Joseph Custos: The Role of Saint Joseph in a Thirteenth-Century Office and Mass for His Feast

ABSTRACT:This article presents the earliest known liturgical Office and Mass in honor of St. Joseph, composed in the thirteenth century at the monastery of St.-Laurent in Liege. The Office is introduced by an overview of the development of the liturgical cult of St. Joseph. The ideas expressed in this Office and Mass are analyzed with special reference to the selection of Matins readings and the newly composed liturgical texts. The Office of St.-Laurent describes St. Joseph's virtues and casts his relationships to Jesus and Mary primarily within the context of service, as a guardian or caregiver, rather than in the context of family life.