St. Joseph. Good old Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus. He was afraid to take Mary as his wife, because she was p.g., and he knew he wasn't the father. But an angel appeared to him in a dream, according to the Scriptures, and told him to fear not because Mary was going to have a baby by some miracle.

Joseph buckled down, never uttered a public word (as far as we know) about his doubts, and went on to provide Jesus and Mary with a good home after that fiasco in Bethlehem, where he couldn't find a room at the inn before Jesus was born.

There's an apocryphal account (an ancient writing that is not part of Scripture) that says Joseph was an old man at the time he was betrothed to Mary. This is probably because people had a hard time believing that a young man could be married to a beautiful young woman and not have sex with her. Some Christians have long been afflicted with the notion that sex is dirty, but that's changing. Today, there are some Christian theologians who take a position that, after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had other children. In fact, there are places in the Gospel where reference is made to the brothers of Jesus, adelphoi, a Greek term that always means brothers, not cousins. The bottom line, however, is this: we don't really know. In the meantime, Christians have a reverence for Joseph, a regard that has grown over the centuries. Not a bad idea, in a world that is somewhat screwed up because fathers do not always assume the obligations of fatherhood, taking proper care of their kids, and remaining faithful to their wives. As late as 1962, Pope John XXIII gave Joseph the honor of adding the name of Joseph to the Canon of the Mass.

Model: Joseph's virility, and his manliness. Whatever he did about sex, we believe he was a helluva good dad. Look at how well his boy turned out

Reach for the top. If you were born on March 19, you have the persistence to achieve your goals and the charm to influence people. Ruled by the number 1 and the Sun, you'll do anything to be number one.

Check your compass. Always double-check your direction, because once you get a goal in mind, you drive hellbent to the bitter end. Along the way, you are extremely attentive and self-motivated, able to work without much kudos or attention from others. Thoroughness is a word that describes you well. Self-awareness, however, is another story.

Your way. You are very concerned about making people see things your way. You may just be trying to distort reality to agree with your inner ideal of how things should be. As negative as this seems, your tenacity makes you very successful at swaying others.

A dreamer. You have the imagination to come up with big ideas and the determination to bring them to reality. Though you often act like you're in another world, you can be very forceful and businesslike. This makes you a bit of a paradox and may frustrate people.

Systematical. Some March 19 people are explorers tackling new frontiers, but most are practical hard workers who proceed methodically. If you are of the latter type, you roll straight ahead like a steamroller, your motives just and pure. You may even see yourself as a reformer, cleaning up all the wrongs of Dodge City. But due to personal biases, you may be running in the wrong direction.

Some advice: Step back from your large ego and take a look at yourself and your motives. Don't force people so much; respect their opinions, wants and desires.

Also born on this day:
David Livingstone (Scottish explorer) Wyatt Earp (US marshal, Tombstone AZ)Sir Richard Burton (British orientalist, adventurer) William Jennings Bryan (Democratic party leader, prosecuted Scopes trial) Earl Warren (US Supreme Court justice) Glenn Close (actress) Albert Pinkham Ryder (landscape painter) Bruce Willis (actor) Moms Mabley (comedian, singer) John Sirica (Watergate judge) Philip Roth (novelist) Irving Wallace (novelist) Lennie Tristano (jazz pianist) Courtney Pine (jazz saxophonist)