Devotion to St. Joseph is widespread throughout the Catholic Church. Although the Bible says relatively little about him, the Gospels portray a man whose life was completely devoted to protecting and providing for the Holy Family.

For many believers, Joseph stands as a powerful spiritual protector. Father Tommaso Gigliola, parish priest of San Giuseppe al Trionfale in Rome, describes why the saint remains so beloved today.

“St. Joseph is the saint par excellence because he is the saint who above all gives us the idea of someone who watches over us, who protects us, someone who is close to us, someone who, above all, has experienced the trials and hardships that we also live.”

In the Church’s Divine Praises, St. Joseph is called Mary’s “most chaste spouse.” This title points to the heart of his greatness—his purity and his unique relationship with the Virgin Mary.

Because of this virtue, St. Joseph is often depicted in sacred art holding white lilies, a symbol of purity. Father Gigliola explains that the symbolism goes far beyond physical chastity.

“The white lily represents the virtue of purity and chastity, […] but a chastity that is not only in reference to the body, but a chastity that also concerns our feelings, the heart, and our affections. […] When we have feelings of possession or exploitation toward the person we love, we are not pure, we are not chaste. In this way, I think that the chastity of St. Joseph, beyond that of the body, is also a chastity that concerns the mind and our thoughts.”

A Model of True Love

In today’s culture, chastity is often misunderstood or dismissed as unrealistic. Many people struggle with temptations that range from pornography to broader distortions of sexuality and relationships.

In this environment, St. Joseph offers a radically different vision of love.

Caroline Guinee, a devotee of St. Joseph, sees in him a model of authentic masculinity and strength.

“He is patient and meek and humble, and he just has a lot of interior strength within him. And I would say that he just embodies true masculinity. […] So when I started looking of what kind of virtues I want in a future spouse, I looked to the virtues of St. Joseph.”

Her devotion began while studying at Thomas Aquinas College in the United States. After daily Mass, she would often stop to pray before a statue of St. Joseph.

“Every day, I would go and kneel in front of the statue after Mass, and I would ask St. Joseph for the courage to enter the religious life if that’s what God wanted for me. And if not, that he would guide me to a man that had his virtues and help me grow in the virtues of his wife, so a man with his virtues would be attracted to me as well.”

Many Catholics turn to St. Joseph with similar intentions—praying novenas for a good spouse, asking his help to grow in purity, or entrusting their hopes for a holy family to his fatherly intercession.

Reflecting on Joseph’s relationship with Mary, Guinee says his love was marked by self-giving and respect.

“He practiced chastity, which is, you know, having control over your sexual passions. And when you have that in order, it really allows you to love someone for their heart and soul instead of like their exterior beauty, which is still a good thing, but it really focuses on the dignity of the person and loving them for their heart and soul. And I think that’s what St. Joseph did for Mary. He loved her very purely and he did it totally sacrificially, all for her without expecting anything in return in that regard.”

Chastity in Every State of Life

The Church also points to other saints who lived the virtue of chastity “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven,” including early Christian martyrs such as St. Agnes, St. Agatha, and St. Cecilia.

Unlike many virgin martyrs who refused marriage altogether, St. Cecilia entered into marriage but persuaded her husband to respect her vow of chastity. Eventually, he converted to Christianity, and the two lived a shared life of faith before both were martyred.

Sister Margaret Truran, a Benedictine nun at the Monastery of St. Cecilia in Trastevere, recounts the story of Cecilia’s wedding.

“During the ceremony with all the musicians playing beautifully and all the singers singing, she sang in her heart, she treated it as her own marriage to Christ, her wedding to Christ. She explained that she was already given in heart, mind and soul. It’s like chastity. And Valerian accepted that.”

For Sister Margaret, Cecilia’s story highlights an important truth: chastity is not limited to religious life but is a virtue meant for every Christian.

“Chastity is not just a case of not being married, it’s much more than that. Whatever you do, you can, you know, if you’re married, it’s the same thing, you exercise chastity in the marriage. You’re giving yourself, and that’s what she did.”

Saints Who Defended the Virtue

Another powerful witness to this virtue is St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the Church’s greatest theologians and Doctors of the Church.

As a young man, Aquinas faced fierce opposition from his family when he chose to join the Dominican Order. According to tradition, they locked him in a tower and even sent a woman to tempt him in hopes he would abandon his vocation.

Father Philip-Neri Reese, O.P., director of the Angelicum Thomistic Institute, recounts what happened next.

“As the story of his life goes, he was gifted with a vision of two angels who wrapped a cord around his waist, and from that moment forward, he never struggled with temptations against chastity. And I think that’s a really remarkable aspect of the virtue and the character and the life of someone who ordinarily we think of as one of the greatest teachers that the Church has ever known, right? For St. Thomas, clarity of mind and purity of heart, purity of body come together.”

The Beauty of a Forgotten Virtue

Through the witness of St. Joseph and countless saints throughout history, the Church continues to present chastity as a path not of restriction, but of authentic love.

Far from denying love, the virtue safeguards it—helping believers love others with the same purity, sacrifice, and reverence that characterized the life of the foster father of Jesus.

In a world that often misunderstands it, chastity remains a reminder that true freedom and love flourish when lived according to God’s plan.

Adapted by Jacob Stein. Produced by Alexey Gotovskiy; Camera by Alberto Basile.