Righteous · 1st century BC – 1st century AD
Joseph the Betrothed
Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed
New Calendar December 27 Old Calendar January 9
Why they are a saint
Joseph the Betrothed was the guardian of the Theotokos and of the child Jesus; commemorated as righteous and betrothed, not as a later husband in the Orthodox sense of ever-virginity. The years given for this life are 1st century BC – 1st century AD. The faithful remember him among the righteous of the Old and New Covenants.
Life
Saint Joseph the Betrothed was of the lineage of King David. He had sons and daughters from an earlier marriage, and after being widowed he lived in strict temperance. He was chosen to be the husband and guardian of the Most Holy Theotokos, who had vowed virginity, and an angel told him of the Incarnation of the Son of God through her.
He was present when the shepherds and the Magi worshipped the newborn Christ. At an angel's command he fled into Egypt with the Mother of God and the Child, saving them from Herod, and he worked there as a carpenter. He is said to have died at the age of one hundred. He is commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity and on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers.
Sources: OCA Lives of the Saints. Retold in our own words.
Traditional patronage
The cited source names no specific patronage.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Patron of carpenters, families, guardians, because of his own story as a parent recorded in his life.
Prayer
O holy Joseph the Betrothed, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.