March 19th marks a significant date in the Catholic Church, as it celebrates the feast of St. Joseph, Patron Saint of the Universal Church. Pope Pius IX proclaimed St. Joseph as the Patron Saint of the Church on December 8th, 1870, coinciding with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Over the years, there has been a growing appreciation for St. Joseph, highlighted by Pope Leo XIII's 1889 prayer to St. Joseph and Pope Pius XII's institution of the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. More recently, Pope Francis declared the Year of St. Joseph in 2021. Dr. Matthew Bunson, Vice President of EWTN News and Church Historian, joins to discuss the significance of St. Joseph. He also shares the deeper meaning behind the "Sleeping Joseph" statue Pope Francis keeps on his desk. Lastly, he discusses the invocation of "St. Joseph, Terror of Demons" in the Litany to St. Joseph and the significance behind this title.
Related reading - ‘Go to Joseph’: What popes from Blessed Pius IX to Pope Francis have said about St. Joseph
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