Benedict XVI Entrusts to His Patron All the Pastors of the
Universal Church
By Anita Bourdin
ROME, MARCH 15, 2012
(Zenit.org).- March is the month of St. Joseph, whose feast the Church will
celebrate Monday. Currently the holy patron of Vatican II is now seen as the
“Father of the New Evangelization” and “the holy patron of the third
millennium,” according to an initiative launched by the bishop of the
French diocese of Frejus-Toulon, Bishop Dominique Rey
On Saturday, the
Diocese of Frejus-Toulon will be consecrated to Saint Joseph.
Saint Joseph had a
special role in the preparation of Vatican Council II, given that Pope John
XXIII chose him as a protector of the event, with his Apostolic Letter of March
19, 1961. In the text, Blessed John XXIII mentions “the voices that come to Us
from all points of the earth” and the documents on Saint Joseph of his
predecessors, from Pius IX to Pius XIII. In his document, the Pope proposed, in
addition, that on March 19, Saint Joseph’s altar in the Vatican Basilica “be
clothed in new splendor, wider and more solemn” to become a “point of
attraction and religious piety for individual souls, for innumerable crowds.”
Then, in October of
1962, he made a gift of his papal ring to Joseph, offering it to the Polish
shrine of Kalisz, where a painting of Saint Joseph is kept, which is considered
miraculous.
It was Blessed John
XXIII, moreover, who had Saint Joseph’s name inserted in the Canon of the Mass,
as he announced in his address at the closing of the first session of the
Council on Dec. 8, 1962.
The Shrine at Knock
John Paul II in turn
gave his ring to Saint Joseph, to whom he had also been devoted since his
childhood. The ring was placed by Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, archbishop of
Krakow, in the church of Carmel, a shrine dedicated to Saint Joseph, on March
19, 2004.
The Polish Pope
recalled the importance of Saint Joseph for the life of the Church in his
Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos (August 15, 1989), a century after
Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Quanquam Pluries (August 15, 1889) on devotion to
Saint Joseph.
For his part, Benedict
XVI announced recently a Year of Faith, starting on the 50th anniversary of
Vatican II. 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. Before the Angelus on December 18, 2005, for example, 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.”
On March 18, 2009, in
Yaounde, Cameroon, the Pope dedicated his homily to his patron saint.
Addressing all the people of God, he concluded saying that in Saint Joseph
there is no separation between faith and action.
“Dear brothers and
sisters, our meditation on the human and spiritual journey of Saint Joseph
invites us to 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.”
The Year for Priests
On December 19, 2010,
the 4th Sunday of Advent, Benedict XVI reflected before the Angelus on the
Announcement to Joseph, entrusting to his protection all priests worldwide,
stressing his role of “legal Father” of Jesus in God’s plan of salvation. “In
witnessing to Mary’s virginity, to God’s gratuitous action and in safeguarding
the Messiah’s earthly life St Joseph announces the miracle of the Lord.
Therefore let us venerate the legal father of Jesus (cf. Catechism of the
Catholic Church, n. 532), 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
fulfil the prophecies and open the time of salvation.” said the Pope.
"Dear friends, I would
like to entrust all Pastors to St Joseph, 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”, (Letter Proclaiming the Year for Priests, 16
June 2009).),” he continued.
Brother Andre and
Cotignac
On Sunday, October 17,
2010, the Pope canonized in Rome the Canadian Religious apostle of Saint
Joseph, Brother Andre Bessette (1845-1937), who had Saint Joseph’s Oratory in
Montreal built, of which he was custodian until his death.
For its part, the
Diocese of Frejus-Toulon has on its territory the shrine of Cotignac, entrusted
to the Brothers of Saint John, where in June of 1660 the Holy Custodian
appeared to a 22-year-old shepherd of Provence, Gaspard Ricard, pointing to a
large rock and saying simply: “I am Joseph, move it and you will drink.”
Louis XIV, going on
pilgrimage to Cotignac, only 10 days after his ascent to the throne, entrusted
France to the protection of Saint Joseph the following year, on March 19, 1661.
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