Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

On the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Dec. 8, 2020, Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter, Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), for the 150^th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as patron of the universal Church. To mark the occasion, the pope proclaimed a year dedicated to Mary’s husband, Joseph, foster father to Jesus. The special “Year of St. Joseph” will be held through Dec. 8, 2021.

In his apostolic letter, Pope Francis explains that the aim of this special year is “to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal,” describing St. Joseph as a “beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.”