Year of St Joseph

Invitation for a Synodal celebration of the year of St Joseph

For the attention of:
USG, UISG, USMI, CISM 

Rome, 14 December 2020

Dear brothers and sisters:

We were surprised and delighted to receive the Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis, Patris Corde, announcing a Commemorative Year for the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, 8 December 1870.

We would not want to miss this occasion because as the pope says "the aim of this Apostolic Letter is to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal."

For some years now, the congregations of the St. Joseph Institute-Italian Federation, Oblates of St. Joseph, and the Giuseppini del Murialdo have been setting up a "St. Joseph Committee", which has promoted a number of initiatives to foster knowledge and devotion to St. Joseph and now, at the urging of Patris Corde, seeks to involve the congregations and religious orders that are inspired by St. Joseph to be able to live in communion and celebrate some moments of the Josephine year.

Why not think about preparing ourselves together for the Solemnity of St. Joseph on 19 March? Why not draw from our traditions reflections and actions in the light of St. Joseph, patron saint of the working world? And then conclude this year together with a symposium, a conference, and finally a pilgrimage to Pope Francis?

These are just a few proposals, bearing in mind so much that already exists in the ordinary life of our religious families, but by reflecting and planning together it will be easier to find times and spaces to share together in honor of St. Joseph.

Moreover, each of us, in our own religious realities, certainly has a brother or sister who can also be theologically or spiritually prepared for a biblical, theological, spiritual, educational or pastoral study of the Guardian of the Redeemer. It would be important for you to point them out to us, indicating their specific skills and the possibility of deepening together from various angles the figure of the spouse of Mary and father of Jesus.

Please send an expression of interest here: comitatosangiuseppe.ita@gmail.com

Please be sure to indicate the e-mail address of the contact person who will be your liaison for participation in the committee.

If your replies arrive by 15 January 2021, we think we will have plenty of time to define a program of initiatives.

Thank you for your attention.
We entrust ourselves to St. Joseph.

For the Saint Joseph Institute - Italian Federation, Mother Petra Urietti
For the Oblates of St. Joseph, Fr. Luigi Testa OSJ
For the Giuseppini del Murialdo, Fr. Tullio Locatelli CSJ.