The Feasts of St. Joseph and St. Patrick

“We celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph on March 15 and of St. Patrick on March 17 – Great Men who lived only for Christ”

St. Joseph with Christ Child Icon

“What emanates from the figure of Saint Joseph is faith. Joseph of Nazareth is a “just man” because he totally “lives by faith.” He is holy because his faith is truly heroic.

Sacred Scripture says little of him. It does not record even one word spoken by Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth. And yet, even without words, he shows the depth of his faith, his greatness.

Saint Joseph is a man of great spirit. He is great in faith, not because he speaks his own words, but above all because he listens to the words of the Living God. He listens in silence. And his heart ceaselessly perseveres in the readiness to accept the Truth contained in the word of the Living God.

We see how the word of the Living God penetrates deeply into the soul of that man, that just man. And we, do we know how to listen to the word of God? Do we know how to absorb it into the depths of our human personalities? Do we open our conscience in the presence of this word?”

– excerpted from Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos: “On the Person and Mission of Saint Joseph in the Life of Christ and in the Church”

 

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Joseph the Silent Only $9.95 Author: Fr. Michael Gasnier	Favorite Prayers to St. Joseph Only $2.00 Compiled from Traditional Sources
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Black Wood and Pewter Crucifix

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In 1870 Pope Pius IX solemnly declared Saint Joseph to be the “Patron of the Universal Church” and established his feast day on the day we now celebrate it. His successor, Pope Leo, later explained the foundations of this declaration. The Church’s devotion to St Joseph, Pope Leo observed, arises from the saint’s “two-fold dignity”. He was both the true and chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the foster-father of the Word Incarnate. For these two reasons, says Pope Leo, St Joseph “shines among all mankind” and approaches nearer than any other saint to the holiness of the Mother of God.

– adapted from the book –

A Light in the Heavens: Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII

“Christ chose to be born and grow up in the bosom of the holy family of Joseph and Mary. The Church is nothing other than “the family of God.” From the beginning, the core of the Church was often constituted by those who had become believers “together with all [their] household.” When they were converted, they desired that “their whole household” should also be saved. These families who became believers were islands of Christian life in an unbelieving world.”

– from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1655

Saint Patrick the Enlightener Icon

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Green Glass Irish Pewter Rosary

A very short biography of St. Patrick:

St. Patrick, most likely a British Celt, is said to have been born Maewyn Succat in Scotland around the year 390. He was kidnapped as a youth and taken to Ireland as a slave. He worked in the mountains as a shepherd and spent much of his time in prayer. After 6 years there, he received a dream in which he was commanded to return to Britain, and so Patrick escaped and made his return. He studied in several monasteries, eventually becoming a bishop. He was then sent by Pope Celestine to evangelize parts of Britain and then Ireland. St. Odran was his chariot driver and St. Jarlath one of his spiritual students. Over the course of 33 years, Patrick converted much of Ireland, and Ireland eventually became known as the Land of Saints. During the so-called dark ages Ireland’s monasteries were considered the great repositories of learning in Europe.

– adapted from OSV’s Encyclopedia of Saints

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A Prayer for the Church:

“O Glorious Saint Joseph, you were chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, and the head of the Holy Family. You have been chosen by Christ’s Vicar as the heavenly Patron and Protector of the Church founded by Christ.

Protect the Sovereign Pontiff and all bishops and priests united with him. Be the protector of all who labor for souls amid the trials and tribulations of this life; and grant that all peoples of the world may be docile to the Church without which there is no salvation.

Dear Saint Joseph, accept the offering I make to you. Be my father, protector, and guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me purity of heart and a love for the spiritual life. After you example, let all my actions be directed to the greater glory of God, in union with the Divine Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and your own paternal heart. Finally, pray for me that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.”

We hope your Lenten season is an especially blessed and faith-filled one!

– the staff at Aquinas and More Catholic Goods

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