Pope proclaims a year dedicated to St. Joseph
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 150th 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” concluded on 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.”
Read Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”) (Vatican website)
Resources from the USCCB
Around the Diocese
Holy Hour with Scripture and Adoration – Cathedral of Saint Andrew
Join the Cathedral of Saint Andrew parish community on the first Wednesday of every month (through Dec. 8, 2021) at 7 p.m. for a Holy Hour to commemorate the Year of St. Joseph. The sacrament of reconciliation will also be offered during this time.
Mass with Bishop Walkowiak for the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker – View photos on Flickr
Basilica of St. Adalbert, Grand Rapids
Parish Pilgrimages: Make a pilgrimage to one or more of the parishes in the diocese named for St. Joseph
(Plan your pilgrimage)
Diocesan Year of Encounter+1
Join in a Year of Encounter+1 by committing one minute a day to prayer, one hour a month to reading Scripture and inviting one person to Mass this year (Learn more)
Encounter+1 Novena to St. Joseph – A spiritual preparation for inviting someone to Mass (English | Español)
Plenary indulgences in the Year of St. Joseph
During the Year of St. Joseph, Catholics have the opportunity to obtain plenary indulgences on special feast days. The 19th day of each month is considered a day of devotion to St. Joseph when no other special feast day occurs during that month. In addition, just as the Church has dedicated particular days of the week to particular devotions – Sundays to the Resurrection of the Lord, Mondays to the Holy Spirit, Saturdays to Our Lady, and so on – each Wednesday of the month during the special year is devoted to St. Joseph. Learn more at the links below:
All Saints (Nov. 1) and All Souls (Nov. 2) an opportune time for devotion to St. Joseph
During November, the Church remembers all the faithful departed – holy men and women of every time and place, canonized or beatified, who are now in heaven (the saints), and those who may still be in purgatory (the souls).
These feast days are an opportune time for devotion to St. Joseph, known as the patron saint of dying and “Delight of the Saints.” With the whole month dedicated to praying for the dead, November seems an ideal time to ask for St. Joseph’s intercession.
While the death of St. Joseph is not written about in the Scriptures, it is strongly believed by most biblical scholars and confirmed through the visions of some saints, that Joseph died in the presence of Jesus and Mary which points to why he is also recognized as the patron of a happy death.
Year of St. Joseph Plenary Indulgences (Diocese of Charlotte)
Prayers to St. Joseph (Diocese of Charlotte)
Papal decree on Year of St. Joseph Indulgences (Vatican, multiple languages)
15 Ways to Gain an Indulgence during the Year of St. Joseph (Catholic News Agency)
The many marvelous feasts of St. Joseph (Denver Catholic)
Resources
Pray the Novena March 10-18, 2021 (USCCB)
Readings and reflection for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, March 19 (Creighton University Online Ministries)
News & updates
In message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope turns to St. Joseph as a guide for fathers and mothers, biological and spiritual, who seek to foster the gift of vocation in the hearts of those entrusted to them. (Vatican website, April 25, 2021)
Pope proclaims “Year of St. Joseph” (Vatican website)
St. Joseph, the silent figure of the New Testament (Catholic Education Resource Center)
‘Go to Joseph’: What popes from Pius IX to Francis have said about St. Joseph (CNA)
Celebrate the Year of St. Joseph with our Mundelein Seminarians
Join our future parish priests studying at Mundelein Seminary in a variety of opportunities to grow in personal holiness through a spiritual exploration of St. Joseph.
Sign up to receive info on their monthly speaker series, a 30-day Consecration to St. Joseph and other prayer opportunities.
Prayers
Prayer to St. Joseph after the rosary (USCCB, may be added to the end of the rosary, especially during the month of October, which is dedicated to the rosary.)
Litany of St. Joseph (USCCB)
Papal Decrees, Letters and Exhortations
Apostolic Letter Patris Corde (With a Father’s Heart, Dec. 8, 2020) on the 150th anniversary of the Proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church by Pope Francis
Decree of Pope Pius IX that declared St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church (Dec. 8, 1870), Quemadmodum deus
Pope Leo XIII on devotion to St. Joseph (Aug. 15, 1889), Quamquam pluries
Bonum sane, the motu proprio on devotion to St. Joseph of Pope Benedict XV (July 25, 1920, Latin & Italian)
Note: It is difficult to find an English translation of this document online; the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter provides a rough translation here.
Apostolic Exhortation, Redemptoris custos, on the Person and Mission of St. Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church (Aug. 15, 1989) of St. John Paul II.
