Year of St. Joseph

These prayer cards are available in The Gathering Place, next to our statue of St. Joseph.

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
 
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.
 
From Patris Corde.


Icon of St. Joseph in the Abbey of St. Peter, Modena, Italy. ©Jozef Sedmak | www.dreamstime.com

Year of St.Joseph | December 8, 2020 - December 8, 2021

From Patris Corde:

After Mary, the Mother of God, no saint is mentioned more frequently in the papal magisterium than Joseph, her spouse. My Predecessors reflected on the message contained in the limited information handed down by the Gospels in order to appreciate more fully his central role in the history of salvation. Blessed Pius IX declared him “Patron of the Catholic Church,” Venerable Pius XII proposed him as “Patron of Workers,” and Saint John Paul II as “Guardian of the Redeemer.” Saint Joseph is universally invoked as the “patron of a happy death.”

Now, one hundred and fifty years after his proclamation as Patron of the Catholic Church by Blessed Pius IX (8 December 1870), I would like to share some personal reflections on this extraordinary figure, so close to our own human experience. For, as Jesus says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34). My desire to do so increased during these months of pandemic, when we experienced, amid the crisis, how “our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history. Doctors, nurses, storekeepers and supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caregivers, transport workers, men and women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests, men and women religious, and so very many others. They understood that no one is saved alone… How many people daily exercise patience and offer hope, taking care to spread not panic, but shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusting their routines, looking ahead and encouraging the practice of prayer. How many are praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all.” Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.

What is the significance of consecrating yourself to St. Joseph?
It implies that you acknowledge that he is your spiritual father, and you want to be like him. To show it, you entrust yourself entirely into his paternal care so that he can help you acquire his virtues and become holy. Total consecration to St. Joseph means you make a formal act of filial entrustment to your spiritual father so that he can take care of your spiritual well-being and lead you to God. The person who consecrates him/herself to St. Joseph wants to be as close to their spiritual father as possible, to the point of resembling him in virtue and holiness. Saint Joseph, in turn, will give those consecrated to him, his undivided attention, protection, and guidance.
 
If you have already consecrated yourself to the Virgin Mary, can you be consecrated to St. Joseph, as well?
The answer is a resounding “Yes!” God desires that all children be committed to the care of a mother and a father. You are not a member of a single-parent spiritual family. Mary is your spiritual mother, and St. Joseph is your spiritual father. The spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph is extremely important for your spiritual growth. Total consecration to Mary is not diminished by total consecration to St. Joseph. Mary wants you to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! Jesus wants you to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! Everything you have given to Jesus and Mary can also be given to St. Joseph. The hearts of Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph are one.
 
Program Overview
The Consecration to St. Joseph emulates the tried-and-true preparation method employed by St. Louis de Montfort in his Marian consecration, highlighting many of St. Joseph’s titles, privileges, and heroic virtues. The program of preparation and consecration is comparable to going on a mini-retreat for 33 days. Individuals will spend about 20-30 minutes a day on a short exposition on one of the invocations in the powerful Litany of St. Joseph, followed by a reading on St. Joseph, concluding with the recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph.
 
To participate
Beginning on February 15, and held the subsequent Mondays, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom, parishioner Howard Fulks will guide participants online for the preparation of the Consecration to St. Joseph. Individuals will make their consecration on day 33 at the 8:00 a.m. Friday, March 19, 2021 Mass, when our parish celebrates our patronal feast day. Call the parish office to register.  There is no fee for the book as a grant was applied for which will cover costs of the book.

Information from www.consecrationtostjoseph.org/introduction.html