NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CNS) -- The Knights of Columbus made its latest documentary, "St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father," available to view for free at kofc.org beginning Dec. 8 to coincide with the end of the "Year of St. Joseph."
"St. Joseph teaches us that we really find ourselves when we live for others," said Patrick Kelly, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus. "He models for each one of us the importance of prayer, obedience and courage in our lives."
"The Knights of Columbus is very pleased to offer this inspiring documentary for all to watch and to discover in St. Joseph a powerful example and intercessor," he said in a Dec. 7 statement.
Produced to increase devotion to the foster father of Jesus, protector of the Holy Family and patron of the Catholic Church, the film premiered on ABC affiliates across the United States this fall. After its six-week broadcast run, the Knights announced the film would be made available for viewing online.
It features reenactments, interviews with scholars "and inspiring witness stories" that provide an opportunity to learn about Joseph from a historical perspective and show "how devotion to him can be life-changing," the Knights said in a news release.
Pope Francis had proclaimed a "Year of St. Joseph" from Dec. 8, 2020, to Dec. 8, 2021, to mark the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as patron of the universal church. The saint is held up as an example of sacrificial fatherhood and purity and as an intercessor in healing and fighting the world's evils.
During this time marked by global crisis, St. Joseph can offer people support, consolation and guidance, Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience Nov. 17 in the Vatican's Paul VI hall. Joseph is a man full of faith in God and his providence.
The name Joseph, which comes from the Hebrew verb, "to increase," signifies "may God increase, may God give growth," he said.
His name reveals an essential aspect of St. Joseph's character: "He is a man full of faith in God, in his providence," and everything he does indicates his certainty that God helps things grow, that God increases and adds, Pope Francis said.
The day's audience talk was the first of a new series of talks the pope said he wanted to dedicate to St. Joseph in the hope of helping people "be enlightened by his example and by his witness."
His 2020 apostolic letter, "Patris Corde" ("With a father's heart"), which contained his reflections on the saint, launched the "Year of St. Joseph."
Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, the Knights' supreme chaplain, issued a statement accompanying the Knights' wide release of the fraternal order's documentary on its website.
"In choosing Joseph to care with a father's love for the incarnate Son of God," he said, "the eternal Father recognized in St. Joseph a man of utmost integrity -- a man who perhaps had no idea what God had in mind for him but nonetheless went about his daily life and work with honesty and reliability."
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