Year of St Joseph

Pope Francis declared a year devoted to St Joseph starting on 8th December 2020.  

Parishioner Desmond Miller published a booklet “St Joseph: His Life and Mission” in 2017, which some of you will have read.  For those who didn’t obtain a copy, here is a link to it: St Joseph Booklet.

St Stephen’s cannot celebrate this special year with a variety of services and activities due to the restrictions, however Canon Edward is pleased to be able to have a special Novena to St Joseph.  The Novena Masses will begin on Wednesday 10th March at 7.00pm, and will continue daily until Friday 19th March, when we will celebrate the Feast of St Joseph.  There will be a short reflection given by the Mill Hill Fathers, and the following prayer from the Pope’s Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde (With a Father’s Heart), will be prayed each day after Mass.

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 the grace, mercy and courage,
and defend us from every evil.

Please call to mind your special intentions…
St. Joseph, Pray for us.
Our Father…., Hail Mary…., Glory be to the
Father…., Amen

Our Lady of America and St Joseph

Dr Mark Miravalle has an interesting 25 minute talk on St Joseph. He refers to the apparitions of Sr Mary Neuzil concerning Our Lady of America and St Joseph, and a recent document in which a commission of five Archbishops decided that there is insufficient objective evidence as yet to say that these apparitions are of supernatural origin. He recommends a regular devotion to St Joseph on the first Wednesday of each month.