Saint of the Week

Saint Patrick

Feast Day: 17th March

Virtue: Charity

Patrick was born in Scotland in the year 387. At sixteen, he was captured by pirates and sold as a slave to a chief in Ireland. While tending sheep in the mountains, he prayed a lot.

After six years, a voice from heaven told him to go back to his own country. But first he went to Rome, where he became a priest. He was then sent to England, but after some time, he begged the Pope to send him to Ireland. The Pope made him a bishop and then sent him as a missionary to Ireland.

One of the pagan kings of Ireland arrested Patrick. When he saw the miracles worked by Patrick, he said, “Tell us about your God. He has given you a great power.” “There is but one God,” answered Patrick, “in three Persons: the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.” Picking up a green shamrock, he said, “Even as there are three leaves on this one stem, so there are three Persons in one God.” After that, he was allowed to preach the new Faith everywhere in Ireland. His missionaries later brought the Christian Faith to many parts of Europe.

Saint Joseph

Feast Day: 19th March

Virtue: Self-sacrifice

The heavenly father chose Joseph, a young carpenter of Nazareth, to be the foster father of Jesus and the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

After they were betrothed, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that Mary would bear a child who would be the son of God.

Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem to register for the census. There Mary brought forth her Son and laid him in a manger.

At the word of an angel, Joseph took Jesus and Mary to Egypt to save the child from being killed by Herod. He stayed there till an Angel told him that it was safe to go back to Nazareth.

When Jesus was twelve years old, he was lost in Jerusalem. For three days, Mary and Joseph looked for him with great sorrow and found him in the temple.

At Nazareth, Jesus worked along with Joseph in the carpenter shop and obeyed him. Joseph died in the arms of Jesus and Mary.