This is amazing news! 🙌
Pope Francis declared the new liturgical year as the Year of St. Joseph.
The year begins Dec. 8, on the 150th anniversary of Pope Bl. Pius IX’s declaration of St. Joseph as patron of the Catholic Church. It is also the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
Pope Francis establishes this year “in which every faithful following [St. Joseph’s] example can daily strengthen their life of faith in the full fulfillment of God’s will.”
“All the faithful will thus have the opportunity to commit themselves, with prayers and good works, to obtain with the help of Saint Joseph, head of the celestial Family of Nazareth, comfort and relief from the serious human and social tribulations that today grip the contemporary world,” the decree states.
The decree comes after Fr. Donald Calloway called for Pope Francis to declare a Year of St. Joseph after releasing his book, Consecration to St. Joseph. Fr. Calloway said he is unsure if this is a direct response, but that “there is no doubt the pope saw and read my letter.”
Here’s Fr. Calloway’s response below:
Dreams do come true! (And cartoons too!). Haha. Phone is going off like a slot machine. The joy in my soul, the peace…
Posted by Consecration to St. Joseph with Fr. Calloway on Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Click here if you cannot see the post above.
Pope Francis also added indulgence opportunities to the decree. The decree explains four ways to obtain a plenary indulgence throughout this liturgical year.
The indulgence requires the individual to follow the three usual conditions with “the intention of complying as soon as possible). One must receive sacramental confession, holy communion, and pray for the Holy Father, as well as detach oneself from all sin.
Here’s 8 Ways to Gain a Plenary Indulgence During the Year of St. Joseph:
1) Meditate for 30 minutes on the Our Father
2) Attend a spiritual day retreat that includes St. Joseph meditation
“Saint Joseph, an authentic man of faith, invites us to rediscover the filial relationship with the Father, to renew fidelity to prayer, to listen and to correspond with profound discernment to the will of God.”
3) Carry out a corporal or spiritual work of mercy
“The virtue of justice practiced in an exemplary way by Joseph is full adherence to the divine law, which is the law of mercy, ‘because it is precisely the mercy of God that brings true justice to fulfillment.’
“Therefore those who, following the example of St. Joseph, will carry out a corporal or spiritual work of mercy, will also be able to obtain the gift of Plenary indulgence.”
4) Recite the Holy Rosary with your family (or if engaged, with your future spouse)
“The main aspect of Joseph’s vocation was to be guardian of the Holy Family of Nazareth, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and legal father of Jesus. So that all Christian families are stimulated to recreate the same climate of intimate communion, love and prayer that was lived in the Holy Family.”
5) Entrust your day and/or work to St. Joseph, invoke his protection and intercession
“The plenary indulgence can therefore be achieved by anyone who entrusts their activity daily to the protection of St. Joseph and any faithful who invoke the intercession of the Artisan of Nazareth with prayers, so that those looking for work can find a job and the work of everyone is more dignified.”
6) Pray to St. Joseph for persecuted Christians
“The plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who will recite the Litanies to St. Joseph (for the Latin tradition), or the Akathistos to St. Joseph, in whole or at least some of it (for the Byzantine tradition), or some other prayer to St. Joseph, proper to other liturgical traditions, in favor of the Church persecuted ad intra and ad extra and for the relief of all Christians who suffer every form of persecution.”
7) “Recite any legitimately approved prayer or act of piety in honor of St. Joseph”
“The Apostolic Penitentiary grants a plenary indulgence to the faithful who will recite any legitimately approved prayer or act of piety in honor of Saint Joseph, for example ‘To you, o Blessed Joseph,’ especially on the recurrences of March 19 and May 1, on the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, on St. Joseph’s Sunday (according to the Byzantine tradition), on the 19th of each month and every Wednesday, day dedicated to the memory of the Saint according to the Latin tradition.
8) For the elderly, sick, and dying: recite act of piety in St. Joseph’s honor, entrust life and discomforts to St. Joseph
“In the current context of health emergency, the gift of the plenary indulgence is particularly extended to the elderly, the sick, the dying and all those who for legitimate reasons are unable to leave the house, who with a soul detached from any sin and with the intention of fulfilling, as soon as possible, the three usual conditions, in their own home or where the impediment holds them, they will recite an act of piety in honor of St. Joseph, comfort of the sick and patron of a happy death, offering with trust in God the pains and discomforts of your life.”
St. Joseph, patron of the Catholic Church, pray for us!
[See also: How Fr. Donald Calloway’s Consecration to St. Joseph Could Save the Family: “Bring Him Into This Crisis”]
[See also: 7 Little-Known Prayers to St. Joseph Every Catholic Should Know]
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