The Patron Saint of Funeral Directors
Posted on 6th September 2019 at 15:07
Did you know that Saint Joseph of Arimathea is the Patron Saint of Funeral Directors?
According to the Gospels Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy merchant and a follower of Christ and he is said to have been an uncle to the Virgin Mary.
He made his money trading metals, which took him to the northern reaches of the Roman Empire, including the tin mines of Cornwall.
As an account for some of the 'lost' years between childhood and ministry, it is claimed Joseph took Jesus with him on one of these trips, hence William Blake's Jerusalem:
"And did those feet in ancient time,
walk upon England's mountains green?
and was the Holy Lamb of God,
on England's pleasant pastures seen?"
After the crucifixion Joseph asked Pontius Pilate for permission to take Christ's body from the cross at Calvary and prepare him for burial.
He cleaned Christ's body, anointed it with oils, shrouded it in linen and carried it to a cave tomb he had actually prepared for his own use.
Joseph of Arimathea took great care of a loved-one after death; in the same way Funeral Directors do now.
St Joseph of Arimathea shares his Saints Day; 17th March, with Saint Patrick
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