Adeamus ad Thronum Gratciae-Our Lady Mother of Divine Grace

Mater Divinae Gratiae
Mother of Divine Grace  

This Carmelite Feast Day, on July 23, concludes the octave of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. We honor Mary as Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace since she is the Mother of the Son of God, the Author of all Grace.

Holy Mary, Virgin

Mother of Divine Grace

***

 Adeamus ad Thronum Gratciae

    "Let us proceed to and approach the throne of grace" 

 (Hebrews 4)

'The Blessed Virgin Mary was eternally predestined, in the context of the Incarnation of the divine Word, to be the Mother of God. As decreed by divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving Mother of the divine Redeemer, His associate, uniquely generous, and the Lord's humble servant. She conceived, bore, and nourished Christ; presented Him to the Father in the Temple; and was united with Him in His suffering as He died on the cross. In a completely unparalleled way she cooperated, by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity, with our Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is Mother to us all in the order of grace'  (Lumen Gentium, the Constitution on the Church, 61).

Prayer to Our Lady Mother of Grace

by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.

Mary, Mother of God, I believe that divine grace is absolutely necessary for the performing of any act that is meritorious for eternal life. I am grateful to your divine Son for this priceless gift of God, for by His Passion and death He not only reinstated us in the friendship of His heavenly Father, but also purchased for us all the graces we stand in need of to attain eternal life.   

I also believe that grace is a free gift of God, and I have no claim to it except as a member of His holy Church, which is the mystical body of Christ. Whoever abides in this Church will bring forth much salutary fruit; whereas they who willingly separate themselves from it must wither away spiritually. How strongly Jesus reminded me of this: "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remain on the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15, 4).

Help me to be deeply grateful for God's generosity toward me. I have been especially blessed as a Catholic, for God has given me graces which He has not given to everyone else. The Catholic Church the Gospels, the sacraments, the Mother of Divine Grace as my advocate—these are among the special blessings with which I am favored. I know that much will be required from those to whom much is given. Help me to make good use of the graces given me by God. May my faith influence my conduct. May the instructions I receive increase the love of God in me and strengthen my determination to serve Him with greater zeal. May I derive all the beneficial results the holy sacraments are to produce in my soul.

Mary, My Mother, I realize that I have not always corresponded faithfully with these graces. I will not be discouraged, but rather go with confidence to you, the throne of grace. Even though my past sinfulness may have made me unworthy to appear before God, I trust that you will appeal to God in my behalf as the Mother of Divine Grace. Through your prayers you will obtain forgiveness for my past negligence. You will obtain for me grace to be faithful to God during the rest of my life.

Above all, I beg of you to secure for me in the our of death the grace of final perseverance: that triumphant grace which crowns the measure of God's rifts here below and which is followed by the possession of God in heaven.....For  Prayer

The Fatima Message Embraces the Holy Father in Prayer and Sacrifice!

Zenit: "Many of Pope Benedict's words show he is not afraid to speak uncomfortable truths to our troubled world. But now his actions also are showing his profound courage. Despite the worries of some of his Vatican advisers,  Pope Benedict, has decided to carry out his long-planned September 14-16 visit to Lebanon in order to preach a message of peace  and Hope in a region torn by war. 

"The pope said in his greeting that he is also looking beyond Lebanon to the rest of the Middle East and comes to them as “a pilgrim of peace, as a friend of God and as a friend of all the inhabitants of all the countries of the region, whatever their origins and beliefs.”

The pope, also said that while he understood that tensions in the region may sometimes make it seem as if it were to "to snap like a bow which is overstretched," that such instances are when great wisdom is tested. Reason, he said, "must overcome one-sided passion in order to promote the greater good of all."

'I cannot forget the sad and painful events which have affected your beautiful country along the years. The successful way the Lebanese all live together surely demonstrates to the whole Middle East and to the rest of the world that, within a nation, there can exist cooperation between the various churches, all members of the one Catholic Church in a fraternal spirit of communion with other Christians, and at the same time coexistence and respectful dialogue between Christians and their brethren of other religions,' he said!"  Read More

The  Fatima Message and the Pope

Did you know that the last Pope who bore the name Benedict was the reigning Pontiff when Our Blessed Mother visited Fatima for the first time in 1917?   During World War I, when Pope Benedict XV saw that all human efforts had failed to end the war he adjured Our Lady to show him the way to peace. Eight days later, Our Blessed Mother came to Fatima with Her Message of peace for mankind! We can Hope that our present holy father Pope Benedict XVI will be the pope to help usher in the final triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

At the balcony, Benedict XVI first words to the crowd were given in Italian before he gave the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing in Latin, were: “ Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord. The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with insufficient instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers. In the joy of the Risen Lord, confident of his unfailing help, let us move forward. The Lord will help us, and Mary, His Most Holy Mother, will be on our side. Thank you. The crowd responded by chanting “Benedict! Benedict!

Benedict XVI explained his choice of name during his first General Audience in St. Peter's Square, on April 27, 2005: “ Filled with sentiments of awe and thanksgiving, I wish to speak of why I chose the name Benedict. Firstly, I remember Pope Benedict XV, that courageous prophet of peace, who guided the Church through turbulent times of war. In his footsteps I place my ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples. Additionally, I recall Saint Benedict of Norsia, co-patron of Europe, whose life evokes the Christian roots of Europe. I ask him to help us all to hold firm to the centrality of Christ in our Christian life: May Christ always take first place in our thoughts and actions!

    Do not be Afraid! 

Open Wide the Doors for Christ!

After referring to John Paul II's well-known words, "Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!", Benedict XVI said: “Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to Him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us?...And once again the Pope said: No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation....When we give ourselves to Him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life. 

Friendship with Jesus Christ" is a frequent theme of his preaching stressing that on this intimate friendship, "everything depends." He has also said: "We are all called to open ourselves to this friendship with God... speaking to him as to a friend, the only One who can make the world both good and happy... That is all we have to do put ourselves at his disposal...is an extremely important message. It is a message that helps to overcome what can be considered the great temptation of our time: the claim, that after the Big Bang, God withdrew from history." Thus, in his book Jesus of Nazareth, his main purpose was "to help foster the growth of a living relationship" with Jesus Christ.

He also took up this theme in his first encyclical Deus Caritas Est. In his explanation and summary of the encyclical, he stated: "If friendship with God becomes for us something ever more important and decisive, then we will begin to love those whom God loves and who are in need of us. God wants us to be friends of his friends and we can be so, if we are interior close to them."

The World is Redeemed 
by the Patience of God!

It is destroyed by 
the Impatience of Man

                                         I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord Psalm 116:13

                                                                                             

Towards the end of the papal Homily during the Inauguration Mass the following text seems to dimly foreshadow the present crisis that has spewed over the papacy and the church during his pontificate. 

                     

"We Suffer on Account

  of  God's Patience!"

The symbol of the lamb also has a deeper meaning. In the Ancient Near East, it was customary for kings to style themselves shepherds of their people. This was an image of their power, a cynical image: to them their subjects were like sheep, which the shepherd could dispose of as he wished. When the shepherd of all humanity, the living God, himself became a lamb, he stood on the side of the lambs, with those who are downtrodden and killed. This is how he reveals himself to be the true shepherd: "I am the Good Shepherd... I lay down my life for the sheep", Jesus says of himself (Jn 10:14ff.) It is not power, but love that redeems us! This is God's sign: he himself is love.

"How often We wish that God

Would Show Himself Stronger,

that He Would Strike Decisively,

Defeating Evil and Creating

A better World!"

"All ideologies of power justify themselves in exactly this way: they justify the destruction of whatever would stand in the way of progress and the liberation of humanity. We suffer on account of God's patience. And yet, we need his patience. God, who became a lamb, tells us that the world is saved by the Crucified One, not by those who crucified him. The world is redeemed by the patience of God; it is destroyed by the impatience of man.."

"Feeding means Loving

 and Loving also means

Being Ready to Suffer!"

"One of the basic characteristics of a shepherd must be to love the people entrusted to him, even as he loves Christ whom he serves. "Feed my sheep", says Christ to Peter, and now, at this moment, he says it to me as well. Feeding means loving, and loving also means being ready to suffer. Loving means giving the sheep what is truly good, the nourishment of God's truth, of God's Word, the nourishment of his presence, which he gives us in the Blessed Sacrament."

"My dear friends, at this moment I can only say: pray for me, that I may learn to love the Lord more and more. Pray for me that I may learn to love more and more his flock: you, the holy Church, each one of you and all of you together. Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. Let us pray for one another, that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another."

We can hope that Pope Benedict XVI will be the Pope who will have the grace and strength from the Holy Spirit to reveal the wolves clothed as sheep hiding within the church itself. And help pave the way for the church to usher in the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady's Heart will triumph, she said it would!  But the enemy of God has planted itself within the church before we receive such a grace a purification awaits us as God cleans his temple once more.

Unmasking the wolves 
in Sheep's Clothing

 A Blessing to Pave the Way 
for the Triumph of 
The Immaculate Heart of Mary

In a sense this current scandal although deeply humiliating is a blessing for the church because it exposed some of the wolves within. My hope is for the church to enact new legislative laws to prevent such scandals from ever happening again as well as laws governing the discipline of the individuals involved and those who covered up. Care must also be taken to secure justice and protection to the accused from false accusations.

  

"It is time to Reaffirm the importance of Prayer in the Face of the activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in Charitable Work."  

Pope Benedict XVI   

We need to pray more!

The Message Fatima revolves around and is concerned for the welfare of the papacy. Those who follow Our Lady of Fatima join with the shepherd children Bls. Jacinta and Francisco and Sr. Lucia in praying and sacrificing for the the Holy Father. The eruption of the scandals in the priesthood and the scourge it has released upon the church and the papacy is undoubtedly a source of grief to the Holy Father. 

The final triumph of Our Lady will come 

if we continue to pray for one another 

and fulfill the requests made at Fatima.

  

Fulfilling the Fatima message the means given by God for the Final Triumph of Good over Evil! It is a spiritual war and it is beyond the capability of men to rectify on our own. A Divine intervention is needed! We need to do all we can help the Pope at this time with our prayers and sacrifices to keep the wolves at bay till God intervenes! In order to do this the pope himself has said more than once prayer is "urgently needed...It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in charitable work."

Is Benedict XVI the pope in the Vision of Bl. Jacinta at the well in the summer! The Holy Father was was alone suffering insults. He was persecuted and was weeping! Is it this pope?  Jacinta cried out to Lucia Did you see the Holy Father. Lucia replied No and  Jacinta said: "I saw the Holy Father! He was in a very big house, kneeling by a table, with his head buried in his hands, and he was weeping. Outside the house, there were many people. Some of them were throwing stones, others were cursing him and using bad language. Poor Holy Father, we must pray very much for him."

It is God's Church and he will help her if we humbly admit our need for his help as Benedict XV did in 1917. He prayed and God sent his mother to Fatima. Let us do what we can to beg pardon for the wrongs we have done and do penance. All of us have contributed by our own personal sins and our omissions for the state of the church and the world today! Pray very much for the Pope and the church uniting your prayers with the prayers of the shepherds of Fatima. With God there is no time and all prayers past, present and future are before him in eternity. The consequences for humanity if we do nothing are depicted in the Miracle of the Sun! I can’t wait until the Triumph of Our Lady comes!

Pray for me!

"He who is not with the Pope

Is not with God!

He that wants to be with God,

must be with Pope." Sr.Lucia of Fatima

St. Joseph's Humble Appearance at Fatima Announces A Crisis of Fatherhood in Society and the Church!

St. Joseph is the  Father of the New Evangelization!

It is not well known that Saint Joseph had a special role in preparation of Vatican II.  St. Pope John XXIII chose St Joseph as a protector of the Council, in his Apostolic Letter of March 19, 1961 Le voci che da tutti.  In addition at the closing of the first session of the second Vatican Council on Dec. 8, 1962, St. John XXIII, inserted St Joseph into the Canon of the Mass. Currently the patron of second Vatican Council who appeared during the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima is now called the “Father of the New Evangelization” and “the holy patron of the third millennium."

 

St. Joseph, Fatima and Fatherhood 

St. Joseph  was named Patron of the Universal Church  and protector of the the second Vatican Council in 1960. This event in the unfolding of providence  linked Fatima and the 3rd secret  with the second Vatican Council and the cold war.  However, those living at the time did not make the correlations with Fatima and the council. The pope probably did as he read the secret and decided not to reveal it. It was within his right as Christs Vicar not wanting to give the enemies of the church reason to fulfill a prophecy. Those who detracted the pope for this are in error!   

Most people are unaware that St. Joseph also appeared at Fatima during the Miracle of the Sun. The children saw him while the crowd beheld the stupendous miracle of the sun.  Lucia Writes: "Our Lady having disappeared in the immensity of the firmament, we saw, beside the sun, Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady clothed in white with a blue mantle. Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world with gestures which they made with their hands in the form of a cross. Soon after, that apparition having ceased, I saw Our Lord and Our Lady, Who gave me the impression of being Our Lady of Sorrows. Our Lord seemed to bless the world in the same manner as Saint Joseph. That apparition disappeared and it seemed to me that I saw Our Lady again, this time as Our Lady of Mount Carmel!"  

Throughout history there have been supernatural apparitions and signs which, to the surprise of believers and non-believers alike, play their part in the unfolding of human history. Fatima falls in this category.  There is a deep significance in  the apparition in its historical context but there is also a deeper hidden significance that can only, be discovered in  prayer and meditation. Over tine the church with the help of the Holy Spirit reflects on the supernatural mysteries surrounding the apparitions uncovering hidden mysteries hidden for another time in the unfolding of providence. She discovers the finger of God writing  on the wall  within the symbols and events taking place.They are not coincidences! God has a purpose in everything he does. A message to proclaim at the time of the appearances as well as within the historical context sometimes for a later time. Prophecy in the symbols not with words

The presence of St. Joseph at Fatima falls in this category.  Sr. Lucia requested the 3rd secret of Fatima to be opened and read in 1960.  She said it would be more apparent then.  In 1960 Kennedy ran for president, and one of his key election issues was an alleged "missile gap"with Russia.  We were sinking deeper into the Cold War with Russia and threatened at this time with one of the Fatima  prophecies of the annihilation of nations. 

The symbolism's contained within the recently revealed portions of the 3rd secret are also prophetic in nature pointing to a possible future calamity or apocalypse if men do not stop offending God. Taken in conjunction with the prophetic aspect of the three Rosary scenes shown to the children during the miracle of the sun, it is plausible to see a foreshadowing of some new evil which would produce repercussions on a cosmic scale, the worst evil in the history of Christianity according to Msgr. Joseph Cirrincione: namely, the universal rejection of the Fatherhood of God.

Fatherhood, Family Under Attack            

  St. Joseph, Fatima and Fatherhood    

by Msgr. Joseph Cirrincione

 According to Msgr. Cirrincione, that which is the common denominator, the future event which this scene foreshadowed during the miracle of the sun is the role of fatherhood. He is led without any doubt to this conclusion because in that last vision at Fatima. St. Joseph was holding the Child Jesus in his arms and both of them were blessing the world, while Our Lady looked on. Msgr. Joseph goes on:  "In the convulsions of the sun I see an ominous foreshadowing of the consequences for the world which are sure to be felt if the true Fatherhood of God and the traditional, strong role of the father of the family are rejected by mankind.  St. Joseph was the head of the Holy Family not because he was the holiest member of it. In fact, in that respect he was the least. Nor was he the head because he had been chosen by agreement of the other two members. He was the head of the Holy Family because he was the FATHER of the family. And as father he represented God the Father.

"The combination of this practical atheism and secularism, which amounts to an official rejection of God's Fatherhood or authority, is a first in the history of the Christian era, foreshadowed by the 'Miracle of the Sun' at Fatima in 1917. Rejection of the Fatherhood of God by the vast majority of mankind inevitably has set in motion a chain reaction of consequences affecting fatherhood.  Since human fatherhood, as a reflection of the Fatherhood of God,  and was designed to be the pillar of the family, the disappearance of esteem for fathers and fatherhood has led to the collapse of that pillar and thus to the disintegration of the family. Since the family is the fundamental unit of society, the disintegration of the family inexorably leads to the disintegration of society itself."

The spirit of Anti-Fatherhood 

Entered the Church! 

" Recognition of the fatherhood of the Vicar of Christ, the Pope, has eroded to an alarming degree. Like the lip service paid to religion by secularist governments, a certain outward respect is still paid to the Holy Father. However, his authority in faith and morals is openly rejected by many who still consider themselves to be Catholics. Some priests, have bartered the respect they have enjoyed for years as spiritual fathers, for a mess of pottage -- to be considered "pals' of their people, dressing and acting like laity.  Read  more: St. Joseph, Fatima and Fatherhood

  Humanae Vitae  

Controversial & Crucial for Humanity's Future

Three years after the closing of the Second Vatican Council On July 25, 1968.  Paul VI issued the encyclical Humanae Vitae  on Human Life.  Subtitled "On the Regulation of Birth", the encyclical re-affirmed the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding abortion, contraception, and other issues pertaining to human life. The encyclical has been controversial because of its prohibition of all forms of artificial contraception, and did not set will with the new cultural revolution taking place. Pope Paul VI did not issue any additional encyclicals in the remaining ten years of his pontificate.   

In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI called the encyclical  on Humane Vitea "so controversial, yet so crucial for humanity's future." Humanae Vitae became " a sign of contradiction but also of continuity of the Church's doctrine and tradition... What was true yesterday is true also today.

Our Lady told Lucia that if her requests are not honored, many souls will be lost, "the Holy Father will have much to suffer, there will be further wars and persecutions of the Church and "various nations will be annihilated."  The annihilation of nations predicted at Fatima has not yet occurred, but many fear that it will soon happen. Could America be threatened and fall prey to communism without a war? Look at what is happening  today in light of the New Health Care Mandate with Freedom of Religion at stake!   We are undergoing a spiritual annihilation of sorts? How many nations  in once Christian Europe have already fallen in this spiritual battle because we rejected the teachings of Paul VI in the encyclical on Humanae Vitea? Christian Europe is fast becoming Muslim because Christians no longer reproduce themselves and abort their offspring. 

The people themselves are responsible

"Since we did not heed this appeal of the Message, we see that it has been fulfilled, Russia has invaded the world with her errors. And if we have not yet seen the complete fulfillment of the final part of this prophecy, we are going towards it little by little with great strides. If we do not reject the path of sin, hatred, revenge, injustice, violations of the rights of the human person, immorality and violence, etc.-And let us not say that it is God who is punishing us in this way; on the contrary it is people themselves who are preparing their own punishment. In his kindness God warns us and calls us to the right path, while respecting the freedom he has given us; hence people are responsible”.   Sister Lucia letter to pope-1982

Tarcisio Bertone, SDB  Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2000   said that "Our Lady, who appeared at Fatima, recalls these forgotten values. She reminds us that man's future is in God, and that we are active and responsible partners in creating that future."

The vision of St. Joseph and the Infant Jesus blessing the world, with Mary by the side of the sun hurtling towards the earth, is God's assurance that although men are free to reject Him, God will never reject man. In describing the father of the prodigal son in His famous parable, Jesus was actually describing His own Eternal Father. God the Father is ever waiting for sinners in particular and mankind in general to return to Him and His law. And as the principal theme at Fatima would indicate, the road by which the prodigal world will someday return to God the Father is called the Way of the Immaculate Heart of Mary whether one believes in Fatima or not!"  Quote from  St. Joseph, Fatima, and Fatherhood

Its up to us what happens!

Benedict XVI on  June 26, 2000, commented on the third secret of Fatima as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “The vision (3rd Secret)  then shows the power which stands opposed to the force of destruction  the splendor of the Mother of God and, stemming from this in a certain way, the summons to penance. In this way, the importance of human freedom is underlined: the future is not in fact unchangeable set, the image which the children saw is in no way a film preview of a future in which nothing can be changed. Indeed, the whole point of the vision is to bring freedom onto the scene and to steer freedom in a positive direction. ... Its meaning is to mobilize the forces of change in the right direction. Therefore we must totally discount fatalistic explanations of the 'secret,' such as, for example, the claim that the would-be assassin of May 13 1981 was merely an instrument of the divine plan guided by Providence. ... Rather, the vision speaks of dangers and how we might be saved from them."

Pope Benedict XVI said  that he went to Fatima to confess to the Virgin that he “loves her”, to pray for mankind “afflicted by so much misery and suffering” and to pray for priests. ...saying also that whomever thinks the prophecy of Fatima is fulfilled is mistaken”, because the Virgin is the one who can change a person’s heart, when facing death and fear. At a time when the human family was ready to sacrifice all that was most sacred on the altar of the petty selfish interests of nations, races, ideologies, groups and individuals, our Blessed Mother came from heaven.” Benedict XVI Fatima 2010

  St Joseph Patron of the Church

© Speramus-We Hope

St Joseph is also invoked as the Patron of the Universal Church in apt recognition of his strength and fortitude. God the father gave St. Joseph the most exalted duty of protecting the Sacred Humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who would redeem mankind and endow it with the most perfect and ultimate gift of Eternal Life through His Passion death and resurrection. To fulfill His Divine mission, God the Father entrusted His Son to the paternal care of St. Joseph.  St. Joseph is the epitome of a pure man: pure in thought, pure in heart; pure in body and soul – destined to be the most chaste spouse of Mary Most Holy conceived without sin. 

The Catholic Church, born from the water that gushed forth from Jesus' side, and nurtured by the maternal love of Our Lady, sought comfort and protection from the snares and malice of Satan and his followers in the hands of St. Joseph, the terror of demons! We can expect that God also endowed him with an equally proportional grace to carry out such a mission in life. And certainly we can picture him as an icon of manliness and a pillar of strength that would sow fear among the powers of darkness.  Given the noble task under his watch.In recognition of this special place, the Church honors him with the highest veneration next to Mary.

St. Joseph a Model for Priests 

and Consecrated Souls

"On many occasions, Benedict XVI has invited Catholics to learn from the school of Saint Joseph, to have a “spiritual conversation” with him, linked to a renewal of faith.  During the Angelus on December 18, 2005, he said: “It is therefore particularly appropriate in the days that precede Christmas to establish a sort of spiritual conversation with St Joseph, so that he may help us live to the full this great mystery of faith.

"In our meditations on the human and spiritual journey of Saint Joseph let us ponder his vocation in all its richness, and to see him as a constant model for all those who have devoted their lives to Christ in the priesthood, in the consecrated life or in the different forms of lay engagement. Joseph was caught up at every moment by the mystery of the Incarnation. Not only physically, but in his heart as well, Joseph reveals to us the secret of a humanity which dwells in the presence of mystery and is open to that mystery at every moment of everyday life. In Joseph, faith is not separated from action. His faith had a decisive effect on his actions. Paradoxically, it was by acting, by carrying out his responsibilities, that he stepped aside and left God free to act, placing no obstacles in his way. Joseph is a 'just man' (Mt 1:19) because his existence is 'ad-justed' to the word of God.”                                                                               March 18, 2009, in Yaounde, Cameroon    Read more....

Benedict XVI Entrusted Pastors of Universal Church to St. Joseph 
Benedict XVI reflected before the Angelus in December 19, 2010 entrusting to St. Joseph's protection all the priests worldwide. "I would like to entrust all Pastors to St Joseph, the Universal Patron of the Church, while I urge them to offer “Christ’s [humble] words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world."  Stressing his role as legal Father of Jesus in God's plan of salvation. In witnessing to Mary's virginity, and safeguarding the Messiah's earthly life, St. Joseph announces the miracle of the Lord. Let us venerate St Joseph because the new man is outlined in him, who looks with trust and courage to the future. He does not follow his own plans but entrusts himself without reserve to the infinite mercy of the one who will fulfill the prophecies and open the time of salvation"  For more details....

Pope Francis & St. Joseph

The pontificate of Pope Francis began under the sign of St. Joseph father and protector of the Holy Family and the Church. The essential message in the homily that was given by Pope Francis to open his pontificate draws on the image of St. Joseph, spouse of Mary and head of the Holy Family. And that message is to "protect." This message is so  important at a time when the figure of the person who "protects," be he or she a father, a mother, a priest, a scholar, a leader, is under attack -- in a time when the "protection" is entrusted to others, or to none, when the "protectors" are anonymous, or hidden, or when they simply don't exist. To "protect" means to make sure what one protects is not harmed, not hurt. Click link to read more: VIVA LA PAPA! Today,with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the Successor of Peter!

St. Teresa of Avila's devotion to St. Joseph

  ITE AD JOSEPH! --GO TO JOSEPH

"I took for my advocate and lord the glorious Saint Joseph and commended myself earnestly to him; and I found that this my father and lord delivered me both from this trouble and also from other and greater troubles concerning my honor and the loss of my soul, and that he gave me greater blessings than I could ask of him. I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant. I am astonished at the great favors which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the perils from which He has freed me, both in body and in soul. To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succor us in some of our necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succors us in them all and that the Lord wishes to teach us that as He was Himself subject to him on earth (for, being His guardian and being called His father, he could command Him) just so in Heaven He still does all that he asks. This has also been the experience of other persons whom I have advised to commend themselves to him; and even to-day there are many who have great devotion to him through having experienced this truth." "The Autobiography of St. Teresa", ch. 6

A Prayer to St. Joseph

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of  all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Come Holy Father, with Jesus and Mary, to aid me, and obtain for me this only solace which I ask for in that hour, to die encircled by their holy arms. Into your sacred hands living and dying, Jesus, Mary and Joseph I commend my soul.

Addendum: As a Marian Catechist and Secular Carmelite in the world I also went to St. Joseph  in all my needs. He has answered many prayers in desperate moments that have arisen over the years and I wish to thank him once more on his Feast for the many graces and blessings he has obtained for me spiritual and temporal. I am very grateful to him obtaining from God the grace for me to persevere as I await the delayed mercies I have placed in his fatherly care! St.  Joseph foster father of Jesus and spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ora Pro nobis!

ITE AD JOSEPH! --GO TO JOSEPH!