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ENTERING "YEAR OF ST JOSEPH"
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December 11, 2020Today, Tuesday, December 8, 2020, as we celebrated the great Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, POPE FRANCIS surprised all of us, he proclaimed a "YEAR OF ST JOSEPH" beginning immediately and ending on December 8, 2021! I announced this GOOD NEWS at the end of Tuesday’s 7 pm Mass and I now would like to invite all of you to ENTER INTO THIS YEAR OF ST JOSEPH with great JOY and HOPE!
Why is Pope Francis proclaiming this Year of St Joseph today? Exactly 150 years ago, December 8,1870, Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed ST JOSEPH PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH. Recalling that 150th anniversary, Pope Francis announced his proclamation of a special Year of St Joseph and published a new Apostolic Letter, "Patris Corde" ("With a Father's Heart"), In which he describes St Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an accepting father, a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows. In introducing this new Apostolic Letter, Vatican News mentioned: "The Holy Father wrote it against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which he says, has helped us to see more clearly the importance of ordinary people who, though far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope every day. In this, they resemble St Joseph, the man who goes unnoticed, daily, discreet, and hidden presence, who nonetheless played an incomparable role in the history of salvation.” I invite all of you to read the entire letter. It is only seven-pages long (click here to read). I hope that you will find it inspirational.
All his life, Pope Francis had a great devotion to St Joseph. Every morning for over 40 years of his priesthood, he has recited a special prayer of devotion and trust to St Joseph. When he became Pope in 2013, he was able to choose the Feast Day of St Joseph, March 19, for the inauguration celebration of his papacy (he was elected a few days earlier on March 13). One of his first decisions as Pope was to include a reference to St Joseph, Mary's Chaste Spouse, in all Eucharistic Prayers of the Mass. Not surprisingly, he concludes his Apostolic Letter by encouraging all of us to pray to St Joseph together:
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted His only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
and defend us from every evil.
AMEN.
As you know, our parish has received many blessings during special Years of Celebration. We just completed celebrating our 40th Year Anniversary (September 15, 2019-September 15, 2020). Over the last 10 years, we have had several other celebrations including the world-wide Year of Faith established by Pope Benedict XVI (ending November 2013) and the Jubilee Year of Mercy established by Pope Francis (December 8, 2015-November 20, 2016), but also our own parish-centered years, including Year of the Holy Spirit, Year of Fatima, Year of Mary... I look forward to this New Year of St Joseph. Our Marian Group had already recommended several months ago that the next Consecration to Jesus in our parish (just completed one through Mary this past Tuesday) would be through St Joseph and be completed on His Feast Day, March 19, 2021. We also look forward to receiving PLENARY INDULGENCES during the Year of St Joseph. The Apostolic Penitentiary of the Vatican just issued a decree granting specific indulgences through December 8, 2021. This decree details the special conditions of those plenary indulgences. They are being posted on our website and we will summarize them in our next weekly bulletin.
We wish you all a most joyful Third Sunday of Advent. We will light the third Candle of the Advent Wreath, the Candle of JOY! May God give all of us a most blessed and joyful year of St Joseph and let us proclaim with St Paul (First Thessalonians 5:16-17), "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."
One in Christ,
Fr. Alain
