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.

Jesus and Nicodemus by Brother Blair Nuyda, A.A.

Today’s Lenten reflection is from Brother Brian Verzella, A.A.,

Parish Assistant at St. Anne & St. Patrick Parish

It has often been said that the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, chronicles a divine love story that unfolds between Almighty God and humankind. Throughout salvation history, the Lord persistently sent his messengers to our ancestors because, as we read in the Second Book of Chronicles, “he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.”

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Today is the feast of St. Marie Eugenie Milleret, founder of the Religious of the Assumption. Our own founder, Fr. d'Alzon, was a close friend and confidant of Sister Marie-Eugenie. The following is a homily given on the occasion of the local celebration of her canonization back in 2007. It may help to give you a little sense for her particular form of holiness.

Homily at the Celebration of the Canonization of Marie-Eugenie Milleret

Chapel of the Holy Spirit, Assumption College

Sunday, November 11, 2007

The celebration of a new saint testifies to the enduring power of the Gospel to elevate and  sanctify the human person.  One of the really beautiful things about Marie Eugenie’s canonization is that it reinforces and universalizes the Assumption way as an assured path  to holiness.  In this respect we would be remiss if we did not this morning hear the echo of Marie Eugenie’s insistent voice encouraging her sisters and us…. DARE TO BE HOLY…

When we think of standing in line waiting to tell the priest everything bad we have done, it can be tempting to justify and rationalize our actions. For a large number of people, confession is a nerve-racking, anxiety-inducing chore. But what if it didn't have to be? What if all it was was a conversation with an old friend?

Transfiguration by Brother Blair Nuyda, A.A.

There is no doubt that we have made immense progress largely due to the advancements in science and technology. However, there is no denying that this progress has led to an unprecedented inhumane disassociation with God, other humans, and other non-human-creatures. Like the Israelites while they wandered in the desert, we have abandoned the fullness of God’s wisdom and have made into gods the works of our own hands. We now consider our neighbors as nothing more than objects to be exploited or threats we must guard ourselves against. We daily pillage and abuse the earth and other non-human-creatures because we have wrongly convinced ourselves that nothing else matters but us.

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Our weekly reflections are courtesy of Pflaum Weeklies of Bayard USA - an Assumptionist sponsored ministry.

The Year of St. Joseph is also a Year of the Family. Our friends at Bayard have shared materials that we can use with families to help them focus on St. Joseph as both patron and model of families.

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