LAFAYETTE, La. - The public is invited to attend as Bishop Douglas Deshotel and the Diocese of Lafayette will close out the “Year of St. Joseph” with a Closing Mass and Family Fun Day on Saturday, May 1 at St. Joseph Church in Milton.
May 1 is the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, commemorating one of many roles he played in Jesus’ life, according to a spokesperson for the Dioceses. The day will begin at 10 a.m. as Bishop Deshotel celebrates Mass inside the church, then from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. everyone will head out to the church grounds to enjoy live music, food and dessert trucks, a beverage station, a variety of games for the children and much more. Families are urged to bring blankets or lawn chairs for your comfort. There will be Year of St. Joseph memorabilia available for purchase as a memento of this Jubilee Year.
In addition, the Community of Jesus Crucified will be there with their mobile confessional, the “Spiritual Care Unit” or SCU.
Thirteen of the 122 church parishes throughout the Diocese are named in honor of St. Joseph and over the past year, many throughout the Diocese have learned what a vital, yet quiet role St. Joseph has played in the Catholic faith, including as the husband of the Holy Mother and the foster father of Jesus, the spokesperson stated. For more background information on the Year of St. Joseph in the Diocese of Lafayette, visit https://diolaf.org/resources.
Bishop Deshotel says, “The year 2020 was the 150th anniversary of the declaration by Pope Benedict XV of St. Joseph as the Patron Saint of the Universal Church. The Pope placed the care and protection of the Catholic Church under St. Joseph who was the foster father of Our Savior Jesus Christ and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Joseph cared for and protected the Holy Family and as is stated in the Gospels did as the Angel told him, ‘take Mary as your wife and name the child ‘Jesus’ because He will save His people from their sins.’ St. Paul calls the Church the Body of Christ, so as St. Joseph cared for the child Jesus, so the Pope asked him to care for the Church.”
Last year, Bishop Deshotel declared a year of celebration for St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church. He told us, “The Declaration of the Year was approved by the Vatican and permission granted to make the thirteen Churches places of pilgrimage for Catholics to visit, pray, and petition St. Joseph to care for them and their families. Little did we know how much we would need his protection during the past year. St. Joseph was with us during the Covid pandemic and two hurricanes.”
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