YEAR OF St JOSEPH
Pope Francis announced a Year of St. Joseph in honour of the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the universal Church. The year begins Dec. 8, 2020 and concludes on Dec. 8, 2021. During the Year of St. Joseph “every member of the faithful, following his example, may strengthen their life of faith daily in the complete fulfillment of God’s will.” Pope Francis has granted special indulgences to mark this year.
In his letter, entitled Patris corde, “With a father’s heart” he shares some “personal reflections” on the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.
St. Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.” In its decree, the Apostolic Penitentiary said it would grant a plenary indulgence to Catholics who recite any approved prayer or act of piety in honour of St. Joseph, especially on March 19, the saint’s solemnity, and May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
The three conditions for receiving a plenary indulgence are sacramental confession, the reception of Holy Communion and prayer for the pope’s intentions. In his apostolic letter, Pope Francis reflected on the fatherly qualities of St. Joseph, describing him as beloved, tender and loving, obedient, accepting, and “creatively courageous.” He also underlined that he was a working father. “In his relationship to Jesus, Joseph was the earthly shadow of the heavenly Father: he watched over him and protected him, never leaving him to go his own way. Our world today needs fathers. It has no use for tyrants who would domineer others as a means of compensating for their own needs.”
“Every true vocation is born of the gift of oneself, which is the fruit of mature sacrifice. The priesthood and consecrated life likewise require this kind of maturity. Whatever our vocation, whether to marriage, celibacy or virginity, our gift of self will not come to fulfillment if it stops at sacrifice; were that the case, instead of becoming a sign of the beauty and joy of love, the gift of self would risk being an expression of unhappiness, sadness and frustration.”
“When fathers refuse to live the lives of their children for them, new and unexpected vistas open up. Every child is the bearer of a unique mystery that can only be brought to light with the help of a father who respects that child’s freedom. A father who realizes that he is most a father and educator at the point when he becomes ‘useless,’ when he sees that his child has become independent and can walk the paths of life unaccompanied. When he becomes like Joseph, who always knew that his child was not his own but had merely been entrusted to his care.”
“In every exercise of our fatherhood, we should always keep in mind that it has nothing to do with possession, but is rather a ‘sign’ pointing to a greater fatherhood. In a way, we are all like Joseph: a shadow of the heavenly Father, who ‘makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust’. And a shadow that follows his Son.”
“In the Gospels, St. Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love.”
“I would also like to tell you something very personal. I have great love for St. Joseph, because he is a man of silence and strength.”
“On my table I have an image of St. Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church! Yes! We know that he can do that. So when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it underneath St. Joseph, so that he can dream about it! In other words I tell him: pray for this problem! Always invoke him, especially in difficult times and entrust your life to this great saint.”
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BISHOP MARK EDWARDS APPOINTED TO WAGGA WAGGA
Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Mark Edwards OMI the sixth Bishop of Wagga Wagga.
Bishop Edwards, who will turn 61 next month, was born in Indonesia and grew up in Adelaide, Darwin and Melbourne’s southeast, attending St Leonard’s Primary School and Mazenod College. Mazenod was founded by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the order he would eventually join.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1986 and has held leadership positions within the Australian Province of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne on November 7, 2014 and ordained bishop the following month.
Bishop Edwards’ priestly ministry has largely centred on secondary school and seminary education, including serving as rector of Iona College in Brisbane and as aspirants’ master and novice master at St Mary’s Seminary in Mulgrave. …… Read More
Appointment of Bishop of Wagga Wagga – Nuncio
Archbishop Prouse – New Bishop Wagga Wagga
Bishop Edwards Letter to the Diocese of Wagga Wagga
HOLY SPIRIT NOVENA
Celebrate Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church
This is a powerful and moving novena to help us open ourselves up to the third person of the Holy Trinity.
Read more at: Pray More Novenas – Novena to the Holy Spirit
CARDINAL PELL IN NEW INTERVIEW
The Culture Wars are Real
“I’ve seen too many people [make the leap] from possible to probable to fact. Certainly, people do not like Christians who teach Christianity, especially on life and family and issues like that.” Read more
IS THE CORONA VIRUS A JUDGMENT FROM GOD?
COMMENTARY: Mary Healy
It is a question being debated by many Christians even bishops and cardinals.
The key to interpreting rightly the biblical passages on divine chastisement is to read them in light of the distinction between God’s positive will and his permissive will. ….… more
RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION IN THE HAND
Fr Tony Percy VG- 14 July 2020
Archdiocesan Protocols for Coronavirus (COVID-19) The protocols for reception of Holy Communion that the Archdiocese has adopted are informed by the best medical expertise. In … Read More
