In the Diocese of Green Bay, we are in the midst of completing a local year dedicated to St. Joseph. Little did we know that when this year began on March 19, 2020, we would find ourselves in a year filled with disease and much fear. Happily, the quiet prayers of St. Joseph have helped our diocese weather the difficulties of the past year and we are now poised to rise and begin again.
How pleased I was when we all learned, this past December, that Pope Francis had declared this current year, from Dec. 8, 2020, to Dec. 8, 2021, the universal “Year of Saint Joseph”! What we had started here in the Diocese of Green Bay last March, we now have additional time to participate in.
You are encouraged to keep using the resources and prayers below, along with some new materials and links to additional information about the universal Year of St. Joseph. St. Joseph, we pray for your continued intercession as we work to form missionary disciples and raise up vocations from within our families, schools, religious education programs, and parishes.
- Bishop David L. Ricken
Pope Francis — Year of St. Joseph for the Universal Church
In his apostolic letter “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis proclaimed a Year of St. Joseph from Dec. 8, 2020, to Dec. 8, 2021. It’s an invitation to celebrate the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph being declared as Patron of the Universal Church, so that “each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.”
“Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”) (Dec. 8, 2020): In the words of Pope Francis, “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.”
Decree on the granting of special Indulgences on the occasion of the Year of Saint Joseph (Dec. 8, 2020): For the duration of the Year of St. Joseph, all the faithful will have the opportunity, through prayer and good works dedicated to St. Joseph, to obtain plenary indulgences. In addition to the decree, you can learn more about the available plenary indulgences from The Compass (Pope proclaims year dedicated to St. Joseph) or Vatican News (Church grants plenary indulgence for year of St. Joseph).
Pope Francis’ Prayer to St. Joseph
At the end of his apostolic letter “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis shares a prayer to St. Joseph, which you can find below.
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.
Shrine of St. Joseph & Perpetual Novena
The Shrine is located at Old St. Joseph on the grounds of St. Norbert College. It was originally established (along with the perpetual novena) on this site in 1888.
Visit the Shrine: 123 Grant St., De Pere, WI 54115-2099 (map feature?)
Visiting Hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Weekday Mass & Wednesday Novena: Mass is 12:30 p.m. The Novena Prayers follow the 12:20 p.m. daily Mass on Wednesdays
To learn more about the Shrine of St. Joseph, please visit https://norbertines.org/joseph. You can also view the St. Joseph novena prayers and program by clicking here.
Bishop Ricken - Year of St. Joseph for the Diocese of Green Bay
To download this video for local viewing and projection, visit the Vimeo page for it at www.vimeo.com/394499395 and click the DOWNLOAD button on the page.
Bishop Ricken’s Invitation Letter (Feb. 11, 2020)
Bishop Ricken’s Pastoral Letter - English (March 5, 2020)
Bishop Ricken’s Pastoral Letter - Spanish (March 5, 2020)
Proclamation of the Gospel for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph & Homily by Bishop David L. Ricken - March 19, 2020
To download this video for local viewing and projection, visit the Vimeo page for it at www.vimeo.com/398993077 and click the DOWNLOAD button on the page.
Coverage from The Compass
If you’re looking for more ways to learn about St. Joseph and how his example can both influence and inspire our faith lives, check out some of these articles from The Compass!
- The example of St. Joseph: Three things we know - By Bishop Ricken (Feb. 19, 2020)
- St. Joseph: A model disciple for today - By Bishop Ricken (March 5, 2020)
- The feast of St. Joseph the Worker - By Bishop Ricken (April 29, 2020)
- Books for the Year of St. Joseph - By Fr. Mark Mleziva (April 30, 2020)
- Year of St. Joseph for our marriages - By Elisa Tremblay (May 20, 2020)
- Even when sleeping, St. Joseph takes care of church - By Elisa Tremblay (Dec. 16, 2020)
- The Solemnity of St. Joseph - By Bishop Ricken (March 11, 2020)
Prayer and Litany Card
This folded prayer card includes an image of St. Joseph, prayers to St. Joseph and other helpful information for families and individuals to use in their homes to help foster daily prayer. These cards will be delivered to all parishes in early March for distribution around the feast of St. Joseph (March 19) and will include copies for your parish, Catholic school and/or religious education programs. You can access a PDF version below.
Prayer to St. Joseph
Easy access to the text of the St. Joseph prayer, as well as additional formats. If you would like to include the prayer in your parish worship aid or bulletins, simply open the Microsoft Word document and copy and paste the text. If you would like to print copies of just the prayer or of just the prayer and the image, check out the PDFs below in English and Spanish.
- Microsoft Word Version
- Prayer 4-up
English | Spanish
Prayer to St. Joseph - Catholic Schools Version
A shortened version of our “Prayer to St. Joseph” that’s great to use with younger students.
Good St. Joseph,
As you led the Holy Family, watch over our families.
Help our family and all families to know and share God’s love.
As foster father of Jesus, watch over all who serve as spiritual fathers.
In a special way, bless our Holy Father, our Bishop, and our priests.
With Mary, you raised Jesus the High Priest.
Please raise up good and holy priests from our families to serve the people of our diocese.
Good St. Joseph, pray for us.
Image
The image chosen for the Year of St. Joseph is “St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus" (1861, Pontifical University of Salamanca) by Ricardo Balaca. Below you can find a high-resolution file of the original, as well as additional versions in standard sizes to download and print for your parish, school, ministry, or home.