LET’S GO TO ST JOSEPH!

About 36 of our St Joseph’s Church Parishioners have been Consecrated to St Joseph, the Spouse of Blessed Virgin Mary, on Friday, 19 March 2021 during the 6.00pm and 8.00pm Masses. They successfully completed a 33-day online program as part of their preparation for the consecration to St Joseph. The program commenced on Monday, 15 February 2021 and ended on the Solemnity of St Joseph, the Spouse of Blessed Virgin Mary (Friday, 19 March 2021). This 33-day program was concluded with the Eucharistic celebration and praying the “Act of Consecration to St Joseph” together, at the sanctuary.

Many of us are familiar with the Marian Consecration - “33 Days to Morning Glory” - written by Fr Michael Gaitley of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception (MIC), which consists of a 33-day Spiritual Preparation, but not many have heard of the Consecration to St Joseph.

Since the Holy Father, Pope Francis announced this year (8 December 2020 - 8 December 2021) as the “Year of St Joseph” Patron of the Universal Church, we initiated this 33-day spiritual online program as a preparation for consecrating ourselves to St Joseph.

Each day the English session was held at 5.30pm and the Tamil session at 9.00pm. We used the book “Consecration to St Joseph – The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father” written by Donald H. Calloway (MIC), as our guide for our spiritual preparation. We spent about 20-30 minutes studying the life of St Joseph - his virtues, his greatness and how he was “at the service of the entire plan of salvation.” This 33-day spiritual journey has given us the opportunity to discover the many titles of St Joseph in the Catholic Church, and the role he plays in the mystery of God’s plan.

We were really inspired by the insights we received and with this understanding, we hold St Joseph in a special place in our hearts. This program has led us to “go to Joseph” (Gen 41: 55) and accept him as our spiritual father. St Joseph, who was silent without a word in the Gospels, has elevated our spiritual lives to greater heights, and as we dedicate ourselves to the Church as St Joseph did, we will continue to carry out the mission of the Church with humility.

During this year of St Joseph, and for our Plenary Indulgence, we make sacrifices and obtain atonement for our sins as tokens or vouchers here on earth, in order to gain rich merits in heaven. We will continue to strive to live the virtues of St Joseph and acknowledge him as our spiritual father, as we entrust ourselves in the work of New Evangelisation. Let’s go to St Joseph for protection, guidance and well-being!

“I would wish to persuade everyone to honour him [St Joseph] with particular devotion. I have always seen those who honoured him in a special manner make progress in virtue, for this heavenly protector favours in a striking manner the spiritual advancement of souls who commend themselves to him” (St Teresa of Avila).