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Junior Saints: St. Joseph’s Year and a few ‘good Joes’ (part one)

“Joseph loved Jesus with all his heart. He taught Jesus to build and fix things and to be a carpenter.” –  Colton Andrews, third grade, St. Michael’s School, Ridge, Maryland

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. Over the next weeks, the Catholic Standard on Fridays will post a selection of students’ drawings and writings about St. Joseph and their “good Joes.”

St. Michael's School, Ridge

“Joseph was there when Jesus was born. He loves Jesus with all his heart. Joseph is a good daddy.” –  London Gill, third grade, St. Michael’s School, Ridge, Maryland


“Mr. Joe Miles volunteers at St. Michael’s School. He is an Army veteran who served our country as well as a bus driver. He gives out doughnuts and candy. He loves his school and all the people in it.” – Grace Sohn, third grade, St. Michael’s School, Ridge, Maryland


Drawing of “good Joe,” Joe Miles, bus driver for St. Michael's School, by Reagan Hawkins, third grade, St. Michael’s School, Ridge, 


 St. Mary of the Mills School, Laurel

“Happy St Joseph’s Day! Anyone else around here just love St. Joseph? I certainly do! Partly because my birthday is on his feast day and my middle name is Josephine, and partly because I think that he is such a wonderful father, worker, husband and example for us.

 “Some reasons I look up to St. Joseph so much are that he has so much faith in what God tells him, that he obeys right away. He doesn't even think twice when the angel tells him to flee to Egypt! If I was in his place, I would have thought, ‘Why would King Herod want to kill a baby, who in his eyes was just a poor little baby from a poor family?’ How could St. Joseph know that the three wise men had asked Herod about the child king? 

“I think my granddad, Joseph Hartz, has a lot in common with St. Joseph. He was a builder before he retired, he had to move his family around the country a lot, and he dedicates his whole life to Jesus by serving the church as a deacon. 

 “I hope that if you love St Joseph, you will take advantage of this year dedicated to him and try to pray and follow him as much as you can! Cecilia Pollock, seventh grade, St. Mary of the Mills School, Laurel, Maryland 

Drawing of St. Joseph by Kamryn Scott, sixth grade, St. Andrew Apostle School

St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring

“He (St. Joseph) is the patron saint of workers. As work takes up a great portion of our lives, often we struggle to work in a way that honors God. St. Joseph can teach us how to work well if we ask him. One way to do this is to start work with a prayer to St. Joseph.” – Isabella Haile, fourth grade, St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring, Maryland


Drawing by Kimberleigh Hansberry, eighth grade, St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring, Maryland

“I admire my great-grandfather Julius Joseph Sylvain because he was brave during Hurricane Katrina when he lived in New Orleans. I’m named after him.” – Julian Lash, St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring, Maryland

“What I admire about St. Joseph is his devotion to Jesus and Mary, and also his faith in God. Even though Jesus was not Joseph’s blood-related son, he still stayed with Mary and raised Jesus. He did all this because he believed that Jesus was the Son of God and that Mary was the Blessed Mother.” – Betania Abraham, St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring

“I love St. Joseph because he is a carpenter just like my dad. I love woodworking and helping my dad, just like Jesus did with his father.” – Natalie Twigg, fifth grade, St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring

“My mom’s dad is Joe Sparacino, and he makes a lot of things for our church. He is a woodworker. He signs everything ‘St. Joe.’ He means a lot to me and all of my family members.” – Juliana Twigg, third grade, St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring

“I admire St. Joseph because he was faithful to Mary and he cared for Jesus. He is a great model of a good father and husband. He did not let bad situations affect his judgment. He always courageously helped Mary and wisely guided Jesus out of trouble. St. Joseph, pray for us. Help us to be faithful to God.” – Matthew Dang, eighth grade, St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring

“I admire St. Joseph, because he was a very caring and loving father to Jesus. He is a great example of a father who sets an example for his kids of having a relationship with God and putting God first in their lives.” – Luis Chavez, eighth grade, St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring


“My dad Joe is one of the most admirable people I know. He is such a hard-working and caring person. He prioritizes his family over everything else. He makes great food and never fails to make me laugh.” – Luis Buenaflor, seventh grade, St. Andrew Apostle School, Silver Spring, Maryland


Sacred Heart School, Washington

Drawing by Julian Gomez, third grade, Sacred Heart School, Washington, D.C.


“I admire St. Joseph because he is such a wonderful father and husband. He is an amazing father because of all the things he has done for Jesus. He is also a wonderful husband because he took care of Mary by being loving toward her and making sure she was safe and comfortable, even if that meant bringing her to a stable to give birth. He even accepted Jesus (remember he’s half God) as his son.” – Joshua Jansen, fourth grade, Sacred Heart School, Washington, D.C.


“My grandpa is a ‘good Joe’ because he is a construction worker who works hard and earns money for his family during these hard times. He also taught me how to drive a tractor. His name is Douglas Joseph.” – Remy Mendez Lawrence, fourth grade, Sacred Heart School, Washington


St. Patrick Parish, Rockville

“This is a charcoal drawing I did of my Confirmation saint, St. Josephine Bakhita. She inspires me to be a better person and to be closer to Jesus because she never let her suffering through slavery take away her appreciation for finding God and peace. My favorite quote I found that she said about her Canossian Sisters after being freed from slavery is, ‘Those holy mothers instructed me with heroic patience and introduced me to that God who from childhood I had felt in my heart without knowing who He was.’” – Drawing and writing by Josie Moran, eighth grade religious education, St. Patrick's Parish, Rockville, Maryland


Drawing by Michael Hernandez, seventh grade, St. Columba School, Oxon Hill, Maryland

April Junior Saints

In April, we celebrate Easter. For the April Junior Saints, draw a picture of Jesus, and write about what Easter means to you. The drawings and writings should be emailed to [email protected] by April 13 to Mark Zimmermann, the Catholic Standard's editor, and they should include the name, grade and school or parish of the student printed clearly.

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