without payment. Some historians identify him as the French carpenter François-Jean Rochas. St. Joseph's feasts are March 19 and May 1 (St. Joseph the Worker); he is patron of the universal Church, fathers, families and workers.
St. Joseph, pray for us!
The end
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