The Month of Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph was declared to be the patron saint and protector of the Universal Catholic Church by Pope Pius IX in 1870 . .

 Just as Joseph was entrusted to look after the holy Child, so he continues to look after the children of God today in the great family of the Church, and in our own families.

"Through God's mysterious design, it was in the family that the Son of God spent long years of a hidden life. It is therefore the prototype and example for all Christian families ..."
Familiaris Consortio (n. 82).

Jesus, only Son of the Eternal Father and second person of the Holy Trinity, was conceived by The Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, and then entrusted to an earthly father and guardian called Joseph.

And so God, through Joseph, elevates the role of father in these confusing times, gently showing what the family is meant to be in God's plan: a mirror of the Holy Trinity, the cradle of life and the sanctuary of love.

It was prophesied in the 16th century that " the sound of victory will be heard in the Church Militant when the faithful recognize the sanctity of St Joseph . . . The Lord will let His light shine, He will lift the veil, and great men will search out the interior gifts of God that are hidden in St. Joseph; they will find in him a priceless treasure, the like of which they had never found in other saints of the Old Testament. . ."

Pope Francis Concludes his recent Apostolic Letter "Patris Corde" with a prayer to St Joseph.

He says . . . " We need only ask Saint Joseph for the grace of graces: our conversion. Let us now make our prayer to him:

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.