Newsletter - 30 April 2023
Feast of St Joseph the Worker
Dear brothers and sisters,
On May Day, we will celebrate the Feast of St Joseph the Worker. This Feast, declared by Pope Pius XII in 1955, is thus quite recent and brings St Joseph closer in our work, duties and professional commitments.
We do not know a lot about St Joseph: he does not say a single word in the Scriptures and the Gospels clearly do not focus on him. But for sure he played a key role in the Holy Family, being the bread earner, the earthly father of Jesus and spouse of Mary, and as such the protector of the family.
It is interesting to remember that Joseph initially resisted fulfilling this role: he, the upright man, thought of divorcing Mary informally in order to spare her disgrace. However once he accepted his mission, he clearly positioned himself as the protector of those entrusted to him. He brought Mary to Bethlehem for the census and then fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s threat over the Kingdom’s babies. He made bold and difficult decisions and yet this work was in absolute silence and without witnesses. Moreover Joseph, as all fathers on earth, has most probably discovered his duties progressively.
Brothers and sisters, we too can resist fulfilling our duties, the more so when finding God in our jobs and work experiences is a challenge. Sometimes we can be involved in difficult or demanding professional situations and we may wrestle to make the correct decision or simply find peace in the whole process.
Being the Patron of Workers, St Joseph can help us embrace and give our consent to our earthly commitments. He can inspire us to make the right decisions and fulfil our duties to the end when we are tempted to give up. But most importantly he can enable us to find a spiritual meaning in doing so.
(Regina Coeli, II Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy, 24 April 2022)
Fr Pascal Sullivan, ccn
Focus of the Week
“Get to know each other better”
Activities (walk, talks, sharing groups, prayer time, social time, children’s activites).
Arrive at noon on Saturday and depart at 3pm on Sunday.
Suggested fee: £60-90 for individuals, £115-150 per couple and £170-220 for couples with children. Price includes supper, breakfast and Sunday lunch, overnight accommodation and activities. Please bring a packed lunch for Saturday, your bed linen and towels.