St. Joseph Coloring Page

The story of St. Joseph

Joseph lived in the little town of Nazareth about two thousand years ago. He was a carpenter, a man who worked with wood and stone, and he came from the family of the great King David. The Bible calls him a "just man," which means a good man who did what was right.

Joseph was going to marry a young woman named Mary. Then he learned that Mary was going to have a baby. Joseph was worried and did not know what to do. But one night an angel came to him in a dream and said, "Do not be afraid." Mary's baby was the Son of God! So Joseph took Mary into his home, and when the baby was born in Bethlehem, Joseph gave Him the name the angel had told him: Jesus.

Joseph had more dreams from God. Once an angel warned him that a wicked king wanted to hurt the baby. Joseph woke Mary in the night, and they hurried all the way to Egypt to keep Jesus safe.

Later the family went home to Nazareth. St. Joseph worked hard to feed his family, and he taught Jesus how to be a carpenter too. The Bible never tells us a single word Joseph said. He listened to God and did what God asked, quietly and with love.

What to color

• The Child Jesus: Joseph holds Him close because God trusted Joseph to care for His Son. Give Jesus a golden halo.
• The lily: white with a green stem. It stands for Joseph's pure heart and the legend of his flowering staff.
• The carpenter's tools: gray for the saw and hammer, brown for the handles. Joseph is the patron saint of workers.
• The workbench and wood shavings: light brown and tan.
• Joseph's clothes: brown, gold, green or purple, as in many statues.
• Nazareth: sandy colors for the houses and blue for the sky.

A prayer to pray together

Pope Francis wrote a prayer to St. Joseph in his letter Patris corde (2020). Here is part of it:

Blessed Joseph, to us too,

show yourself a father

and guide us in the path of life.

St. Joseph, pray for us. You can find more prayers to St. Joseph for older children and grown-ups.

Ideas for families and classrooms

• Color the page for his feast on March 19, or for St. Joseph the Worker on May 1.
• Build something together out of wood, blocks or craft sticks, and offer the work to God.
• Talk about it: Joseph listened to God even when it was hard. When is it hard for you to listen?
• Help set up a St. Joseph's Table, a custom of sharing food with the poor on his feast.
• Thank your dad, grandpa or a man who takes care of you, and pray for fathers.