Pope Francis has recently declared this year as a Year of St. Joseph. This is a beautiful opportunity to learn and grow in imitation of St. Joseph – Husband, Parent, and Disciple. He is a man of no words in Sacred Scripture, but he is a man of action. Those actions give us a brilliant model to follow and inspire us to live a holy life.
St. Joseph was a man of true virtue and true devotion to God. He was like his ancestor, King David, a man after God’s own heart. He was chosen by God the Father to not just be “protector” and “provider” but to share intimately and shape deeply the lives of Jesus and Mary. St. Joseph is the man God chose to love, support, and treat with great dignity the Virgin Mary. Through his example Jesus learns to see, believe in, and restore the great dignity of all women. St. Joseph was chosen to image fatherhood to Jesus on behalf of God the Father. He taught Jesus, on a human level, many important practices. He taught Jesus how to speak and say Abba — Daddy! He taught Jesus how to walk. He taught Jesus the value of human labor as a carpenter. Saint Joseph even taught Jesus how to pray! Take the words of the Psalms, such as “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want…” (Psalm 23:1), Saint Joseph prayed these words and taught the Child Jesus to pray them. The great Saint Joseph taught the Living Word of God how to pray using human words!
Saint Joseph was always, always, available to the needs of his family — both wife and Son! Saint Joseph prayed with the family, worked with the family, ate with the family, went to the Synagogue and Temple with the family, laughed with the family, relaxed with the family, and finally died in the arms of those he loved most — Jesus and Mary!
33 Day Consecration to St. Joseph
As part of the Year of St. Joseph, promulgated by Pope Francis, our parish will be offering an opportunity to consecrate ourselves to this faithful saint. Consecration means that you are asking St. Joseph to be your spiritual father and that you want him to help you to acquire his virtues and become holy. St. Joseph will give those consecrated to him his attention, protection, and guidance.
Our parish-wide 33-day preparation for Consecration begins Sunday, February 14th and ends on Friday, March 19th, the Solemnity of St. Joseph with a special mass in the church. You may also begin the consecration at any other time and repeat it throughout the year.
33 Day Consecration to St. Joseph booklets are available in the church and office or you can download a copy here.
English 33 Day Consecration to St. Joseph