St. Joseph

In his book “Befriending St. Joseph: Finding Faith, Hope and Courage in the Seven Sorrows Devotion,” Deacon Greg Kandra was challenged to find a way to speak of — and perhaps for — this saint of silence.

“When he decided to go to Ukraine to teach, he didn’t know why he chose Ukraine,” said Ted Bechtold’s father, Bruce. “Now we know that he went to Ukraine because God had a greater purpose for him.”

Speaking about how Joseph reacted to Mary being pregnant while they were still engaged, the pope explained why St. Joseph “gives us an important lesson: He chooses Mary with ‘his eyes open,'” and “with all the risks” that came with it.

Here is the Vatican’s English translation of the prayer to St. Joseph that Pope Francis recited at his weekly general audience Nov. 24.

As the guardian of Jesus and Mary, St. Joseph’s reassuring presence is an example for Christians who are called to care for the lonely and those who struggle in their lives, Pope Francis said.

Respect Life Sunday is observed on the first Sunday of the month, which this year is Oct. 3.

Father Calloway says St. Joseph is the model of husband and father the church and world need today.

Updating the Litany of St. Joseph, approved in 1909, the Vatican has added seven invocations, including two that address the guardian of Jesus and husband of Mary as “support in difficulty” and “patron of refugees.”