Hundreds of people in Rome joined celebrations organized by the Parish Basilica of St. Joseph al Trionfale in Rome to celebrate the March 19 solemnity of St. Joseph.

Festivities began March 9 with a vigil Mass at the parish to commence the March 10–18 novena leading up to the feast day dedicated to the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

For the jubilee year, the relics of St. Joseph’s cloak and Our Lady’s veil were on display inside St. Joseph al Trionfale for public veneration for four days from March 16–19.

It is believed the relics belonging to the parents of Jesus were hidden in the Basilica of Sant’Anastasia, located near the Circus Maximus, for more than 1,600 years after St. Jerome brought the relics to Rome in the fourth century.

Devotion to the holy cloak of St. Joseph has expanded beyond Rome. For American visitor Gina Pribaz, the holy patron of the universal Church is an important saint for her family.

“When I was expecting my first child and experiencing difficulty, I asked St. Joseph for his intercession — my daughter was born on his feast day,” Pribaz told CNA on Wednesday.

“Being able to venerate the relic of his cloak moved me; it helped me feel close to the real man who guided and protected the Holy Family and can do the same for our families now,” she said.

The 30-day Holy Cloak prayer devotion, which includes the recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph, has spread throughout the world. Each of the 30 days represents a year in the 30 years of Jesus’ hidden life — before he began his public ministry — under the protection of St. Joseph.

Wednesday’s celebrations at St. Joseph al Trionfale included six Masses; an afternoon street procession with the parish’s St. Joseph statue, accompanied by the Lazio region’s band orchestra and state police; food and games for children, including St. Joseph cream puff pastries; and an evening fireworks display.

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.

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