STANNUS: St. Joseph, a saint of our own?

Jane Stannus is a writer and translator from eastern CanadaAs we hang up our greenery and put away the shamrocks for another year, here's an idea: Canada needs its own St. Patrick's Day. Actually, it needs its own St. Patrick.We have snakes all over the place in Canada, and they urgently need to be driven out: nefarious actors, nefarious ideas, nefarious legislators, courts and institutions seeking to bully us into a brave new world we never wanted.Ideas, no matter how good, aren't the best unifiers. St. Patrick is the proof: the best unifiers are persons. On March 17, everyone wants to be Irish and everyone wears green.Imagine the day was renamed Ireland Day. Outside of Ireland, nobody would care. Green Day? Nope, that’s no good (and besides, a band got there first).Celtic Heritage Day? It would be a snooze fest. But St. Patrick's Day? Now you've got a person to rally around.With St. Patrick, the Irish have a guardian of Ireland's grandeur, history and national ideals. They’ve got a hero who, when he was alive, risked everything for something greater than himself. Now he’s dead, they’ve got a saint, an ambassador for his people both in the courts of heaven and in the pubs and playing fields of Earth.Do most people think about the deeper meaning of St. Patrick’s Day? Maybe not. But that’s not the point. The point is, St. Patrick stands for everything good about Ireland, past, present and future--and everyone knows it. Who stands for everything good about Canada?Canada is in full identity crisis. Demoralized by the Liberal ideal of a post-national state, shamed by the black legend of the residential schools, degraded by moral standards that have fallen through the floor, ill-represented by politicians who deny our core identity, who can't resolve our internal tensions, and who fail us repeatedly on the international stage — who are we?"Not American," some would say, vaguely gesturing towards Tim Hortons, maple syrup, and hockey. But there’s a growing feeling across Canada that, as nice as those things are, they simply aren’t enough.Hey, if the Irish can have a patron saint, why can’t we? Well actually, we do. In Canada, our official patron is St. Joseph — and St. Joseph’s Day is today, March 19.Way back in 1624 — just over 400 years ago — one of the first missionaries consecrated Canada to St. Joseph. It was a formal act, entrusting the land and all its peoples to the protection of St. Joseph. With the pope’s approval, St. Joseph formally became to Canada what St. Patrick is to Ireland.Patron saints aren’t a novelty in Commonwealth history. The Union Jack is composed of the crosses of St. George for England, St. Andrew for Scotland, and St. Patrick for Ireland. On Canada’s old flag, the Red Ensign, those crosses appeared, maintaining our link with the saints and heritage of Great Britain.The new flag left the Union Jack out, leaving space for a new identity to be forged — a space that Trudeau, and now Carney, are making haste to fill with post-nationalism, anti-religious policies, and a culture of drugs, depression, and legalized euthanasia. If Canadians don’t fight to reclaim that space, we’ll lose it.From San Josef Bay on Vancouver Island, to St. Joseph's, Newfoundland, the founders, explorers, and driving forces who built our nation, paid homage to Joseph over and over again. Literally thousands upon thousands of geographical locations are named for him. At a quick count, at least 75 Canadian lakes and waterways bear his name today. Numerous mountains and islands do as well — along with at least 50 towns, villages and communities across Canada. Imagine 50 communities named after Wayne Gretzky.Joseph’s example is exactly what Canadians need today. Famously silent — he doesn’t say a single word in the Gospels — he quietly figures out what’s needed and gets the job done. That’s the that kind of man Canadians admire. At a time when moral depravity is all around us, Joseph, protector of Our Lady and of the Child Jesus, teaches us to keep high moral standards and to defend the sanctity of family life.A carpenter and small businessman, Joseph knew about working with his hands, taking care of his family, and dealing with difficult political situations. When Herod was killing all the children aged two and under, Joseph kept his cool and got his loved ones to a place of safety. He is a model of the unpretentious courage and strength that Canada, at its best, has always shown.Above all, Joseph shows Canadians that putting God’s law first, makes people generous and willing to serve the common good. In his name, countless schools were built, hospitals were opened (the Sisters of St. Joseph alone founded 42 Canadian hospitals), and charitable initiatives were launched. Despite the secularization of the Canadian health system, nearly 70 health care facilities, from Edmonton to Toronto, are still named in his honour.Countless Canadians are named for him too, both those of indigenous and of immigrant descent. Chief Joseph Brant, Rocket Richard, and John Abbott, Canada’s first native-born prime minister, all had one name in common—that of Joseph. One of Canada's great spiritual figures, Brother Andre of Montreal, was famous for his dedication to St. Joseph. Thanks to his efforts, the magnificent architectural structure of St. Joseph's Oratory was built on Mount Royal, to be seen today by anyone flying in or out of Montreal.March 19 is St. Joseph’s Day, so it’s a good day to wear Canadian red and white, or maybe enjoy a little maple whiskey on the rocks. And don’t forget to raise your glass to St. Joseph, whose day it is on March 19. Never have we more desperately needed a patron — and Joseph’s our man.Jane Stannus is a writer and translator from eastern Canada.

STANNUS: St. Joseph, a saint of our own?

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