Pope Francis declares a Year of St Joseph

Copied from https://www.sosj.org.au/year-of-st-joseph-20/

Have you ever thought of St Joseph as a creatively courageous father?

That is how Pope Francis described Joseph as he announced a Year of St Joseph (8 December 2020 – 8 December 2021) in honour of the 150th anniversary of Saint Joseph being named as patron of the Universal Church.

Having celebrated the 10th anniversary of Mary MacKillop’s canonisation with the theme of “Take fresh Courage” we are now invited by Pope Francis to reflect on and imitate the creative courage of St Joseph. Joseph was courageous in taking on the responsibility of becoming the husband of Mary and the legal father of Jesus and all that those two roles entailed. As we follow Joseph in the Gospel, we see how he could turn a difficulty into a possibility with his trust in the providence of God.

In his apostolic letter (8 December 2020), Pope Francis reflected on the qualities of Saint Joseph whom he described as a strong working man, a beloved, loving father, an accepting, obedient and “creatively courageous” person. The Pope wrote:

In the Gospels, St Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love.

In the eyes of the Pope, Saint Joseph is an extraordinary person who epitomises our own experiences. By reflecting on Joseph’s life, we can appreciate that God calls each of us to love freely, to accept our responsibility to welcome and serve others, to use and develop our gifts and talents, to appreciate the value and dignity of honest work, to overcome our challenges and become “courageously and firmly proactive” in our daily living. A “respectful and sensitive man,” Saint Joseph “did not look for shortcuts, but confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it.”

Pope Francis encourages each one of us to imitate Joseph’s virtues and zeal as he urges us to:

Discover in Joseph — the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence — an intercessor, a support and a guide.

Pope Francis concluded his letter with this prayer:

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To you God entrusted his only Son;

in you Mary placed her trust;

with you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too,

show yourself a father

and guide us in the path of life.

Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,

and defend us from every evil.

Amen.

You may also like to view the following reflection:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBq1khJoTtk&feature=share

The Feast Day of Saint Patrick

March 17 is the Feast Day of Saint Patrick, one of the Church’s great evangelizing saints. He is known for spreading Christianity throughout the country as a missionary during the 5th century. Many of the first priests and Bishops to come to Australia, and the Armidale Diocese, were Irish.

Our Parish Church is St Patrick's and this is an important feast for the Parish. This is the SESQUICENTENNIAL YEAR for the Parish.

Saint Patrick's Breastplate is a Christian hymn whose original old Irish lyrics were traditionally attributed to Saint Patrick and his Irish ministry in the 5th century.

St Patrick's Breastplate

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

WINTER TRIALS

Congratulations to all the students for their great participation, sportspersonship and personal success in the Winter Trails. Please see the Sports report for further details. Well done also to all selected in the possible and probables, and those selected to participate in the Polding Trials in Bathurst in Week 1, Term 2. These students were also acknowledged on Facebook.

This week in pictures

DIOCESAN WINTER TRIALS

MAKE A SPACE ROOM

STAGE 1 LANGUAGE LESSON