St. Joseph has been the official patron saint of Canada since 1840, but unofficially since 1615 when the missionary Father Joseph Le Caron dedicated the country to the spouse of the Virgin Mary. Why Le Caron made the dedication is unknown, although one suspects that he had a special devotion to his saintly namesake. His dedication gained traction and now has substantial history behind it. 

Our country is now in a time of trial because of immoderate nationalism taking hold of the country to our south. Despite the current threat, I have heard little about the importance of invoking St. Joseph to protect and strengthen Canada. We might urge him to intercede so our country gains a sense of what it means to be nation, that is, for us to become patriots.

The word “patriot” has had a checkered history, sometimes associated with armed insurgents battling foreign conquerors. Other times, it is viewed as a stuffy old idea that has little to do with our bright, shiny world of technological advance. 

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The Catholic Church has always viewed patriotism as a virtue, and today we need to be clear in how it differs from nationalism. Patriotism has emotional roots in the love of one’s country. However, emotional attachment does not make one a patriot. 

What does one love? Most generally, the patriot loves the truth, goodness and beauty found in their country. One has gratitude for the nation’s past and a yearning for its future greatness. That love leads to an active commitment to contribute to the betterment of the community. 

Study of the country’s history and travel to its various regions nurture patriotic feelings. You cannot love what you do not know. However, those who are grateful for the blessings their nation bestows and are willing to sacrifice for its future deserve the name of patriot. That willingness is why we honour those who fought and died for Canada in war.

However, the State is not the primary object of patriotic love. The patriot is often not only dismayed by government actions but also argues for reform. You can love your country without loving its government.

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Here is where patriotism diverges from nationalism. Nationalism also has an emotional foundation but one quite different than patriotism. The nationalist is motivated by a sense of grievance and believes in their nation’s superiority over other nations. Nationalists will rationalize the evil their country’s leaders perpetrate if it diminishes their enemies. The nationalist is wary of strangers. Their interest is more often in domination of minorities and their country’s foes than in collaboration and respect. The result can be a desire to impose their country’s supposed virtues on other nations and even to an imperialist militarism. Imperialism can take other forms as well – financial, cultural and the theft of resources. 

The American Catholic moralist Germain Grisez once wrote of patriotism, “If a nation is to be truly great, it must treat other nations justly and generously.”

The imposition of tariffs is not inherently unjust, but if they are enacted to cause hardship to others then they are indisputably immoral. 

The true patriot looks to the common good, not only of their own nation but of other countries too. They seek mutual collaboration with those countries and will reach out with generosity when they endure situations of poverty, disaster and despair.

The practice of the Christian religion and other faiths contribute to a nation’s general welfare. Religion is not a private virtue. When we uphold a transcendent foundation for meaning and value, our personal desires must take a back seat to what is objectively good. Christians should provide an alternative to the view that humans create their own values independent of any divine source. Such independence may sound like freedom, but it leads to a system of slavery where the powerful impose their interests on the weak.

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One catastrophe of modern times is the loss of our sense of rootedness. The philosopher Simone Weil in the 1920s wrote, “The loss of the past, both collective and individual, is the great human tragedy.” Industrial development, rural depopulation, the creeping power of the State and the secular mindset are major factors robbing people of their roots. 

These and other social forces impede the reemergence of patriotism. Yet, if we are only the victims of social forces, we have no hope. In that light, we cannot forget our saintly patron. Joseph is on our side, and we would do well to invoke him in cherishing our nation’s past and yearning for its happy and just future.