For the past few years, a group of devotees of the Sainte-Rita sanctuary has been meeting every Wednesday at 4 p.m. to honor the patron saint of the universal Church, the principal patron saint of Canada and the secondary patron saint of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary.
It’s a powerful moment of prayer, when we ask St. Joseph, the “just” man, to support our spiritual life, to inspire us by his example, and to be able to discern daily by knowing how to read the “signs of the times”. Without forgetting his primary mission, that of being the Church’s protector during its pilgrimage on the roads of this world.
Moreover, in the canon of the Mass, the Church introduces the mention of St. Joseph immediately after the invocation of the Virgin Mary: “On us all, finally, we implore your goodness : Permit that with the Virgin Mary, the blessed Mother of God, with St. Joseph, her husband, with the Apostles and all the saints of all times who have made your joy throughout the ages, we may share in eternal life, and sing your praise and your glory, through your Son Jesus, the Christ” [Prière eucharistique II].
Let’s not hesitate to come and see St. Joseph, especially in this unique scultural representation held in our sanctuary. Here we see St. Joseph, benevolent and protective, standing beside Mary and Jesus as he watches over each of them – the upright position indicates that he never loses his vigilance – safeguarding the intensity of the luminous gaze between Mother and Son, Son and Mother.
St. Joseph, pray for us!
Isabelle COUSTURIER, of Aleteia, on June 22, 2013 wrote the following as Pope Francis approves his predecessor’s decision and signs the decree that includes Jesus’ adoptive father in three Eucharistic prayers [II – III – IV].
” Placed at the head of the Lord’s FamilySaint Joseph of Nazareth generously fulfilled the mission he had received from grace in the economy of salvation, taking the place father to Jesus. By fully embracing the salvific mystery of humanity, which was in its infancy, he became a exemplary model of that generous humility which the Christian faith exalts to the highest degree, and a witness to those common, human and simple virtues which are necessary for men to become virtuous and authentic disciples of Christ.”
So begins the decree recognizing St. Joseph’s right to appear in the Eucharistic prayers.
The decision announced by the Holy See on June 19 follows a decision matured by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and approved by his successor, Pope Francis, when he signed the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments’ decree, ” Paternas vices ” (paternal care), dated May 1, 2013 (feast of St. Joseph the Craftsman).
With this decree, the name of St. Joseph is henceforth to appear in Eucharistic Prayers II, III and IV for celebrations of the Mass according to the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, just after the name of the Blessed Mary ever Virgin.
The decree recognizes that St. Joseph ” lovingly cared for the Mother of God, and dedicated himself with joyful devotion to the education of Jesus Christ”, that he became “the guardian of the most precious treasures of God the Father”, and “the support of the Mystical Body, that is, of the Church, he whom the people of God have not ceased to venerate throughout the centuries.”
He also acknowledges that ” In the Catholic Church, the faithful have always shown great and uninterrupted devotion to St. Joseph, solemnly and constantly honoring the memory of the most chaste Spouse of the Mother of God and the heavenly Patron of the whole Church, so much so that, during the most holy Vatican II Ecumenical Council, Blessed John XXIII decided to add his name to the most venerable Roman Canon “, and proclaims that it is “the most sacred of all the sacraments “. bearing in mind the communion of saints, who accompany us in the course of time as pilgrims in this world to lead us to Christ and to unite us with him “, as Benedict XVI has so aptly put it. welcome and approve the very pious wishes, formulated in writing, from multiple places, a decision that was recently confirmed by the Sovereign Pontiff Francis.”
The Congregation has provided translations of the formulas to be said during Masses in the most widespread modern Western languages, including French and English. The French wording of Eucharistic Prayers II and III reads as follows: ” with Saint Joseph, her spouse...”, and for the Eucharistic Prayer IV, “… to Saint Joseph, her husband… “. The English wording of Eucharistic Prayers II, III and IV reads: ” with blessed Joseph, her Spouse... “
