One of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Old Testament, Joel is venerated for a short but vivid book of prophecy and repentance.

Joel is the Old Testament prophet whose short book, one of the Twelve Minor Prophets, calls Israel to repentance following a devastating locust plague and looks forward to the outpouring of God’s Spirit, a passage later cited in the Acts of the Apostles at Pentecost. Like most Old Testament prophets, his precise dates and biography are not fixed with certainty, and his memory belongs to the pre-Christian biblical period.

Quick Facts

• Died: date not established (pre-Christian era)
• Venerated as: Prophet, one of the Twelve Minor Prophets

Who Was Saint Joel?

Joel is known through his short prophetic book, which opens with a call to lament a devastating locust plague as a sign calling Israel to repentance, and closes with a promise that God will one day pour out his Spirit on all humanity. The source record identifies him simply as one of the Twelve Prophets, with no securely established date or place. His veneration, like that of the other Minor Prophets, rests on his place in Scripture rather than a documented personal history.

Historical Setting

Scholars continue to debate when Joel prophesied, with proposals ranging across several centuries of Israel’s history, and the book itself gives few concrete historical markers beyond the locust plague that occasions its opening chapters. What the Church venerates is his place within the prophetic tradition of the Old Testament rather than a documented individual biography.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Joel

Joel is remembered chiefly for the prophecy that God would pour out his spirit on all flesh, words that Saint Peter quotes at Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles to explain the descent of the Holy Spirit on the early Church. This connection has given Joel a lasting place in Christian as well as Jewish tradition, well beyond what is known of him personally.

Canonization and Feast Day

As with the other Old Testament prophets, Joel was never subject to any canonization process. His veneration rests on his inclusion among the just of the Old Covenant recognized by ancient Jewish and Christian tradition, and on his enduring place in the Church’s Scripture and liturgy.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Joel’s call to Israel to rend their hearts and not their garments remains a sharp reminder that outward religious observance means little without genuine interior repentance. His prophecy invites self-examination that goes beneath appearances to real change of heart.

A Prayer to Saint Joel

Holy Joel, prophet who called your people to true repentance of heart, intercede for us, that we may turn back to God not merely in outward show but in the depths of our hearts. Amen.

Sources

• Roman Martyrology
• Book of Joel, Old Testament
• New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia