On December 8, 2020, Pope Francis declared a Year of St. Joseph to run through December 8, 2021. St. Joseph is the spouse of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. He is the man that Almighty God trusts the most! After all, the Father entrusted into the hands of this man the Incarnate Son and his most precious creation, Mary.
To celebrate this year we will be offering a few things at the parish throughout the year.
- Every Wednesday at all the masses we will celebrate Votive Masses of St. Joseph.
- March 11-19 and April 23 – May 1 we will be praying the Novena to St. Joseph (9 days of saying a prayer and asking for the intercession of St. Joseph. The Novenas will end on the two Feast days of St. Joseph – March 19 and May1.
- Joseph’s Table (the Blessing and Distribution of Bread) – March 19-21 (Feast day through the weekend). More on this later!
- Lenten Day of Recollection for Men – March 20.
- Day long Pilgrimage to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Macon, GA. Details later!
- Consecration to St. Joseph: Begin November 6 to end on December 8.
We will also have prayer cards for everyone throughout the year. Here in my Pastor’s Corner, I will also give a little teaching on St. Joseph throughout the year. Be on the lookout for more details!
Lent
Ash Wednesday is February 17! It is only a week and a half away! What spiritual exercises will you be doing or that you need to do this Lent? I suggest doing something in each of the following categories – Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. Over the next two weeks, I will cover these three.
Prayer is “a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” (St. Therese of Lisieux) St. John Damascene describes prayer as “the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting good things from God.” What will you do in this area of your discipleship of Jesus Christ? We can all do a better job of raising our hearts and minds to God! Here are a few things you might choose from: attend daily mass 3 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, spend 15 minutes in quiet each morning reading the Gospel of John or the Daily Readings (the Magnificat is a good publication for that), or stop by the Church each weekday for 15 or 30 minutes of quiet prayer. There are many other things that we do to improve our life of prayer and our conversation with God. Ask the priests for help if needed. Pick up “Prayer Primer” by Fr. Thomas Dubay. Each of us can strengthen our life of prayer! What will you do this Lent?
May the Lord Jesus bless you and your families this week!
~ Fr. Daniel Firmin