 St. Joseph the Righteous December 16 (Greek) or December 31 (Russian) St. Joseph is known in the Orthodox Church as the "Protector of the Virgin Mary." Though descended from the royal lineage of David, he was a simple carpenter in Nazareth. St. Joseph took the pregnant teenage Virgin Mary from the Temple into his home at the age of eighty, after having been appointed to do so from Heaven. He was a widower who had long before become a father, which accounts for the "brothers" of Jesus. Joseph obeyed the word of God and lived an unfulfilled marriage with Mary, unwilling to put her to shame. In this way, she remains a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. When Joseph considered sending Mary away to give birth in secret, the Lord intervened, as found in Matthew 20: 25, But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, Son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." Because St. Joseph was not present during the missionary days of Christ and, indeed, not at the Cross with Mary, it is believed that St. Joseph had fallen asleep in the Lord when Jesus was about thirteen years of age..  Close Window |