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St. Joseph

St. Joseph

Feast date: Mar 19

St. Joseph is honored with feast days throughout the Liturgical Year. This feast encourages us to look at Joseph's role as husband and head of the Holy Family.

Most of what we know about the life of St. Joseph comes to us from Scripture and legends that have sprung up regarding his life. Though Joseph is only mentioned by two of the evangelists, he is paid the compliment of being a "just" man. This is a way of saying that Joseph was such a good and holy man that he shares in God's own holiness. In addition, Joseph gives us an example of how to be a just spouse and how to have holy relationships.

Joseph's example as a husband can be best seen in how he respected Mary. He realized that God had a special plan for his wife and for his son, and Joseph did everything in his power to help this plan become reality. When Joseph was given chances to give up his vocation to the married life, by divorcing Mary or leaving her, he resisted the temptation and stayed by her side providing support and love.

The feast of St. Joseph Husband of Mary has been celebrated throughout the church since the tenth century and has been honored as the Patron of the Universal Church since 1870. St. Joseph is the patron of workers, carpenters, Austria, Belgium, Bohemia, Canada, Mexico, Peru, and southern Vietnam.

Attending a safeguarding conference in Panama City

Hello and welcome! Last Saturday, while I was still in Rome, I had dinner with Cardinal Adalberto Martínez and Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik. Cardinal Lazzaro studied at St. John’s Seminary and is the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy.  Of course, Cardinal Adalberto was one of my priests in the Virgin Islands and is […]

Breaking ground at Lawrence Catholic Academy

Hello and welcome! Last Saturday, while I was still in Washington, I celebrated a 50th anniversary Mass and renewal of vows for Pablo and Amelia Ortiz, a couple whom I married 50 years ago at St. Matthew’s Cathedral.  Their children, grandchildren and many of their friends were there to share the occasion with them. It […]

Screening the new film ‘Cabrini’

Hello and welcome! As I mentioned last week, I joined our recently ordained priests on their retreat last weekend for a time of conversation.  On Friday, I was also very happy to celebrate a Mass for them for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Saturday, there was a youth encuentro at St. Stephen’s […]

Celebrating the Rite of Election

Hello and welcome! Last weekend, I was pleased to be able to attend the New York Encounter hosted by Communion and Liberation.  Each year, CL holds this gathering for young people, which is modeled on “Il Meeting” held every year in Rimini, Italy and is the largest annual cultural event in Italy. We always have […]

Beginning Lent

Hello and welcome! As I mentioned last week, I was in Rome for meetings of the C9 Council of Cardinals.  Before I left, I was very happy to have the opportunity to sign an agreement of cooperation between the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome and the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of […]

Ordaining Bishop Barbosa

Hello and welcome! Friday, I met with Father Nicolae Pretorian, a Romanian Orthodox priest who has been working and teaching in Greece and is now going to be pursuing doctoral studies at Boston College.  He referred to us by Metropolitan Methodios and came to greet me. He is an expert in church-state relations, so it […]

Receiving Bishop-elect Barbosa’s Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity

Hello and welcome! On Monday, I was visited by the Portuguese Ambassador to The United States, Francisco Duarte Lopes, and the Consul General in Boston, Tiago Araújo. The ambassador had been in the Boston area for several days, visiting different groups and programs related to the Portuguese language and culture, and Monday was his last […]

Addressing Georgetown’s Cardinal O’Connor Conference

Hello and welcome! As I mentioned last week, I was very happy to take part in the Life Fest gathering, sponsored by the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus. Despite the fact that there was considerable snow by Washington, D.C. standards, about 6,000 young people were able to gather for that event, which […]

Marching for Life

Hello and welcome! As some of you may have read, this week, we are announcing a change to age for the Sacrament of Confirmation for the archdiocese.  For the last four years, there has been a great deal of discussion about the best pastoral approach to the confirmation age.  A committee began considering this issue […]