Pope Francis has dedicated this year to St. Joseph. The aim was to:
- Increase: Increase our love for this great saint
- Implore: To encourage us to implore his intercession
- Imitate: To imitate his virtues and his zeal
This is a particularly poignant theme as we know that Joseph was Jesus’ step-father; not his actual father – but he was a father to him nonetheless. This reminds us that all family life (in whatever form that takes) is sacred. Due to this reason, amongst many others, Joseph is the patron saint of families. He knows the joys, and the struggles, of what it means to be a family.
Along with our diocesan, national and international faith family, we lifted up our hearts in prayer with a Novena to St. Joseph. This 9-day period of prayer ended in advance of St. Joseph’s feast day on the 19th March. On this day, we celebrated St. Joseph through regular opportunities for prayer, our work and our actions.
Our Novena was shared on Facebook each day sharing the the following prayer, dedicated to him.
St. Joseph,
Watch over me and care for me
Just as you cared for the child Jesus;
And, by your help,
May I come to know your Son and grow
In strength
And wisdom
And the favour of God.
Amen.
St. Joseph, pray for us
In school we aiming to becoming closer to God this year by learning more about Joseph. Each month we will, along with our NPCAT family, we will explore further Joseph’s qualities.
March- Head of the Holy Family
April- St Joseph the Protector
May- St Joseph the Worker
June- Patron Saint of Fathers
July- Patron Saint of travellers
September- Inspirer of Courage
October- Husband
November- Patron Saint of the Universal Church
December- Patron Saint of Migrants
