A Year for St Joseph

Pope Francis has proclaimed a ‘Year of St Joseph’. In his Apostolic letter, Patris Cordis, ‘With a Father’s Love’, Pope Francis dedicated the liturgical year to Jesus’ earthly father. 150 years since Blessed Pope Pius IX named St Joseph as patron of the Universal Catholic Church, Pope Francis wishes us all to recognise that “In Joseph, Jesus saw the tender love of God”.

St Joseph teaches us to obedient to the will of God in our lives and is a visible witness of the struggle between our will and God’s plan for us. St Joseph, through the scripture showed tremendous humility, Bishop David says “ ST Joseph doesn’t make a noise in the Gospel, he is gentle and hidden, full of humility and in so many ways a model for us, therefore of how we should deal with the world today.

The year of St Joseph will run through to the 8th December 2021. To learn more about ST Joseph watch Bishop David teach about him here.

To help us this year, Pope Francis shares a prayer at the end of his letter for each of us to pray daily.

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.