The Oblates of St. Joseph
The
Oblates of St. Joseph were founded in Turin, Italy, by St. Giuseppe Marello in 1878, to care for the elderly and handicapped, and to open an orphanage for boys. Marello chose St. Joseph as special patron of the community, originally called the “Company of Saint Joseph.”
“What Fr. Marello most admired about St. Joseph was his sole desire to serve Jesus and to do so in a way that attracted no attention whatsoever to himself,” says the order’s website.
The Oblates’ work includes spreading devotion to St. Joseph, pastoral work in areas suffering a lack of clergy, Christian formation and guidance of young people, caring for the elderly, immigrants and the poor, spiritual direction and retreats, and foreign missions. They run the
Shrine of St. Joseph in Santa Cruz, California.
© Oblates of St. Joseph