Because of his experience as a migrant in Egypt, Saint Joseph is venerated as the patron saint of immigrants and is therefore asked for his protection and help. In 2020, Pope Francis Indian who considered the adoptive father of Jesus as a special patron saint “for all those who have to leave their land because of war, hatred, persecution and misery.”
The Holy Father explained this patronage in the following way: “The Gospel does not give any information about the time in which Mary, Joseph and the Child remained in Egypt. However, what is certain is that they will have needed to eat, to find a house, a job (…). The Holy Family had to face concrete problems like all other families, like many of our migrant brothers and sisters who even today risk their lives forced by adversity and hunger.”
Other sponsorships
San José has countless patronages over religious communities, institutions, both ecclesial and civil, and even over entire nations, as in the case of Peru, Mexico, Canada, among other countries. Additionally, many cities around the globe are named after him.