Opus Dei

A friend of mine invited me this year to join him in a 33 day consecration to St. Joseph. I'm generally not a fan of such, but because he asked, I decided to try it out. I came to learn he'd actually invited a good number of other friends. Last year he'd done the same with married friends of his, this year he invited those of us who were still single and searching - or "single and free to mingle" as we like to say.

The feast of Saint Joseph highlights for us the beauty of a faithful life. "Saint Joseph was a faithful and just man because of the love that filled his soul and made him love the paths that God’s Providence had marked out for him."

February 2nd is the feast of the Presentation. Mary offers her Son to God and learns that she too will share closely in Jesus' redemptive mission.

The Founder of Opus Dei saw in St. Joseph the strong and affectionate father that Christ wanted on earth. He asked St. Joseph to teach him how to stay close to Mary and to Jesus: “How he would have embraced the Child, and kissed him!.”

A long-standing tradition in the Church is to prepare for the feast of Saint Joseph by dedicating the seven Sundays before March 19 to Saint Joseph, in memory of his seven sorrows and joys.

On 16 February, in his final catechesis on the figure of Saint Joseph, Pope Francis spoke about his role as "patron of the Church."

A collection of Pope Francis’ audiences on St. Joseph (2021-2022), downloadable as a free eBook.

In his 9 February general audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on Saint Joseph, speaking about the reality of death in each person's life.

In his 2 February general audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on Saint Joseph, speaking about the Communion of Saints.

In his 26 January general audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the role of Saint Joseph in Christian life, speaking about his four dreams in the Gospel.