by Dominicans of the Province of St. Joseph
March 19, 2018

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On March 19th we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph. Our weekly reflection on his life and virtues during this Year of St. Joseph are courtesy of Pflaum Weeklies of Bayard USA - an Assumptionist sponsored ministry.

Pope Francis surprises us again! He’s been keeping busy during this pandemic and is marking the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as the patron of the universal Church in a special way. He has released a new apostolic letter, With a Father’s Heart (Patris corde), and proclaimed a special Year of Saint Joseph beginning on 12/8/20, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and extending to the same feast in 2021.

Pope Francis describes Saint Joseph as a father who was beloved, tender, loving, obedient, accepting, creatively courageous, working, and in the shadows. As he concludes the apostolic letter, Pope Francis encourages us to pray this prayer for our own conversion:

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.

Image credit: CIRIC International

A Letter from

Deacon Paul Covino

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

You've probably heard the saying, "Everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day!"  In my case, you can probably tell from my last name that my father's ethnic ancestry was Italian, but my mother, whose family name was Gallagher, traced her ethnic roots to Ireland and French Canada.  So, I'm happy to claim Irish ancestry on this annual feast that is so dear to Ireland and its people.

What you may not know is that Saint Patrick himself was not Irish by ethnic ancestry.  He was born in the year 389 in Britain which, at the time, was controlled by Romans.  As Robert Ellsberg notes, "At the age of sixteen (Patrick) was kidnapped...and taken to Ireland as a slave. Sold to a local king, he spent six years in menial occupations.

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You’ve heard it before and you will hear it again. It comes every lent, the reading about Christ in the desert.  The Devil tempts Christ to move off the path and disobey God. We all know temptation, but it can be hard to see what tangible good can come out of saying no. Let’s listen to Bishop Barron as he shares the fruit of rejecting the devil.