While the Catholic Church has held St. Joseph up as a model and example of virtue for many centuries, relatively little has been written about devotion to him. However, in the last century an increasing number of books have been published to shed more light on the foster father of Jesus, including an engaging Consecration to St. Joseph written by Fr. Donald Calloway.
Fr. Calloway noticed this gap in spiritual writings and seeks to initiate a worldwide movement of devotion to St. Joseph with his unique book.
Spiritual Fatherhood
One of the reasons why Calloway turns to St. Joseph is because, “we need the spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph to help us protect marriage and the family. Marriage and the family have always been under attack, but in modern times, the threats have reached extraordinary heights … To combat and overcome Satan’s deceptions, the Church needs St. Joseph. His example and protection are the only way out of the confusing mess we are in.”
St. Joseph has a long history of being a powerful intercessor for families, so this makes perfect sense.
Furthermore, many saints have emphasized devotion to St. Joseph as a way to draw closer to Jesus.
This is the primary purpose of Calloway’s Consecration to St. Joseph.
Total consecration to St. Joseph means you make a formal act of filial entrustment to your spiritual father so that he can take care of your spiritual well-being and lead you to God. The person who consecrates himself to St. Joseph wants to be as close to their spiritual father as possible, to the point of resembling him in virtue and holiness.
Similar to the way in which those who draw closer to the Virgin Mary are in turn brought closer to Jesus, those who dedicate themselves to St. Joseph will find themselves in a deeper relationship with God.
Imitating St. Joseph’s Virtue
The end goal is of course not worship of St. Joseph — since worship is for God alone — but to imitate his virtue and example, bringing us closer to God.
Calloway’s spiritual program consists of a 33-day preparation that can be made at any time throughout the year. However, if you want to use it as a way to prepare for the feast of St. Joseph on March 19, then you will need to start the consecration on February 16 (or February 15, depending on the year).
The consecration that Calloway proposes is relatively easy to accomplish, as it includes only a brief meditation each day, followed by a small set of prayers.
If you want to change your life, try consecrating yourself to St. Joseph and let him lead you back to God.
St. Teresa of Avila claimed, “It would seem that God has only granted the other saints power to help us in one kind of necessity; but experience shows that St. Joseph can help in every kind of need.”
Note: A Kindle edition of Consecration to St. Joseph is available on Amazon.
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Ask St. Joseph to be your protector with this prayer
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Pray this prayer to St. Joseph for a “happy death”
And today we celebrate...