60 Years of St. Joseph
On May 1, 2026, the Feast Day of St. Joseph the Worker, we had a little ceremony to bless a new statue in honor of our patron saint.
The statue is a gift from a generous benefactor in memory of his sister. Holding the Christ Child in his arms, St. Joseph now stands in the front yard of our Crisis Center on Boundary Street. He welcomes all to our place of ministry.
Incidentally, the statue was installed on March 19, which is the solemn feast day of St. Joseph. It wasn’t planned that way, St. Joseph made it happen!
St. Joseph is the model for what we do. He cared for Jesus and His mother Mary out of love for them, and through his labor he was their provider. He gave them a home and put food on the table. We take the same approach in our ministry. With love we help the homeless, the hungry, struggling families—anyone in need. We do whatever we can to provide the basic necessities of life. Our Lord said what we do for the least among us, we do for Him (Mt 25:40). Thus, our work mirrors what Joseph did for Jesus in a direct and profound way.
May 1 was also the 60th anniversary of the dedication of the first Joseph House in Baltimore. For 60 years and counting, St. Joseph has been our partner in helping the poor. His prayers never let us down. He intercedes for us before the Lord to make sure we have everything we need.
Take a look at the statue: Joseph holds Jesus in his arms as a loving father, showing the close relationship between them. As the Gospel tells us, the Son of God obeyed His earthly father too (Lk 2:51). Accordingly, we can with full confidence ask Joseph to pray for us. His intercession carries a certain “weight.” With St. Joseph on our side, we can rest assured that we are in the hands of Divine Providence.
Sr. Mary Elizabeth Gintling, our founder, placed St. Joseph as the guardian and provider of the Joseph House. Now we have a visible sign that our ministry continues under his watchful gaze. The Christ Child in his arms is a reminder that our humble surroundings are, in fact, holy ground, a modern-day Nazareth, a place to encounter God under the guise of the ordinary.
Renovations and upgrades are underway at the Crisis Center. More information will be forthcoming.
St. Joseph is working hard for us – and the community is too! That’s been the story of the Joseph House. We are grateful for everyone’s support. Special thanks go to the donor who gave us the beautiful statue and is providing funds for enhancements to the Crisis Center.
Thanks be to God for His wondrous love and all His blessings!
Sr. Marilyn (left) welcomed everyone and spoke about the importance of St. Joseph to the life of faith and to the Joseph House.
Mike Gilchrist, Director of the Crisis Center, read a sermon from St. Bernadine of Siena about St. Joseph.
Fr. Chris LaBarge, Pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish, blessed the statue with holy water.
Under the shade of a nearby tree, we continued the celebration with peanut butter cookies, iced tea and lemonade.
“Go to Joseph” (Gen 41:55). This directive transcends the events of Genesis and is good advice for anyone seeking help.