Nearly 3,000 people already signed up to take part in devotion during Year of St. Joseph, starting Feb. 15 and finishing on saint’s feast day
DETROIT — Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit are being invited to take part in a 33-day consecration to St. Joseph, part of a renewed effort to devote the archdiocese to the foster father of Jesus during 2021.
“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,” Pope Francis said Dec. 8, 2020, when he proclaimed a special Year of St. Joseph to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the saint’s declaration as patron of the universal Church.
In response to that invitation, Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit can partake in a special consecration starting Feb. 15 and lasting until St. Joseph’s feast day March 19.
The consecration begins two days before Ash Wednesday, making it a great way to start a holy Lent this year, said Fr. Stephen Pullis, director of evangelization and missionary discipleship for the archdiocese.
“St. Joseph’s feast day falls in the middle of Lent, and so we’re inviting people to take part in the consecration to St. Joseph that they can start the Monday before Lent and finish on St. Joseph’s feast day,” Fr. Pullis said.
So far, nearly 3,000 people have signed up online to take part in the consecration. The archdiocese is inviting parishes to make the prayers available to their parishioners, and it also will offer a digital retreat dedicated to St. Joseph on March 16, 17 and 18.
On each day of the 33-day consecration, Catholics can receive a text message or email with a meditation for the day on one of St. Joseph’s titles, or a PDF with the full 33 days’ reflection. While especially geared toward husbands and fathers, anyone can do the consecration, Fr. Pullis said.
The consecration to St. Joseph is one of three areas of focus for the archdiocese this Lent, Fr. Pullis said. Along with it, the Church also will promote confession — including a new ConfessionsFinder.org website — and Scripture reading.
“We saw lots of people come during Advent wanting to receive the sacrament of confession, and we know Lent is an even more popular time for people to be called to the sacrament,” Fr. Pullis said. “And so priests around the archdiocese are committing to more confession times as a way to unleash the Gospel.”
ConfessionsFinder.org will help Catholics locate a convenient confession time near them, similar to the archdiocese’s existing MassFinder.org. A third service offered by the archdiocese will help people locate fish fries during Lent: FishFryFinder.org.
The focus on Scripture aligns with the Church’s recent emphasis on the word of God, Fr. Pullis added, including Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron’s new pastoral letter, “The Power of the Word of God.”
“It's a great opportunity for people to re-up, or for the first time to take up the Scripture challenge that we have in the Archdiocese of Detroit to commit to either reading part of the New Testament, the Gospels or the entire Bible throughout this coming year,” Fr. Pullis said.
To learn more about the Scripture challenge, visit unleashthegospel.org/scripture-challenge.
33-day Consecration to St. Joseph
To sign up to take part in the archdiocese’s 33-day consecration to St. Joseph, starting Feb. 15, visit unleashthegospel.org/33-day-consecration-to-st-joseph.
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Bishop Gerard W. Battersby: St. Joseph: Setting families apart for Christ’s mission (Unleash the Gospel)
