Consecration to St. Joseph

Courtney Vallejo encourages us to spend this church year dedicated to St. Joseph, using the Consecration to St. Joseph book to learn about him.

Have you heard about the Consecration to St. Joseph? In December in my article And So We Wait, I briefly mentioned that I was preparing to do the consecration. I felt as if it were more of a mention in passing, as if saying to a friend, “Oh and I have to run to the store for milk.” If only I had known what I was about to discover! Please forgive me for not knowing any better; if I had known, I would have said (in all capital letters), STOP READING THIS AND GO BUY THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY!

Now that I’m on day 29, I can say with confidence that Consecration to St. Joseph was one of the most influential books I’ve read! Honestly, I just kept thinking, it’s as if I never knew who St. Joseph was!

consecration to st joseph

Sure, we all know the basics about St. Joseph. He’s the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. We hear every Christmas about how he was a good man and when finding out about Mary’s pregnancy, wanted to divorce her quietly, but an angel came in a dream and clarified things for him. Maybe you’ve noticed the pattern with angels appearing in dreams to him. But past that, I knew his feast day was usually in Lent and allowed for a break from the sacrificial season, and sometime in May we celebrate him as a worker.

It pains me, even as I write this, that I never thought much more about the human being endowed with the responsibility of taking care of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Savior of the world! Granted, he’s referred to as the silent saint in the Bible, but honestly I couldn’t tell you where to find a book about the life of Saint Joseph, while I could give you dozens of titles for books on St. Francis, Mother Teresa or St. Thérèse. Well, now I have one: Consecration to St. Joseph, The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, by Father Donald Calloway MIC.

This book has completely opened up my mind to who St. Joseph, is, was, and can be, both in the life of Mary and Jesus and in my own life and to my own children. He is our spiritual father; he is a warrior for us, a terror of demons, the patron of the dying, the pillar of families, the hope of the sick, and so many other titles which are mentioned in the previously known Litany of St. Joseph. The book breaks down each line of the litany and explains what it means, through historical facts, time period explanations, saint quotes and visions.

It’s made me spend time thinking about what life was like for the Holy Family, in those hidden years, where little is known. This book has made me realize the intercessory specialties of St. Joseph and the magnitude to which he can protect and help me and my loved ones.

It is no coincidence that the Church, in her wisdom, has dedicated this year to St. Joseph -- as the family continues to be attacked in society. God entrusted him to protect Mary and Jesus and now He is allowing us to see St. Joseph as our spiritual father. Plenary indulgences are being given for honoring St. Joseph, the Wednesday Mass intention for St. Joseph is being mentioned more and now we have an opportunity to consecrate ourselves and our family to the protection of this saint.

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It is no coincidence that the Church, in her wisdom, has dedicated this year to St. Joseph -- as the family continues to be attacked in society. #catholicmom

I will be completing the consecration on January 23, the feast of the Holy Spouses, a feast I didn’t even know existed! The next preparation for the 33-day consecrations begins on February 15, to end on St. Joseph’s feast day, March 19. I’m not sure there is a better way to celebrate his feast, during the year dedicated to him, than to do the consecration (or renew our consecration) to him.

Now is our chance to really be introduced to Mary's husband and Jesus’s father. So since I didn’t know any better in December, I’ll take my opportunity to say “STOP READING THIS AND GO BUY THE BOOK!” I’d love to hear what stood out to you as you read, and what Consecration to St. Joseph made you contemplate, about the life of St. Joseph, so please reach out and share!