Feast of St. Joseph

My Dear Parishioners,

On Monday we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph, the Husband of Mary. We will also be offering special prayers after the morning Masses on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We call this a Triduum to St. Joseph. The word Triduum simply refers to three special days. Usually it is used when speaking of Easter, for example, the Paschal Triduum refers to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Our St. Joseph Triduum sets aside some extra time to pray to our patron. St. Joseph is a great model for all people of faith, but especially for men, husbands, and fathers. While we all know that Joseph was married to the Blessed Mother and the foster father of Jesus, he is venerated for multiple reasons. The following are some of the titles attributed to St. Joseph: Light of the patriarchs, Spouse of the Mother of God, Chaste guardian of the Virgin, Foster-father of the Son of God, Watchful defender of Christ, Head of the Holy Family, Joseph most just, Joseph most chaste, Joseph most prudent, Joseph most valiant, Joseph most obedient, Joseph most faithful, Mirror of patience, Lover of poverty, Model of workmen, Glory of domestic life, Guardian of virgins, Pillar of families, Solace of the afflicted, Hope of the sick, Patron of the dying, Terror of demons, and Protector of Holy Church. We turn to St. Joseph and ask him to intercede on our behalf. The triduum envelopes which represent your intentions for St. Joseph will remain on the reredos (back altar) for the entire Triduum.

The Archdiocesan Office for Life and Family is offering: Marriages of Grace: Marriage Enrichment Day, Saturday, April 22, 2023 at St. Helena Church in Blue Bell, 8:30 am – 5 pm. Come with your spouse or fiancé for a day to renew your love and strengthen your marriage in Jesus Christ. Listen to dynamic married couples speak on relevant topics, share a delicious lunch, meet new couples, and celebrate Sunday Vigil Mass at 4 PM. More Info & Sign Up: phi.marriagesofgrace.org/events.

The Office for Life and Family is also offering: Wedding Anniversary Mass, Saturday, May 6, 2023 – at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul at 5:15pm. The annual Wedding Anniversary mass is celebrated with couples in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia who have been married 1-5 years, 25 years, and 50 years. Visit https://phillycatholiclife.org/ to RSVP. Office for Life and Family www.phillycatholiclife.org. Phone: 215-587-0500; Email: sbozza@archphila.org

Do you know a young man who might have a vocation? Our church and our Archdiocese are sorely in need of more vocations to the priesthood. If you know someone who would be open to considering it, please support them. To that end, the vocation office is sponsoring Quo Vadis. Quo Vadis is a Latin phrase that means, “Where are you going?” High school men (incoming freshmen to graduating seniors) are invited to join the Philadelphia seminarians for this 4-day, 3-night camp.

Quo Vadis will take place between June 26-29, 2023, and is full of opportunities for fun, prayer, and discernment with fellow young men from around the Archdiocese. To register, or for more information, visit HeedTheCall.org/QuoVadis.

God Bless You,
Fr. Bordonaro