Year of St. Joseph

The Year of St. Joseph

This liturgical year has been dedicated to St. Joseph by the Holy Father, Pope Francis. There will be several special activities and events to celebrate St. Joseph, as well as prayers, such as the Novena to St. Joseph for Life. For more information on St. Joseph, check out the St. Joseph page under Faith Formation > All Things Catholic > Saints

There will also be weekly reflections on St. Joseph from various sources.

During this Year of St. Joseph, we shall have a lamp burning weekly before his image in both churches. Anyone who wishes to dedicate this votive lamp for a deceased loved one or another special intention, please contact the parish. The suggested offering for this seven-day candle is $15.

Relevant Radio also offers ways to experience the Year of St. Joseph.  

https://relevantradio.com/yearofjoseph/#features

• Traditionally the Church has dedicated Wednesdays to St. Joseph. Thus, on each Wednesday during this year Relevant Radio will offer the Mass at Noon CT in honor of St. Joseph.  

• Access to the monthly "19 on the 19th" speaker series, in which Fr. Rocky, Fr. Matthew Spencer, Patrick Madrid, Cale Clarke, and more offer 19-minute reflections on the person of St. Joseph, covering topics like "The Hidden Life of St. Joseph" and "St. Joseph in Scripture." If you sign up, these will be sent to your inbox on the 19th of each month, as traditionally the 19th of each month is dedicated to the memory of St. Joseph.

Weekly Reflections

July 25

We know nothing of his death, neither the time nor the circumstances, but all writers agree that Joseph died before Jesus began his public ministry. This fact is implied in the Gospel. When the aged Simeon revealed the future at the Presentation in the Temple, it was to Mary alone he spoke of the sword that would pierce her heart. Had Simeon foreseen that supreme trial?

Joseph the Silent  p. 142-143      Michel Gasnier, OP


July 18, 2021

During the public life, Jesus wept for Lazarus dead. How many tears must he not have shed for his foster father Joseph, and those who saw him weep spoke the words of those at Bethany: “See how he loved him!” The people of Nazareth followed in the funeral procession. His relatives, his neighbors, his customers were there. What praise they had for this just man, whose only ambition was to honor God and show respect for his neighbors. They spoke of his life which in itself had been a condemnation of pride and selfishness; of this silent man who had never said an unkind word to or about anyone; of this meek and gentle man who had never borne a grudge, never taken part in political quarrels; of this descendant of David, who reduced to poverty had accepted his lowly conditions without complaint.

Joseph the Silent p. 142-143 Michel Gasnier, OP

July 11, 2021

Joseph teaches us that true greatness consists in serving God and our neighbor; that the only real productiveness springs from a life indifferent to show and glitter, and that the really thrilling exploits are the conscientious and loving accomplishment of one’s duties, no matter how humble. They will please God who, seeking nothing but His good pleasure, submit to His design. They will fear but one thing, that of not serving Him as faithfully as possible.

Joseph the Silent p. 157 Michel Gasnier, OP

July 4, 2021

If he [St. Joseph] found any good in himself, he recognized it as a free gift from God. Only by his modesty and self-effacement was he distinguished from others. Even with more truth than Elizabeth was he able to say, “Whence comes this happiness to me that my God and the Mother of my God have deigned to live in my house?” And with more reason than John the Baptist: “Jesus must increase. I must decrease.” His only pride then lay in fulfilling God’s designs, quietly, peacefully, so silently that the Evangelist can give us no word of his. In all the strange situations in which God placed him, he remained calm and silent. He knew the duty of a servant was not to speak but to listen to his master’s voice, and that silence is the necessary condition for leading a life of union with God, of close contact with him.

Joseph the Silent, pp. 155-156.    Michel Gasnier, OP


June 27, 2021

St. Joseph probably had little idea of how he was going to make ends meet for the Holy Family from one day to another. He had to rebuild a home and a clientele in a strange country. After a while he would have been able to give the family some financial stability. Being the kind of man he was, he would have used all the human  means at his disposal. We do not know how long the Holy Family remained in exile. Once back in Nazareth, Mary and Joseph would recall their hurried escape along with the worries and problems of their first months on foreign soil. The Holy Patriarch humbly submitted to the divine plan, which he could not understand. We ought never, then, to despair, to be alarmed by contradictions, by pain, or by injustice; nor can we allow these setbacks to make us lose our peace of mind. Everything has been foreseen.

Fr Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol 6, pp 150-151
 

June 20, 2021

St. Joseph’s hope grew as he awaited the arrival of the Redeemer. Later on, this virtue came into play as he watched the child Jesus develop into manhood. Perhaps he asked Jesus when He would manifest himself to the world. His sincere love for Jesus and Mary became deeper every day. No one will ever love them as he loved  them. This affection was demonstrated in the ordinary events of his working day, of his family life and social relations.

Fr. Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol 6, p 134

June 13, 2021

Because St. Joseph was a truly humble man, he was able to remain steadfast in his faith through every trial. When the angel explained to him the manner of the Savior’s conception, Joseph believed with any hesitation. It is reasonable for us to assume that Joseph found it hard to understand why God wanted his Son to grow up in such a poor family. How was Joseph supposed to react to the wicked threat posed by Herod? He must have found it strange that the Son of God would have to run away from a minor despot. How often have we found ourselves in tough situations where the logic of God stands opposed to the logic of men? St. Joseph knew how to see God in everything that happened. This is because he lived a very holy life.

Fr Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol 6, pp 133-134.


June 6, 2021

The same aura of silence that envelops everything else about Joseph also shrouds his work as a carpenter in the house of Nazareth. It is, however, a silence that reveals in a special way the inner portrait of the man. The Gospels speak exclusively of what Joseph “did.” Still, they allow us to discover in his actions—shrouded as they are—an aura of deep contemplation. Joseph was in daily contact with the mystery “hidden from ages past,” and which “dwelt” under his roof. This explains why St. Teresa of Jesus, the great reformer of the Carmelites, promoted the renewal of veneration of St. Joseph in Western Christianity.              

 ~ [St. John Paul II]

May 30, 2021

…It was from his marriage to Mary that Joseph derived his singular dignity and his rights in regard to Jesus…yet there can be no doubt but that Joseph approached as no other person ever could, that eminent dignity whereby the Mother of God towers above all creatures…God, by giving Joseph to the Virgin, did not give him to her only as a companion for life, a witness of her virginity and protector of her honor; he also gave Joseph to Mary in order that he might share, through the marriage pact, in our own sublime greatness.

St. John Paul II…Redemptoris Custos


May 23, 2021

The growth of Jesus ‘in wisdom and in stature’ and in favor with God and man took place within the Holy Family under the eyes of Joseph, who had the important task of ‘raising’ Jesus, that is, feeding, clothing, and educating him in the Law and in a trade, in keeping with the duties of a father…For his part, Jesus ‘was obedient to them’ respectfully returning the affection of his ‘parents’  In this way, he wished to sanctify the obligations of the family and of work, which he performed at the side of Joseph…The Gospels do not record any word ever spoken by Joseph…But the silence of Joseph has its own special eloquence, for thanks to the silence we can understand the truth of the Gospel’s judgment that he was a ‘just man.’

St. John Paul II…Redemptoris Custos


May 16, 2021

Mary is the Lord’s humble servant, prepared from eternity for the task of being the Mother of God. Joseph is the one whom God chose to be the overseer of the Lord’s birth, the one who has the responsibility to look after the Son of God’s ‘ordained’ entry into the world, in accordance with divine dispositions and human laws. All of the so-called ‘private’ or ‘hidden’ life of Jesus is entrusted to Joseph’s guardianship.

St. John Paul II…Redemptoris Custos

May 9, 2021

It was to assure fatherly protection for Jesus that God chose Joseph to be Mary’s spouse. It follows that Joseph’s fatherhood…comes to pass through marriage to Mary, that is, through the family. While clearly affirming that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that virginity remained intact in the marriage, the evangelists refer to Joseph as Mary’s husband and to Mary as his wife. And while it is important for the Church to profess the virginal conception of Jesus, it is no less important to uphold Mary’s marriage to Joseph, because juridically Joseph’s fatherhood depends on it…Joseph is not deprived of his fatherly authority from the moment that he is told to name the child. Finally, even the Virgin Mary, well aware that she has not conceived Christ as a result of conjugal relations with Joseph, still calls him Christ’s father.  
                           
St. John Paul II…Redemptoris Custos


May 2, 2021
While it is true that Joseph did not respond to the angel’s announcement in the same way as Mary, he ‘did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took his wife.’ What he did is the clearest ‘obedience of faith.’ One can say that what Joseph did united him in an altogether special way to the faith of Mary. He accepted as truth coming from God the very thing that she had already accepted at the Annunciation…Therefore, he became a unique guardian of the mystery ‘hidden for ages in God.’ …Together with Mary, Joseph is the first guardian of this divine mystery…he is also the first to be placed by God on the path of Mary’s ‘pilgrimage of faith.’

[St. John Paul II…Redemptoris Custos]

April 25, 2021

St. Joseph behaved and felt like a father towards Jesus. He had an ardent love for the Son of God and for the Mother of God. This love was even greater than the natural love a natural father may have for his natural son. This is because Joseph cared for Jesus as a son and at the same time worshipped him as his God…Joseph loved Jesus almost as if he had really begotten him. He concentrated his energies, his time, his greatest concern, his care to Jesus. He sought no compensation other than the opportunity to give of himself. Let us ask the holy Patriarch to teach us how to love and cherish Jesus as he himself did.

[F. Fernandez: In Conversation with God. Vol 6: p. 132]

April 18, 2021

The life of the holy Patriarch was full of work from his time in Nazareth and Bethlehem, in Egypt and then once again in Nazareth. Everyone knew of Joseph because he was such a hard worker. He probably gave great importance to the development of a manly character, the type of character that shines through the episodes of the Gospels. St. Matthew repeatedly shows us how promptly Joseph responded to whatever God was asking of him.

[F. Fernandez: In Conversation with God. Vol 6: p. 132]

April 11, 2021

One of the most important virtues we observe in St. Joseph’s life is humility. We can imagine that Saint Joseph would sometimes glance at the child Jesus and wonder to himself, why did God choose me and not another? What do I have to offer that has earned me this holy charge? He did not receive an answer to these ponderings, since the ways of the Lord are beyond the calculations of man. The humility of Joseph is also shown by his strong sense of gratitude to God. Our Lord wants us to imitate the Holy Patriarch in this disposition. We need to see all the events of our lives with the eyes of faith, with a real determination to live out our vocation in the middle of the world.

[F. Fernandez: In Conversation with God. Vol 6:  p. 132]

April 4, 2021

When one thinks of St. Joseph, one usually pictures a figure in the nativity scene standing next to Mary and watching over the infant Jesus in the manger. Joseph has been far overshadowed through history by his wife and and the Marian devotion accorded her as the Mother of God. Not much is known about his life—he left no words behind for hagiographers to study, and he apparently died before the crucifixion because he was not at Calvary with Mary. Still, to this day, he continues to attract the faithful in a quiet way, some to churches bearing his name, devoted to him for his fidelity to family and home. In fact, it is said that in the Roman Catholic Church, next to Mary, he and St. Jude are the most popular patrons.

[Jenny Schroedel: The Book of Saints, Fall River Press, 2007]

March 28, 2021

Fathers are not born but made. A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world, but by taking up the responsibility to care for that child. Whenever a man accepts responsibility for the life of another, in some way he becomes a father to that person. Being a father entails introducing children to life and reality. Not holding them back, being overprotective or possessive, but rather making them capable of deciding for themselves, enjoying freedom and exploring new possibilities. Perhaps for this reason, Joseph is traditionally called a “most chaste” father. That title is not simply a sign of affection, but the summation of an attitude that is the opposite of possessiveness…A possessive love ultimately becomes dangerous: it imprisons, constricts, and makes for misery. God himself loved humanity with a chaste love; he left us free even to go astray and set ourselves against him. The logic of love is always the logic of freedom, and Joseph knew how to love with extraordinary freedom. He never made himself the center of things. He did not think of himself but focused instead on the lives of Mary and Jesus.

Pope Francis, “Patris Corde,” 2021


March 21, 2021

Saint Joseph was a man who listened. Let us learn from him the capacity to be attentive to God so that we might be attentive to the children of God. Saint Joseph was a man who allowed himself to be guided by God with great docility. Saint Joseph was a simple laborer not one who lived amid riches. True riches are not to be found in what we possess but in who we are. The example of Saint Joseph points us to a different road:  one that is more human, more beautiful, wiser, and happier.

Angelo Cardinal Comastri, “100 Omelie” pp. 85-86

 

March 14, 2021

We do not know when exactly the Holy Patriarch passed away. Joseph’s final appearance in the Gospel narrative occurs when Jesus had turned twelve years old. It seems likely that he died before Jesus began his public life of preaching. When Jesus returned to Nazareth to preach, the people asked one another: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” It was customary in the East to refer to sons through their father. People spoke of the mother only in the case of the father’s demise…Following the same line of reasoning, the fact that Jesus entrusted Mary to his beloved apostle Saint John, presupposes that Joseph was dead…Saint Joseph could not have wished for a happier or more peaceful death, attended as he must have been by Jesus and Mary. Jesus and Mary would have closed the eyes of Joseph and prepared his body for burial. It is perfectly fitting that Saint Joseph has been proclaimed as the “Patron of a Good Death.”…Let us go to Joseph whenever we are helping someone to prepare for death. Let us ask his help when our time arrives to go to the House of the Father. Joseph will lead us by the hand to Jesus and Mary.

Francis Fernandez “In Conversation with God,” Vol 2, pp 157-159

March 7, 2021

Even though St. Joseph does not say a word in the Gospels, no one has ever been a better teacher. In human life, Joseph was Jesus’ master in their daily contact, full of refined affection, glad to deny himself in order to take better care of Jesus. Isn’t that reason enough for us to consider this just man, this holy patriarch, in whom the faith of the old covenant bears fruit, as a master of the interior life? Interior life is nothing but continual and direct conversation with Christ, so as to become one with him. And Joseph can tell us many things about Jesus.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol 2, pp. 167-168

February 28, 2021

Joseph’s great joy at the visit of the Magi did not last long. He had to abandon his newfound home and business to flee to a foreign land. Herod wanted to kill the Child. Joseph’s joy was changed to dread. Once again, God was testing him. Joy and sorrow are never far from one another in souls that love God. Heeding the message of the angel the Holy Family set out at once for Egypt. They could take with them only the bare essentials. St. Joseph had little idea of how he was going to make ends meet…from one day to another. He had to rebuild a home and a clientele in a strange country. The Holy Patriarch surely suffered…but he humbly submitted to the divine plan which he could not understand.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol 6, pp. 149-151

February 21, 2021

By the example of their life in Nazareth, Jesus and Mary invite us to seek Joseph’s assistance. They frequently went to Joseph for his help in all kinds of needs. When we go to Joseph for help, we should have no fear at all. With the exception of God himself, Our Lady loved no one more than she loved St. Joseph her husband. The Church asks from St. Joseph the same support and protection as he gave to the Holy Family in Nazareth. ‘I am sure Joseph knew how to lend a hand in many difficulties…His skilled work was in the service of others; to brighten the lives of others in the town; and with a friendly word, a passing quip, he would restore confidence and happiness to those in danger of losing them.’ [J. Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 51]

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol 6, pp. 165-166


February 14, 2021

Painters have traditionally depicted Joseph as an elderly man in order to emphasize the perpetual virginity of Mary. Yet it is more likely that Joseph was not much older than his wife. ‘You don’t have to wait to be old or lifeless to practice the virtue of chastity. Purity comes from love; and the strength and joy of youth are no obstacle to a noble love. Joseph had a young heart and a young body when he married Mary, when he learned of the mystery of her divine motherhood, when he lived in her company, respecting the integrity God wished to give the world as one more sign that he had come to share the life of his creatures.’ [J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 40] Let us ask the holy Patriarch to teach us how to live this kind of love in the circumstances to which God has called us.

Francis Fernandez: In Conversation with God, Vol. 6: p.141

February 7, 2021

This week's reflection is from Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini

Even before Jesus was born, Joseph was a believer mature in faith. The events surrounding the conception and birth of Jesus reveal how differently he behaved and struggled as he moved towards a greater knowledge of God. His holiness and mature faith do not exempt him from the anxiety that comes with difficult situations. However, having taken upon himself the decision to do the honorable thing, which was the fruit of an attitude of charity, his maturity of faith is summarized as an openness to the power of divinely illuminated grace. In fact, the angel of the Lord arrives to resolve the situation: ‘Be not afraid.’ The angel reveals to him the deeper meaning of the event, thus overcoming his anxiety. The figure of Joseph allows us to grasp a fundamental teaching: we need to have a hope that is patient, that can wait as Joseph did, a hope that knows how to suffer with a humble spirit through difficult situations, sure that God will answer.

January 31, 2021

From “Joseph the Silent” by Michel Gasnier, O. P.

Certainly, Joseph was considered to be not only a fine workman noted for his skill, but a man of integrity. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the work given the carpenter would be carefully and conscientiously done…Before God, labor is not only a necessity; it calls for pride, nobility, a spirit of reparation. There is nothing slavish about it. On the contrary, it is a kind of prayer, a way of finding God, a means of salvation…Joseph understood perfectly that a work done in love goes straight to God.

January 24, 2021
From “Joseph the Silent” by Michel Gasnier, O. P.

Joseph chose to become a carpenter. Perhaps his father was a carpenter before him. Perhaps it was by personal preference. We simply do not know. In any case, this occupation was to stand him in good stead when he opened his shop in Nazareth. Here it is enough to say that though it was so unassuming, so humble, it was far from humiliating, and the carpenter workman could look upon it as a badge of honor. At Nazareth, then, Joseph without worldly goods or station, lived uncomplainingly by the labor of his hands. Happier in his poverty than Augustus on the most powerful throne in the world, he was more than content with his lot since it was God’s will…he was satisfied to be where God had placed him, to do what God asked of him with as much care and ardor as if he ruled a kingdom.