Today, March 20, is the solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary.
Principal Protector of the Carmelite Order.
Patron of the Universal Church.
The liturgical feast of St. Joseph already appeared in the Carmelite Order in the second half of the 15th century. In 1680, the Carmelite General Chapter unanimously elected St. Joseph as the Principal Protector of the Carmelite Order.
In 1847, Pope Pius IX declared him as Patron of the Universal Church. Pope St. John XXIII inserted his name in the Roman Canon.