A message from the Diocesan Office of Family Life and Spirituality:

There is a special convergence on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph. Pope Francis has announced March 19 as the first day of the “Amoris Laetitia Family Year”, which will conclude on June 26, 2022 on the occasion of the World Meeting of Families in Rome. The purpose is to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical on the family, Amoris Laetitia, and dedicate a whole year to focus on family and conjugal love…

Earlier this year, Pope Francis also named this “The year of St. Joseph” and wrote an Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”) to commemorate the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as patron of the universal church. We encourage everyone to read this wonderful document, especially fathers and soon-to-be fathers.

The Year of St. Joseph gives us multiple opportunities to reflect on the vocation of fatherhood. This summer, our office is planning a discussion series on Patris Corde. On March 16, the Office for Evangelization and Catechisis is hosting a Lenten reflection with Bishop Bejarano on Patris Corde, while the Office for Young Adult Ministry has been hosting regular witness talks on the importance of devotion to St. Joseph.

“Let us entrust this journey, with families all over the world, to the Holy Family of Nazareth, in particular to St. Joseph, the devoted spouse and father.” Please join us this year as we celebrate the “Year of St. Jospeh” and “Amoris Laetitia Family Year”! (For more information, please visit www.sdcatholic.org then go to the Office of Family Life and Spirituality.)