One difference between Catholics and Protestants is the status given to saints.
Saints are outstanding followers of Christ, distinguished by their strong faith and moral life. Often they have been heroes; while others have lived quieter lives. Martyrs are those killed for their faith, provided they themselves were not violent.
A Christian soldier who dies in a good cause cannot be considered a martyr. Neither can any Christian who legitimately defends himself be declared a martyr. Therefore a Christian martyr is the exact opposite of a suicide bomber, who kills himself and others.
Naturally Protestants respect all outstanding followers of Christ, but they generally do not give them public honor and do not pray to them seeking their support and intercession with Christ. This is true even for Mary and Joseph the parents of Jesus.
Joseph the husband of Mary rarely gets much publicity even at Christmas time, when attention is focused on Mary and her baby.
All mainline Christians believe that Mary truly was the mother of Jesus, but that Joseph was not his father as Jesus was divine. Divine fatherhood is also claimed for some ancient heroes, but Christians do not see the Christmas story as yet another example of myth making. The Christian claim is that this is the true historical event hinted at by all the other fabulous stories of divine fatherhood; a miraculous happening, accepted in faith.
In those days women were stoned to death for adultery (as still happens in some parts of the world) and the gospels tell us that Joseph was opting rather for a quiet divorce, when he realized Mary was pregnant and he was not the father. Only after divine reassurance in a dream did he continue with the marriage.
The gospels tell us little about him and nothing about his birth or death, except that two different genealogies list him as a descendent of King David. While he is always described as a carpenter, the Greek gospel term means craftsman and he is also described as a just man, a strict observer of the Jewish law.
In those days there were no adolescents, only an abrupt transition from childhood, so that most women were married at 12 or 13 years of age, while the men were 3 or 4 years older.
Ancient tradition, both in writing and in art, depicts Joseph as an older man, a plausible theory. In a moral sense Joseph was Jesus' father, providing the fatherly love, masculine example and wise nurture which helped Jesus grow into an extraordinary adult man.
Most Christians believe Mary always remained a virgin and some ancient traditions claim that Joseph had been married previously, so that his children were "the brothers" of Jesus mentioned in the gospels. This also is plausible.
Joseph lived a quiet difficult life, strong in faith and love; a brilliantly successful father in a blended family.
