The Seven Guilds of the St. Joseph Project

Great churches have never been built by a few. In the great age of church building, the guilds were the hands of the work — stonemasons and goldsmiths, bakers and farmers, each trade bound together to raise cathedrals that still stand a thousand years later. They built because they believed what we believe: that the treasures of the Faith are not ours to keep, but ours to hand on.

We have revived that tradition. Every benefactor of the St. Joseph Project belongs to a guild, and every guild is placed under the patronage of a saint whose feast the parish will keep.

  • Patron: Saint Eligius · Feast: December 1

    Five-year pledges of $1,000,000 and above

    From $200,000/year — about $16,667/month — over five years

    Eligius, master goldsmith to kings, gave his fortune to the Church and the poor — and became a bishop and a saint.

    Guild Ideal: Custodians of treasure - intimately tied to crown and altar.

  • Patron: Saint Thomas the Apostle · Feast: December 21

    Five-year pledges of $250,000 to $999,000

    From $50,000/year — about $4,167/month — over five years

    Thomas, apostle and — by ancient tradition — builder of churches in the East, is the patron of architects and builders.

    Guild Ideal: Designers of sacred spaces; shapers of the skyline.

  • Patron: Saint Luke the Evangelist · Feast: October 18

    Five-year pledges of $100,000 to $249,000

    From $20,000/year — about $1,667/month — over five years

    Luke, the beloved physician and evangelist, healed bodies and wrote the Gospel of Our Lady.

    Guild Ideal: Guardians of health, learning, and the healing arts.

  • Patron: Saint Jerome · Feast: September 30

    Five-year pledges of $50,000 to $99,000

    From $10,000/year — about $833/month — over five years

    Jerome, doctor of the Church and translator of the Scriptures, gave the faithful the Word in their own tongue.

    Guild Ideal: Preservers and transmitters of knowledge and Scripture.

  • Patron: Saint Vincent of Saragossa · Feast: January 22

    Five-year pledges of $20,000 to $49,000

    From $4,000/year — about $333/month — over five years

    Vincent, deacon and martyr, is honored as patron of vintners — of labor that bears fruit in season.

    Guild Ideal: Providers of wine for table and altar; sustainers of daily life.

  • Patron: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary · Feast: November 19

    Five-year pledges of $9,000 to $19,000

    From $1,800/year — $150/month — over five years

    Elizabeth, the queen who baked bread for the poor with her own hands, shows that steady, hidden generosity builds the Kingdom.

    Guild Ideal: Feeders of the city; essential to both feast and survival.

  • Patron: Saint Isidore the Farmer · Feast: May 15

    Five-year pledges of $1,000 to $8,900

    From $200/year — about $17/month — over five years

    Isidore, the humble farmer whose fields the angels tended while he prayed, is proof that no faithful gift is small in the eyes of God.

    Guild Ideal: Providers for families; stewards of the land and home.