"Well, you see, your Eminence, it's this way. Knowing how to obey; knowing how to keep quiet; when need be, speaking with care and reserve. That's the diplomat of the Holy See; and that's St. Joseph. Just picture him setting out for Bethlehem at once out of obedience; carefully looking for some place to stay; and then watching over the cave; eight days after the birth of Jesus, presiding over the Jewish rite that made a new-born child one of the chosen people (cf. Gen. 9:12). Just picture him receiving with honor the Magi, those splendid ambassadors from the East. Just see him on the roads of Egypt and then back at Nazareth, always silent and obedient: showing Jesus to people and hiding him: defending him and taking care of him. And as for himself, just following along quietly, remaining in the shadow of the mysteries of Our Lord, and seeing a little heavenly light thrown upon them every so often by an angel."25 Pope John put in another word for St. Joseph on July 29, 1961. Before a large group of seminary rectors, he associated devotion to St. Joseph with devotion to Christ and Mary in a most forceful way. "The basic points of religious training stand out," he said. Then he began enumerating devotions that the rectors should propagate in their seminaries. First he listed devotion to the Eucharist, and "along with it, devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus, to his Sacred Heart and to his Most Precious Blood." After this he listed "devotion to our Lady, the mother of Jesus and our mother." He then continued: In addition to trust in Mary most holy, so too try to instill in your young seminarians a special trust in St. Joseph, whose presence-which We have decided to make more noticeable in this greatest temple of Christendom-reveals itself as quite timely in the Holy Church amid the splendors of the universal apostolate and of the outstanding doctors and martyrs of the faith. Meek, quiet, discreet: St. Joseph is the perfect model for imitation in circumstances that recur in every age and that call for self-denial and total abandonment to God. His Holiness went on to speak of other devotions and practices, but the conjunctive he employed ("Besides these devotions which are indispensable for the training of a clergy that will be holy and sanctifying ...") is certainly interesting and indicative of the importance the Pope ascribed to devotion to St. Joseph.28 25 TPS VII, 133, from DMCSPG III, 184 f. 26 TPS VII, 373-375, from AAS LIII, 564. 1961),19 his letter to t 1962),20 his letter to Council (July 2, 19 of the Council (Oct St. Joseph, patron At a general at: Pope urged the t St. Joseph so t Council and so and well-condu Toward the of seeing to it "takes on a 1 becomes a p vidual souls A few h various la again he 1 the same example, that he the one We parri. Visit that wou tha in day as Roman Pontiff (Mar. 19, w cardinals. Afterwards he spoke seph which is doubly dear to Us; e of Joseph at the holy baptismal and good company, and also because thirty-seven years ago the Lord called He added then, "We rejoice in the fact least 11 members of the Sacred College ngs, Mindszenty, Siri, Garibi y Rivera, bvre, Ritter, Quintero, de Costa NanesJoseph Spellman and Leo Joseph Suenens] eas St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church of the forthcoming ecumenical council."27 image to Loreto and Assisi (Oct. 4, 1962) expected, an excellent opportunity for the Pope eph. At the Holy House of Loreto, traditionally y's home airborne by angels from Nazareth, the at that Joseph's importance in the history of salvang more and more evident and urged the bishops Council to study Joseph along with Mary and Jesus of revitalizing the family. y of the Incarnation consecrates the 30 years of life spent of Nazareth with Mary and Joseph. . . . From the hidden canticle in praise of the dignity and greatness of the family, the sacred duty of labor and its nobility. e came to Loreto in 1900, the lofty reminders of Leo XIII tity of marriage, discipline in the home, responsibility of the r the education of the children, and the safeguard of the lue of Christian civilization were echoing throughout the ving example, underlined with such strength by that great sor of Ours, proceeded precisely from the Holy Family of 1, with its lessons in piety, love and sacrifice. Together with id his mother Mary, Joseph was there also coming forward to at last the place which had been entrusted to him by Providence vide prospect of the centuries and of the wonderful development Mystical Body. ecumenical council is intended to be a solemn reminder of the ss of the family and of the duties it implies. Beloved sons, take tholic Documentation (Sydney), VII/3, 48, from AAS LIV 200 f. as a first taste of the council Our words urging you to consider ever more thoroughly and in the light of the Holy Family the greatness of the tasks which the Church expects from you.28 In four short years, Pope John gave a great deal to honor St. Joseph. A study of nearly three thousand documents of the Holy See relating to St. Joseph29 reveals no comparable period in the history of the devotion to St. Joseph. Besides the many documents of Pope John mentioned so far, more than forty other addresses and sermons have touched on in some way or other Mary's virginal husband. Pope John has, moreover, furthered the causes for beatification of two of St. Joseph's most prominent devotees: Ven. Leonard Murialdo (d. 1900), founder of the Pious Society of St. Joseph of Turin, and Brother André, C.S.C. (d. 1937), founder of St. Joseph's Oratory, Montreal. Time and space naturally forbid detailed examination of all of these things. On to the peak, then, of the present crescendo in Josephite devotion: Pope John's decision to insert St. Joseph's name in the very center of the Church's prayer life, the Canon of the Mass. Long before the First Vatican Council-in 1815 in fact-petitions began pouring into Rome requesting this privilege for Joseph. Many petitions went even further and asked that there be accorded to Joseph the highest veneration among all the angels and saints— "the public cult of dulia after the Mother of God but before anyone else in heaven." Over the years, close to a million signatures were appended to petitions of this sort. The most famous of these petitions were the three issuing from some four hundred fathers of Vatican I. One of these was signed by, among others, thirtyeight of the forty-two cardinals then living, including Joachim Cardinal Pecci (later Leo XIII). It was in answer to these petitions that Pius IX proclaimed Joseph protector and patron of the Church in 1870. But even then Joseph lacked full liturgical honors. In 1961, as preparations for Vatican II were underway, three centers of Josephological studies in Montreal (Canada), Valladolid (Spain) and Viterbo (Italy) undertook to bring this question once more to the attention of the hierarchy. Father Guy-Marie Bertrand, C.S.C., then acting-director of the research and documentation 28 Our Lady's Digest, XVII, 244 f., from AAS LIV, 725. 29 An enchiridion of these documents entitled Pontificia Josephina is being published in serial form in CJ commencing with v. 10, no. 2 (Jul.-Dec., 1962) by Father Blaine Burkey, O.F.M.Cap. center in Montreal, drafted an anonymous memorandum30 outlining the theological, historical and liturgical aspects of such a move, skillfully answering the various objections that had previously been opposed to adding Joseph's name to the Canon. This seventy-fourpage memorandum was translated from French into several major modern languages31 and sent to almost the entire hierarchy of the Church. It bore the signatures of five prominent Josephologists: Father Francis J. Filas, S.J., chairman of Loyola University's theology department, Chicago, and vice-president of the St. Joseph Research and Documentation Center, Montreal; Father Roland Gauthier, C.S.C., director of the Center in Montreal, editor of the Cahiers de Joséphologie and now president of the North-American Society of Josephology; Father José Antonio del Niño Jesus, O.C.D., president of the Ibero-American Society of Josephology; Father Angelo Battiston, C.S.J., of the Center of Josephology, Viterbo, Italy; and Father Isidore de San José, O.C.D., director of the Spanish Center for Josephological Research, Valladolid, Spain, and editor of the Estudios Josefinos. Besides the memorandum, a Latin formula requesting the addition was printed and circulated to all the cardinals and archbishops of the world, to the general superiors of religious orders of men, and to the entire hierarchy of Italy. This effort was thus limited only because the scholars involved lacked time in which to communicate with all the bishops of the world. As it was, the operation was carried on in a period of but a few months by a very small staff. Sponsors of the project were more than gratified when some five hundred future fathers of the Council returned the formulas signed. In March, 1962, these petitions were presented personally to His Holiness by Amleto Giovanni Cardinal Cicognani, together with the memorandum in five languages. The following morning, Pope John informed the cardinal that he had read through the material and was delighted with it. He forthwith instructed the cardinal to submit the petitions to the preparatory commission on the liturgy accompanied by a letter of special recommendation from himself. 30 Pour l'insertion du nom de saint Joseph aux prières de la Messe, in CJ IX, 1-74. 31 English by Father James J. Davis, O.P.; Italian by Father Liberio Balestrazzi, C.S.J.; Spanish by Father Isidoro de San José, O.C.D.; and The matter came before the Council itself during the 12th general congregation on November 6.32 Bishop Albert Cousineau, C.S.C., of Cap Haitien, Haiti (a former rector of St. Joseph's Oratory, Montreal), and at least one other bishop33 are reported to have spoken in favor of the addition to the Canon. On the following day, the thirteenth general congregation made a preliminary vote on the second chapter of the schemata on liturgy, the chapter in which the insertion was treated.34 Just what decisions were arrived at have not yet been released, but one thing is sure, a final vote has not yet been made on this chapter by the Council. A final vote on the addition of Joseph's name may still be made by the Council, but it will now be only affirming what is already a reality. On or about Nov. 13, Pope John made the decision motu proprio to honor Joseph in the Canon. He inserted Joseph's name in the age-old Communicantes, effective as of Dec. 8, 196235thus making this the first of the matters discussed by the Council to go into effect. In making this decision public at the 18th general congregation, Nov. 13, the president of the Council's Secretariat for Extraordinary Affairs, Cardinal Cicognani, said that Pope John decided to give St. Joseph the new honor to put it on record that the Second Vatican Council so honored its patron.36 December 8, 1962-exactly ninety-two years after Pope Pius IX proclaimed Joseph to be the Church's patron and protectorJoseph's name was added to the daily Mass. In the Church's most solemn of prayers he is now honored with his wife Mary. Those whom God has joined together, the Church-at-prayer now daily invokes together, thanks to Pope John XXIII, Pope of St. Joseph. BLAINE BURKEY, O.F.M.Cap. Capuchin College Portuguese by Father Jaime de San José, O.C.D. A German synopsis was also prepared. The English translation is of exceptional merit since it was prepared under the direct supervision of the author. 32 L'Osservatore Romano [hereafter OR], Nov. 5-6, 1962, 3. 33 An interesting sidelight on this bishop's plea can be read in the N. Y. Times, Nov. 19, 1962, 1. 34 OR, Nov. 7, 1962, 1. 35 S.R.C., Urbis et Orbis, Nov. 13, 1962, in OR, Dec. 1, 1962, 1. 36 Catholic Standard and Times (Philadelphia), Nov. 16, 1962, 1. |