For the Catholic Standard's March Junior Saints to mark the Year of St. Joseph in the Catholic Church proclaimed by Pope Francis, students were invited to draw a picture of St. Joseph and write about what they admire about him, or to draw a picture and write about a “good Joe” they know, a Joseph or Joe or Joey or Josephine in their families or among their friends. 

“There are many reasons why I admire St. Joseph, and here are a few. First, St. Joseph is very dependable. He was there for Mary when she was going to be the mother of Jesus. Another reason is that Joseph treated Jesus like his own son, even though God was his real father. Lastly, he was loving and caring. These are the reasons why I admire St. Joseph.” – Drawing and writing by Lily Ritz, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

“What I admire about St. Joseph is that he was humble enough to listen to and obey the angel and that he respected and was faithful to God throughout his life.” – Drawing and writing by Tilly Cissna, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“The good Joe that I know is my Uncle Joe, who is one of my dad’s brothers. He is very generous and always makes people laugh. He works for a building company that makes buildings in Boston. He’s one of my dad’s eight siblings. He went to the University of Massachusetts where he got his bachelor’s degree in science. He is really fun to be around.” – Michael Larkin, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“St. Joseph is a good family man that loves.” – Jace Willis, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“My father admires St. Joseph’s selflessness. He thinks that to journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, you’ve got to be extremely selfless and put others first. My father reminds me of St. Joseph. He is also very selfless, and just like St. Joseph, is a great father. I hope that more people can have the same selflessness that Joseph had.” – Drawing and writing by Anastasia Meyers, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“St. Joseph is a great man with so much to admire about him! One thing that I admire about him is his trust. Even though at first he didn’t believe Mary, after his dream he was trusting of her. Another thing I admire is his hard work. He worked hard as a carpenter to provide for Jesus and Mary. Lastly, I admire how helpful he was. He was patient, and he led Mary to Jerusalem. St. Joseph is very admirable. I hope you now see why!” – Drawing and writing by Gianna Cicotello, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

“St. Joseph is a very inspiring man. I find it very interesting that he was a carpenter, it sounds very fun and creative. He was a very kind man. He was such a good father to Jesus, and he was very kind to Mary. In lots of pictures you can see him holding a lily flower, which is a sign of purity. He was a pure and gentle person. He is a good man to look up to.” – Drawing and writing by Maryanne Bruno, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C

“We admire St. Joseph because of his hard work and determination. St. Joseph traveled long on foot with Mary to guarantee Jesus’s safety from King Herod and his guards who were sent to kill first-born sons. Joseph was a hard-working man who took care of Mary and his stepson Jesus. We admire Joseph’s patience and understanding for Mary’s pregnancy of the Son of God. Joseph was a caring father and a comforting partner who took care of Mary willingly.” – Emily Talbott, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.

 “St. Joe was a great person. He traveled many miles to take Mary to Bethlehem to have Jesus… St. Joseph was always helpful and kind. He was amazing.” – Bianca Ahlborn, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School

“The person I’m doing (as a ‘good Joe’) is an incredibly strong man named Joe Gerdes. He is more than a family friend, though. He is like a brother to my dad and knew my grandfather. He graduated at Georgetown University and went to my dad’s graduation. After graduating, he got into politics, where he started working in the White House with George W. Bush! He ended up flying in Air Force One with George Bush to New Mexico. Later during the pandemic, Joe suffered a serious stroke which had left him in the hospital. He was then blessed by God’s grace and has gotten the strength to recover. He is a very funny person and tends to crack jokes that make my dad burst out laughing. Joe Gerdes is an incredible human being.” – Drawing and writing by Elise Dempsey, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

“A person named Joe that I know is my dad. My dad is the best… My dad is so nice and kind, he is the good Joe I’m writing about.” – Avery Beemsterboer, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

“My cousin Joe is very kind. He is fun to have around, because he likes what I like! He is very nice to me, and he always is there for me. The best thing about him is that he will always help you. My cousin Joe is the best cousin anyone could hope for.” – Drawing and writing by Graham Power, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

“Something I admire about St. Joseph is how he teaches us how to always stay with each other and comfort others, especially when they need it. Another thing that is admirable about St. Joseph is that he is always kind to others…” – Chloe Nagel, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

“I admire St. Joseph in many ways. One reason I admire him is he was Jesus’s father on Earth. Another reason I admire him is because he was a very holy man and helped Jesus and Mary.” – Jack Meenan, fifth grade, Blessed Sacrament School, Washington

St. Columba School, Oxon Hill

“St. Joseph is known as the loving father of Jesus and the faithful husband of Mary. However, in my eyes, I see him as much more than that. As a faithful follower of God, Joseph obediently accepted his role as the foster father of Jesus. He was very happy when Jesus was born, and taught his Son everything he knew, which would help Jesus prepare for His future. While Jesus was only in His childhood years, Joseph taught Jesus the virtues of prudence, being just, and patience, just like he is. 

“Aside from virtues, Joseph became a role model to Jesus by showing his hard-working efforts in his work as a carpenter, expressing how he cares for the poor, and teaching Him the importance of faith in God. Truly, St. Joseph is a loving, humble soul born into the sainthood, and an important role model to all Catholics.” – Arlo Pangilinan, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland

“I admire St. Joseph because he decided to stay with Mary and make her his wife after finding out she was pregnant.” – Drawing and writing by Camille Urcia, eighth grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland

“A ‘good Joe’ I know is my Uncle Jo! He is a ball of joy and is always there if you need help! – Hayden Estrella, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland

 St. Francis Xavier Catholic Academy, Washington, D.C.

“He (St. Joseph) is the patron saint of families, carpenters, and working people in general, but he is also the protector and patron saint of home sellers. St. Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak, but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love.” – Kaiya Singleton, eighth grade, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Academy, Washington, D.C.

“He (St. Joseph) inspires me to raise a good family and to never give up hope on something. He inspires me to be a good father and always look out for my family when they need me or if they need help. He inspires to get closer to God and do what he asks me to do.”  – Jahfari Joseph, eighth grade, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Academy, Washington, D.C.

“What I admire about St. Joseph is how he had faith in God and how he took care of Jesus and Mary.” --  Drawing and writing by Christopher Hawkins, eighth grade, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Academy, Washington, D.C.

“St. Joseph is a good example to follow because he has faith in God. He sets a great example for us, by helping Mary throughout their journey to Bethlehem, where she gave birth to Jesus, and showing us his courage.” – Madison Russell, seventh grade, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Academy, Washington, D.C. 

Holy Trinity School, Washington, D.C.

“What I admire about St. Joseph is his courage, love and faith. I admire that he had the courage to love the Messiah with his wife, knowing the child was not his. He had faith in God when he said he would take care of Jesus.” – Drawing and writing by Katie Gilbert, fourth grade, Holy Trinity School, Washington, D.C.

Students at Holy Trinity School in Washington made paper lilies to remember St. Joseph’s purity and humility, buried statuettes of St. Joseph for good luck, baked traditional zeppole and sfinge Italian pastry, and brought bread to their St. Joseph altar to share in St. Joseph’s spirit of love and compassion toward workers and immigrants. In the photo above, Holy Trinity pre-kindergarten student Gwyneth Garback holds a paper lily. In the photo below, Holy Trinity kindergarten student Josephine Pusateri, accompanied by her younger brother, holds zeppole pastry that she and her family make each year in honor of her Sicilian grandparents.

St. Jane de Chantal School, Bethesda

“My dad and my brother both have the middle name Joseph. They are both kind. They are also very loving. My dad does kind things for other people. So does my brother. An example of this is that they do the Christmas dinner meal delivery. They also donate money to the poor. They both forgive. They forgive people who hurt them and people who are being mean. My dad and brother pray to God. After all, praying is important.” – Lydia Wolf, fourth grade, St. Jane de Chantal School, Bethesda

“St. Joseph is special to me because he was a good man and took good care of Mary and Jesus. He was a good carpenter and made a lot of tables and chairs. I want to be like St. Joseph when I grow up.” – Molly Bergmann, second grade, St. Jane de Chantal School, Bethesda, Maryland

“I admire St. Joseph because he was a very good man. St. Joseph said ‘yes’ to God. He was a holy man! The angel came to him in his dream…” – Marisela Ledoux, second grade, St. Jane de Chantal School, Bethesda

St. Mary’s School of Piscataway, Clinton

“Joseph was a very good person, he listened, and he put Jesus at the center of his life.” – Rachel Sweda, fourth grade, St. Mary's School of Piscataway, Clinton

Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“This is what I admire about St. Joseph and his importance in my life. St. Joseph to me has always acted as a good role model for Jesus… Sometimes I pray to St. Joseph to help me be a good big brother to my younger siblings (Tyler and Lacey). I admire St. Joseph because he helped Jesus throughout His life to become the good man Jesus was… To me, St. Joseph shows himself a great friend (and) role model… (who) cares about everyone.” – Kaleb Wingenter, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“For some reason I think we forget about St. Joseph, and just focus on Jesus and Mary. We need to remember what St. Joseph did to help Jesus and Mary. St. Joseph was a carpenter and got money for the family so they could eat, also even though Jesus wasn’t his child he treated him as his own.” – Camryn Stark, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons, Maryland

“I admire lots of things about St. Joseph, like how he cared for Mary and raised Jesus just like He was his own child. When Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph had just traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The journey must have been difficult because Mary was pregnant and all the inns were full. St. Joseph treated Jesus like his son even though he was the son of God. St. Joseph also helped Mary with her struggles. I think St. Joseph was a great saint…” – Violet Klasko, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“One thing I admire about St. Joseph is that he, like Mary, said yes to God. St. Joseph acted as a father figure to Jesus and taught him many things even though he knew he was not Jesus’ father. Also, even after Joseph found out Mary was pregnant and knew it was not his child, he stayed with Mary after receiving word from an angel that Jesus was her child. Lastly, Joseph, much like Mary, never wavered away from God. He always trusted and loved him.” – Haley Hermann, fifth grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons

“The Joseph that I will choose is my brother Joseph Dibo. Even though we disagree on a lot of things, we still love each other no matter what. Like earlier,  Joseph gave me some of his chocolate eggs, and I did nothing to deserve them. Also sometimes when people are mean to one of us, the other will stick up for the other all the time. Also we tell each other cool facts sometimes. Also we ask each other to watch YouTube videos together, and most of the time we do and they’re funny (most of the time). That's why I picked my brother Joseph.” – Daniel DiBonaventuro, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons 

“The thing I like about St. Joseph is he’s a hard worker…” – Jacob Rose, third grade, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Solomons 

St. Peter’s School, Waldorf

"I like St. Joseph because he's a carpenter. I love that he had cool dreams." – Drawing and writing by Adam Rison, kindergarten, St. Peter School, Waldorf, Maryland

St. Raphael School, Rockville

“St. Joseph is important because he always believed and trusted God.” –Drawing and writing by Natalia Vargas, fourth grade, St. Raphael School, Rockville, Maryland

“I admire St. Joseph because he was loyal to his faith and made it a very important part of his life. He trusted God even when he found out Mary was going to give birth to Jesus. I too want to be loyal to my faith and always trust God like St. Joseph.” – Drawing and writing by Evelyn Sheffler, fourth grade, St. Raphael School, Rockville, Maryland

“I admire St. Joseph because he took a big risk and a big effort to take care of Mary and Jesus. He showed if you believe in God, God will reward you… I find Joseph a good role model.” – Drawing and writing by Mia Bernstein, fourth grade, St. Raphael School, Rockville, Maryland

 “St. Joseph is important to me because: 1.) He was a good role model; 2.) He had a big heart; and 3.) He was hard-working.”  – Sophie Cordier, fourth grade, St. Raphael School, Rockville, Maryland

This photo shows Joseph Whalen and Mildred McAteer on their wedding day in 1936 in Pittsburgh. Whalen, who worked in the insurance business, was remembered as a “good Joe” by his great grandson, Nicholas Mussio.

 “Joseph Whalen, from what I’m told, was a good Joe to know. My great grandfather was born in 1891 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania of Irish immigrants. Though he did not have a lot of money, he was able to live a very fulfilled life according to my Nana, his youngest daughter of five. When I asked her about her dad, all I knew was that he had died the day after my mother, his youngest granddaughter, was born in 1977 while (he was) venturing out on a snowy day in Pittsburgh to get his haircut. I had heard the stories that my mom flew on an airplane at just four days (old) with her mom to go to his funeral. And that my mom was named after him with her name ‘Angela Joe.’ She always said he has been her guardian angel.

“I asked my Nana to tell me more about her dad so I could write this essay. She said that he could in fact be thought of as a ‘good Joe’ for sure. He was a family man and a great dad. He taught her a lot about faith, and she looks back on her days as a young girl and knows that he influenced her a lot in her strong Catholic faith.” – Nicholas Mussio, fifth grade, St. Raphael School, Rockville, Maryland

Next Junior Saints

 For the next Junior Saints, draw a picture and write about something you will be doing this summer. The drawings and writings should be emailed to mark@cathstan.org by June 18 to Mark Zimmermann, the Catholic Standard's editor, and they should include the name, grade and school or parish of the student printed clearly.