Year of St. Joseph - Message from Fr. Steve

Dear Sisters and Brothers, I pray the beginning of this new year has gotten off to a good start for you and your family. Hopefully in the coming months, with the COVID-19 vaccine becoming more available to the general populace, we can emerge from the tunnel of the pandemic and return to a normal modicum of life ‘unmasked’! But the pandemic is only one of the many vexing issues that face us. There are others- politically, socially, and economically- that have beset us. They demand our attention and cannot just be wished away. For us, the faithful, if we are to contribute to the solutions of our nation’s divisive issues, we can only do so by keeping our focus on Christ. As Jesus warns us, ““I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) As you know, the Holy Father has dedicated 2021 to our patron, St. Joseph and to his intercession. Normally, the church honors the foster father of Jesus twice a year as a “bridge” that joins the seasons of Lent and Easter together: the two feast days of St. Joseph – March 19 and May 1, the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker. St. Joseph’s feast day of March 19 is very ancient on the Liturgical calendar; as the “earthly” father of Jesus, the patron of the dying and of the Universal Church. The emphasis of the feast of May 1, St. Joseph the Worker, emphasizes the work of St. Joseph as a carpenter and teacher of Jesus, and in that role, the value of the human person and the work that he or she is engaged in. This day was put in the Church’s calendar as a “counterweight” to the Communist regime on May 1 – or “May Day” as it is called, with its display of the repression and devaluation of the human person in their work. But just because Communist regimes have waned in most places around the globe, repression and the devaluation of human life continues unabated, especially to the unborn. So, let us turn to St. Joseph in this year dedicated to his patronage to elicit his intercession to bring peace and healing to our troubled world. So, to help us in this endeavor, I met with our parish staff (and will meet with our Parish Council) to plan some special events to honor St. Joseph and seek his protection throughout this year. We will keep you posted with what we have decided. In the meantime, I am proposing: 1) We take 12 themes from the life of St. Joseph to reflect on each month. 2) Before each Mass begins, we will say a short prayer to St. Joseph and 3) On the 19th of each month we will recite a prayer of consecration to our patron. Feel free to offer your own suggestions to really make this year to our patron saint a meaningful one. St. Joseph, pray for us.