St. Joseph Resin Statue,The Worker Home Kit, 5" (12.7 cm)

The legend of St. Joseph the Home Seller

St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ, is honored as the patron saint of married couples, families, carpenters and workingmen. March 19, his feast day is especially celebrated by people of Italian and Polish descent.

Over the years, a tradition arose of St. Joseph having a special power in real estate transactions. European nuns buried a medal with his likeness on property they hoped to acquire for convents. Gradually the medals were replaced with statues and the focus changed from buying to selling.

The reason behind using this particular saint are Joseph's strong connections with families, homes and moving. Joseph moved his family twice; from Bethlehem to Egypt to escape King Herold, who wanted to kill Baby Jesus; and later, after Herod died, from Egypt back to his and Mary's hometown, Nazareth.

Today, people of all religious denominations follow the tradition of using a St. Joseph statue to help sell their home. They bury it upside down with the feet pointing to heaven. Some face him toward the home; others face him away, towards the new home. The location varies as well: near the «For Sale» sign, in the back yard, in one corner, in a flower pot (favored by condo owners). After the buyer has secured financing and the deal is sealed, the statue is removed and given a place of honor in the seller's new home.

N.B.: when the article is not in stock and is "available on order", allow a lead time of about 3 weeks.