No words of St. Joseph are recorded In Scripture. In fact. little mention is made of him there. Yet. despite these seeming limitations. the Church nonetheless possesses an indescribably rich knowledge of St. Joseph and of his cultus. This book will astound most readers both with its scope and with its profundity. Based mainly on Scripture. but supported also by Tradition and the depositions of saints. it is a carefully reasoned analysis of the entirety of that great saint's role in the history of Salvation and the life of the Church. Includes details about his spiritual life and noble lineage; how he was prefigured in the Old Testament; his relationship to Mary and Jesus; why he has been named by Pope Pius IX "The Patron of the Universal Church;" and so forth. Many beautiful insights. 516 pgs. PB

Edward Healy Thompson, M.A., was born at Rutland, England and converted to Catholicism in 1846 after practicing the Anglican faith. He received his education from Emmanuel College in Cambridge as well as from Oakham School. He devoted a great portion of his life to religious literature, and authored such works as The Life and Glories of Saint Joseph, Remarks on Certain Anglican Theories of Unity, and A Few Earnest Thoughts on the Duty of Communion with the Catholic Church. Edward Thompson was the brother of poet Francis Thompson and the husband of Harriet Calvert, who also became a convert. He died at Gloucestershire on May 21, 1891.