Blessed Easter!

Heavenly Father, You delivered your Son

to the death of the Cross to save us from

evil. Grant us the grace of the Resurrection.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Joseph - March 19

God the Father had one opportunity to choose one man to be father to His one Son on earth, and from the far reaches of eternity, He chose Joseph of Nazareth. That’s impressive!

Joseph, a carpenter, was betrothed to Mary, a young girl from the same town. Before they lived together, the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, telling her that God had chosen her to be the mother of His son.

Mary accepted, and at that, moment became the Mother of God. In a dream, an angel told Joseph, ”Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

When Joseph awoke, he did all the angel had said, and took Mary into his home.  And Jesus was born.

Saint Joseph, it seems, represents God the Father more closely than any other person in history, other than Christ Himself. Like God the Father, Joseph had one son. Like the Father, Joseph loved Jesus and Mary fervently, chastely, and purely. Like God, Joseph protected and provided for his family.

However, Joseph was not God. Though he was chosen, he struggled with life. Though he was righteous, he faced some very difficult moments seeking to know and do God’s will. Though he was humble, he had to act with decision and valor in dangerous situations whose outcomes would affect the eternal destiny of humanity. In short, Joseph was a real man!

St. Joseph is the Patron of all Christians throughout the world.  He is the Patron of a Happy Home, the Safeguard of Families, the Patron of Fathers, the Protector of Children, and the Model of Single and Married Men.

St. Joseph is the Consolation of the Poor, the Rescuer of Sinners, the Solace of the Afflicted, the Hope of the Sick, and the Patron of a Happy Death.

St. Joseph is the Model of Righteousness, the Model of Christian Workers, the Patron of Priests and Seminarians, and the Guardian of Virgins.

Pray to St. Joseph! He will faithfully intercede for you before His Son Jesus, and the Eternal Father.

Finally, today is especially special as in Rome, Pope Francis was inaugurated as our new Holy Father.

Joseph and Son, Carpenters. Help Wanted!

Dear Saint Joseph, pray for us!

God the Father had one opportunity to choose one man to be father to His one Son on earth, and from the far reaches of eternity, He chose Joseph of Nazareth. That’s impressive!

Joseph, a carpenter, was betrothed to Mary, a young girl from the same town. Before they lived together, the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, telling her that God had chosen her to be the mother of His son.

Mary accepted, and at that, moment became the Mother of God. In a dream, an angel told Joseph, ”Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

When Joseph awoke, he did all the angel had said, and took Mary into his home.  And Jesus was born.

Saint Joseph, it seems, represents God the Father more closely than any other person in history, other than Christ Himself. Like God the Father, Joseph had one son. Like the Father, Joseph loved Jesus and Mary fervently, chastely, and purely. Like God, Joseph protected and provided for his family.

However, Joseph was not God. Though he was chosen, he struggled with life. Though he was righteous, he faced some very difficult moments seeking to know and do God’s will. Though he was humble, he had to act with decision and valor in dangerous situations whose outcomes would affect the eternal destiny of humanity. In short, Joseph was a real man!

St. Joseph is the Patron of all Christians throughout the world.  He is the Patron of a Happy Home, the Safeguard of Families, the Patron of Fathers, the Protector of Children, and the Model of Single and Married Men.

St. Joseph is the Consolation of the Poor, the Rescuer of Sinners, the Solace of the Afflicted, the Hope of the Sick, and the Patron of a Happy Death.

St. Joseph is the Model of Righteousness, the Model of Christian Workers, the Patron of Priests and Seminarians, and the Guardian of Virgins.

Pray to St. Joseph! He will faithfully intercede for you before His Son Jesus, and the Eternal Father.

Finally, today is especially special as in Rome, Pope Francis was inaugurated as our new Holy Father.

Joseph and Son, Carpenters. Help Wanted!

Dear Saint Joseph, pray for us!

Welcome, Pope Francis!

“Let us begin this journey!”

Today in Rome, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., was elected as Supreme Pontiff, the 265th successor of Peter, choosing the name Francis. Preceded by the Cross, Pope Francis stepped out on the balcony of St. Peter’s basilica and greeted the enormous crowd gathered in the cold and rainy St. Peter's Square, saying:

“Dear brothers and sisters, Bona sera!—Good evening! You know that the duty of the Conclave was to give Rome a bishop. It seems that my brother cardinals picked him from almost the ends of the earth. But here we are! The diocesan community of Rome has its bishop. Thank you!

“First and foremost I would like to say a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us pray together for him, that the Lord bless him and the Virgin keep him. … And now, let us begin this journey, bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which is the one that leads all the churches in charity—A journey of fraternity, of trust between us. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the world so that this might be a great brotherhood.”

Departing from tradition, the new leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics then said,

“I ask that you pray to the Lord that He bless me: the prayer of the people asking a blessing for their bishop. Let us pray in silence, this your prayer for me.”

Pope Francis then imparted his first apostolic blessing to Rome and to the world—“to all men and women of good will.” His final words on this momentous night were: “Brothers and sisters, I take my leave. Thank you for your warm welcome. Tomorrow I'm going to pray to the Virgin, that she will safeguard all of Rome. Good night and rest well.”

Born of Italian immigrant parents in Buenos Aires, the 76-year-old Argentinean has four brothers and sisters. He is the first Jesuit and the first person from the Americas to be elected Pope, and is also the first non-European pope since the death of Syrian-born Pope Gregory III in 741 AD.
The new pontiff holds a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, which he obtained before joining the Jesuits in 1958. He also holds a degree in philosophy. He taught literature and psychology before being ordained a priest in 1969. He then ministered in Spain and was elected as Head of the Jesuit order in Argentina in 1973, before finishing his doctoral studies in Germany. In 1992, Pope John Paul II ordained Bergoglio a bishop and in 2001, a Cardinal. Pope Francis speaks fluent Italian, Spanish, and German, and has served on a number of councils in the Church, among them the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Cardinal Bergoglio chose to live in a simple apartment rather than the archbishop’s palace, gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of taking the bus to work, and cooked his own meals. In the words of Father Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office, “I am absolutely convinced that we have a Pope who wants to serve. His election was the election of a rejection of power.”

Pope Francis is orthodox on matters of sexual morality, opposing abortion, same-sex marriage, and contraception. On the other hand, he has supported the social justice ethos of Latin America Catholicism, strongly defending the poor, has criticized priests who refuse to baptize babies born to single mothers, and visited a hospice for HIV-AIDS patients to kiss and wash the feet of 12 AIDS sufferers.

Tomorrow (Thursday), the Holy Father will make a private visit to a Rome church to thank Our Lady, and then he will visit Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. The eyes of the world will again return to Rome next Tuesday, March 19^th, when Pope Francis will be installed on the feast of St. Joseph, Patriarch of the Universal Church.

So how do you wish a pope well?

“Ad multos annos!—May you live for many years!”