During these early weeks following the death of Pope Francis, the May 1st Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker provides a particularly fitting opportunity this year to turn to the Holy Father’s own teaching on the beloved, saintly foster father of Jesus.
Just a year ago, the faithful received the welcome news that Pope Francis had proclaimed the time beginning last December 8th through the same date in 2021 as the Year of Saint Joseph, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his designation as Patron of the Catholic Church.
Along with many other realities, the unprecedented events of the past year have brought to light highs and lows of the human condition – joys and sorrows – that we never could have foreseen. Unexpected joys, small and great, at times have been countered with sorrows ranging to the nearly unbearable. Each of us surely could recount personal experiences falling into both categories.
On December 8, 2020, Catholics around the world celebrated the beautiful feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. Each year on that date, we commemorate the singular grace bestowed upon the Mother of God, her preservation from any stain of sin from the first moment of her conception.