Encountering the Heart of St. Joseph: Minister for all

In 1870, Pope Pius IX appointed St. Joseph the “Patron of the Catholic Church.” In 1989, St. John Paul II renewed this patronage with zeal in his 1989 apostolic exhortation on St. Joseph entitled “Redemptoris Custos.” At the end of 2020, Pope Francis continued this tradition, entrusting the upcoming year to St. Joseph and encouraging an even deeper devotion to him. Our own diocese is entrusted to his patronage.   

Each of these periods throughout history has been marked by the best and worst of humanity – war and peace, pandemics and medical advancement, heroes and villains. In each of these ages, we, the body of Christ, have been given the gift of St. Joseph as a model of our faith and of hope. St. Joseph’s virtue, obedience and protection has allowed the faithful to be inspired to become the saints needed for their time in history. 

As St. Leo XIII observed, just as St. Joseph “ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.” 

No matter what new challenges come, St. Joseph will always stand as a model of how we should address them – close to Christ and Our Lady, listening for God’s voice in the darkness. 

Nicole Jones

Digital Media Manager