Year of St. Joseph

Year of St. Joseph
December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021

Pope Francis has announced a Year of St. Joseph so that “every member of the faithful, following his example, may strengthen their life of faith daily in the complete fulfillment of God’s will.”  The decree establishing this year was issued on December 8, 2020, the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the Universal Church.

Here in our parish we will be commemorating the Year of St. Joseph in several ways:

  1. Every Wednesday, the day traditionally dedicated to St. Joseph, we will pray the Litany of St. Joseph after daily Mass and during our 3pm Holy Hour. We will be praying in a particular way for persecuted Christians, as was requested in the decree.  We encourage all parishioners to join us in praying the Litany at home.  Prayer cards are available in Assumption Church.
  2. We will celebrate a special Mass for the Feast of St, Joseph on Friday March 19, 2021 at 7pm in Assumption Church.
  3. We invite all parishioners to make a Consecration to St. Joseph on his feast day, March 19th. We will prepare for 33 days prior to the consecration using the book, Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC.  The book can be purchased from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception at shopmercy.org or by calling 1-800-462-7426.  You may complete the preparation on your own or with other parishioners who will meet on Wednesday evenings, February 10, 24, March 3, 10 and 17 for prayer and discussion.  There is no meeting on Ash Wednesday, February 17.  Online meetings via Webex will be from 6-7pm and in-person meetings at Assumption Church will be from 7:30-8:30pm.  Contact Laurie at 856-767-0547 or LauriePower@ChristtheRedeemer.us to sign up or for more information.
  4. Day of Recollection for Men – June 2021 – Details coming soon!

What the Church Says About St. Joseph 

The encyclical letter of Pope Leo XIII on devotion to St. Joseph: Quamquam Pluries (1889)
The decree of Pope Pius IX that declared St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church: Quemadmodum Deus (1946)
The motu proprio of Pope Benedict XV on devotion to St. Joseph: Bonum Sane (1920)
The Apostolic Exhortation of Pope St. John Paul II on the Person and Mission of St. Joseph: Redemptoris Custos (1989)
Apostolic Letter Patris Corde (2020) on the 150th anniversary of the Proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church by Pope Francis

 

Articles about the Year of St. Joseph

Pope Francis Proclaims Year of St. Joseph
Fifteen ways to gain an indulgence in the Year of St. Joseph

 

Prayers to St. Joseph

Prayer to St. Joseph by Pope Leo XIII
This prayer was composed by Pope Leo XIII in his 1889 encyclical, Quamquam Pluries.  The Holy Father asked that it be added to the end of the Rosary especially during October, the month of the Holy Rosary. This prayer is enriched with a partial indulgence (Source: USCCB).

To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.

Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.

O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.  Amen.


Litany of St. Joseph
Lord, have mercy on us.  Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Noble Offspring of David, pray for us.
Light of patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Chaste guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Watchful defender of Christ, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.
Joseph most just, pray for us.
Joseph most chaste, pray for us.
Joseph most prudent, pray for us.
Joseph most valiant, pray for us.
Joseph most obedient, pray for us.
Joseph most faithful, pray for us.
Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of workmen, pray for us.
Glory of home life, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of families, pray for us.
Solace of the afflicted, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of the dying, pray for us.
Terror of demons, pray for us.
Protector of Holy Church, pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,  Spare us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,  Graciously hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us!

V. He made him the lord of His household,
R. And prince over all His possessions.

Let us pray.
O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, grant, we beseech Thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in Heaven. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.


A Morning Offering Through St. Joseph
Receive me, dear and chosen Father, and the offering of every
movement of my body and soul, which I desire to present
through thee to my blessed Lord.

Purify all! Make all a perfect holocaust! May every pulsation
of my heart be a Spiritual Communion, every look and
thought an act of love, every action a sweet sacrifice,
every word an arrow of Divine love, every step
an advance toward Jesus, every visit to Our Lord as
pleasing to God as the errands of Angels, every thought
of thee, dear Saint, an act to remind thee that I am thy child.

I recommend to thee the occasions in which I usually fail,
particularly . . . [Mention these].  Accept each little devotion
of the day, though replete with imperfection, and offer it
to Jesus, Whose mercy will overlook all, since He
regards not so much the gift as the love of the giver.
Amen.


Memorare to St. Joseph

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my great protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection, or implored your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you. Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.