LiturgyTools.net: Hymns about Saint Joseph

This is a selection of hymns and songs about Joseph of Nazareth.

It only includes hymns that are directly about Joseph, or his relationship to Jesus and Mary.

The list was inspired by the proclamation of 2021 as the year of St Joseph (ref) - but is not limited to the themes of Joseph as Father which this declaration focuses on.

The list is in two parts: hymn that can be freely used with no concerns about copyright, and hymns and songs that may still be copyright, depending on the laws in your country.

About St Joseph

Joseph of Nazareth was the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus. Effectively he became Jesus earthly or foster father. The Bible suggests that Joseph was born in roughly 100 B.C, and in the Gospel of Matthew, his ancestry is traced back to King David.

Some authors have suggested that he was a widow with older children when he met Mary and that he lived to 111 years - but there is little evidence for these claims and they are not widely accepted.

After marrying Mary, Joseph found out that she was already pregnant. His original thought was to divorce her quietly, so that she would not be stoned to death. But after having a dream in which an angel told him that the child was the son of God and conceived by the Holy Spirit, he changed his mind and kept Mary as his wife.

After Jesus' was born, an angel warned Joseph and Mary about King Herod's plan to kill all male infants. So Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with Jesus, and stayed there until again an angel told Joseph that it was safe to return to the Holy Land. He was present when Jesus was taken to the temple but apart from this, little is known of his life. He is described as a "carpenter in the gospels, and people have assumed that he taught this craft to Jesus in Nazareth, Traditionally he has been shown in art-works as an older man, but more recently people have depicted his as being younger - though not as young as Mary.

Details of Joseph's death are unknown: it seems likely it occurred before Jesus's public ministry began, and by the time of the Crucifixion (John 19:26-27), Mary was a widow who needed to be entrusted to the care of John.

Joseph was declared a patron and protector of the universal church by Pope Pius IX in 1870, and to mark the 150th anniversary of this, Pope Francis proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph,” from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (ie 8 December 2020) until 8 December 2021.

Joseph is one of the early saints, who was recognised by popular devotion rather than church processes. He is the patron saint of workers because he was a carpenter, and also of a happy death due to the belief that he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. The feast of Joseph, Husband of Mary is marked on 19 March, and the whole month of March is dedicated to him. Joseph has become patron of various places, including Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and many individual dioceses especially in the Philippines. He is also patron of immigrants, explorers, pilgrims, travellers, engineers and realtors. In 1955 Pope Pius XII established the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker which is marked on 1 May, as a religious counterpart to International Worker Day / May Day.