2021 - Year of St. Joseph

With the Apostolic Letter “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father has proclaimed a “Year of Saint Joseph” from December 8, 2020, to December 8, 2021.

The Holy Father wrote Patris corde against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which, he says, has helped us see more clearly the importance of “ordinary” people who, though far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope every day. In this, they resemble Saint Joseph, “the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,” who nonetheless played “an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”

• Beloved, tender, obedient father
• Welcoming the will of God
• Creatively courageous father, example of love
• Father who teaches the value, dignity, joy of work
• Father 'in the shadows', centered on Mary and Jesus

In his letter, Pope Francis notes how, “Every day, for over forty years, following Lauds [Morning Prayer]” he has “recited a prayer to Saint Joseph taken from a nineteenth-century French prayer book of the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary.”

This prayer, he says, expresses devotion and trust, and even poses a certain challenge to Saint Joseph, on account of its closing words: “My beloved father, all my trust is in you.  Let it not be said that I invoked you in vain, and since you can do everything with Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness is as great as your power.”

At the conclusion of his letter, he adds another prayer to St Joseph, which he encourages all of us to pray together:

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.

To make the most of this Year of St. Joseph, consider the following:

Devotions
Traditions
Prayers
Litany of St. Joseph
The Seven Joys of St. Joseph 

Above devotions, traditions and prayers are courtesy of the Diocese of Charlotte NC. Litany of St. Joseph is courtesy of the USCCB.

The Special Character of St. Joseph's Mission
The Virtues + Gifts of St. Joseph
St. Joseph's Role in the Sanctification of Souls
A Lent in Imitation of St. Joseph, Protector of Christ

Each month of 2021 Mundelein seminarians are commemorating the Year of Saint Joseph by gathering for vespers and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament followed by a spiritual reflection on Saint Joseph.

A series of guest speakers will offer reflections on aspects of Saint Joseph’s life and spiritual character, based on Pope Francis’ Patris Corde and the Litany of St. Joseph.

Following are the first two: