St. Joseph the Worker

Parishioners of St. Joseph the Worker:

 Welcome to the last days of September!  This month has flown by.  Sure hope you are enjoying these fall days.

Let me again share about several important liturgical celebrations of saints this week!

SEPTEMBER 30 —ST. JEROME, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

St. Jerome was an ascetic and monk who died in the year 420.  His greatest accomplishment was the translation of the Bible into Latin, called the Vulgate.  He is one of the four great doctors of the Western Church.  Not surprisingly, he is the patron saint of Scripture scholars.  His famous quote:  “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

OCTOBER 1 —ST. THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS, VIRGIN, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

St. Therese, often called the “Little Flower,” died at the age of 24 of tuberculosis in Lisieux in 1897.  She wrote “The Story of a Soul,” in which she encouraged people to follow “the little way.”  In 1997, then Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church.  She is the patroness of missions, florists, and the country of France.

OCTOBER 4 —ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, DEACON, FOUNDER

St. Francis renounced wealth and followed “Lady Poverty.”  He had a dynamic personality and was very compassionate in his dealing with others.  A love of God’s creation was a hallmark of his life.  He founded the Franciscan Order, along with the Poor Clares.   The song “Canticle of the Sun” is comprised of words that Francis wrote.  He received the stigmata in 1224 and died in 1226, being canonized only two years after his death.  St. Francis is the patron saint of ecologists and the country of Italy.

OCTOBER 5 —ST FAUSTINA, VIRGIN

St. Faustina was born in 1905 in Poland.  She was a Sister of Our Lady of Mercy.  She had visions of Jesus, one in which Jesus showed Himself to her as the “King of Divine Mercy.”  He asked her to be a model of mercy to others.  Presently, many of the faithful pray the Divine Mercy chaplet daily.  St. Faustina was canonized in 2000.

What a challenge for us to keep the memory and faith alive today of the saints mentioned above.  May the love of Scripture of St. Jerome be in our hearts; the humility of St. Therese mark our souls; the simplicity and love of all creation that St. Francis had be exemplified through us; and the mercy of God attested to by St. Faustina guide our dealings with our family, friends, and parishioners.

YOUR PASTOR, FATHER JOE