The Feast of St. Joseph - March the 19th is a solemnity.  Joseph is the Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary - and so the "earthly" father of Jesus.  He is the Parton of the Universal Church, and with the North american Martyrs - is the Co-Patron of Canada.

The earliest Christian records, the Letters of St. Paul make no reference to Jesus' father, and nor does the Gospel of Mark, the first of the Gospels. The first appearance of Joseph is in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, one of which trace Joseph's lineage back to King David.
 Matthew and Luke are also the only Gospels to include the infancy narratives: The Birth of Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke, we hear how Joseph was a Protector of Mary, they travel to Bethlehem in compliance with the requirements of a Roman census. In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear the account of the Angel visiting Joseph and and reassuring him that Mary's Pregnancy is of supernatural means. Matthew is the only Gospel to include the narrative of the Massacre of the Innocents and the Flight into Egypt: following the nativity, Joseph stays in Bethlehem for an unspecified period (perhaps two years) until forced by Herod to take refuge in Egypt; on the death of Herod he brings his family back to Palestine, and settles in Nazareth. After this point there is no further mention of Joseph by name, although the story of Jesus in the Temple, in Jesus' 12th year, includes a reference to "both his parents". Christian tradition represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her son.[Jn. 19:26-27]The gospels describe Joseph as a "tekton" (τέκτων); traditionally the word has been taken to mean "carpenter", though the Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone. Very little other information on Joseph is given in the Gospels, in which he never speaks.

I often think Joseph gets short shift - look at how many Christmas cards have only an image of Mary with the child Jesus!

For many men with French Canadian heritage - Joseph is almost always included in the name.  Both my father and I have Joseph as our middle names.  Certainly the Oratory of St. Joseph (where recently canonized Canadian - St. André - was porter) on Mount Royal in Montreal has been an influence in Catholicism in Quebec for generations.
Today is also Father's Day in Europe - a wonderful connection to the important role model St. Joseph is for fathers!

A zeppola (plural zeppole, in southern dialects zeppoli) or St. Joseph's Day cake, also called sfinge, and in Rome Bignè di S. Giuseppe, is a pastry typical of Roman, Neapolitan and generally peninsular Italian cuisine. They are also served in Sicily and on the island of Malta. Commonly light-weight, deep-fried dough balls about 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter, these doughnuts or fritters are usually topped with powdered sugar and may be filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream or a butter-and-honey mixture. Their consistency ranges from light and puffy, to bread or pasta-like.
Zeppole are traditionally consumed on La Festa di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph's Day).  In Rome, Naples and Sicily and Malta, these little pastries are sold on many streets and are sometimes gifts on this day. They are also common in communities with people of Canadian-Italian heritage, like us in Bolton!

The custom was popularized in the early 19th century by the Neapolitan baker Pasquale Pintauro.

Peace