In a special way, Pope Bl. Pius IX honored the Lordship of St. Joseph, whose feast we celebrate on March 19, a solemnity during the holy season of Lent. On the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 1870, in his decree Quemadmodum Deus, Pius declared St. Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church. He took this step because the venerable prelates of the whole Catholic world had petitioned him to do so. The Lordship of St. Joseph 18 Marian Helper • Spring 2026 • Marian.org “The Holy Family with a Little Bird,” Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1650. Public domain.
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