“Following the lead of his predecessor, Blessed Pope John XXIII, our current Pontiff, Pope Francis, has determined that the name of St. Joseph should be included in all four standard Eucharistic prayers read at Mass.
“Now Jesus, present in sacrament, along with Mary and Joseph, present in memory, recall to believing minds the complete Holy Family of Bethlehem, Egypt and Nazareth. Quite prominent during the Christmas season from Advent until the Purification, the entire Holy Family will now receive attention throughout the Church’s entire year. . . .
“Amid all the concerns that modern families bring to mind, St. Joseph, as husband and father, ably ‘demonstrates the ordinary and simple virtues necessary for men to be good and genuine followers of Christ.’ Clearly, the male role in contemporary family life is in desperate need of analysis and encouragement. The growing number of fatherless families affects both boys and girls.”
In a recent commentary, Father John Kiley, a senior priest in the Diocese of Providence, reflected on the importance of fathers in family life and on how the “Holy Family, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, celebrated both popularly and liturgically at this Christmas season, must be not simply a fond memory but much more importantly an enduring model.”
To access Fr. Kiley’s complete essay, please visit:
Rhode Island Catholic: The Quiet Corner: Honoring St. Joseph: a good and genuine example (19 DEC 13)
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