A Spiritual Reflection: A year honoring St. Joseph: Patron of the Domestic Church

By Father Bruce Nieli, CSP | Guest Columnist

On Dec. 8, in an apostolic letter, “Patris Corde” (“With a father’s heart”), Pope Francis proclaimed a yearlong celebration dedicated to the foster father of Jesus, St. Joseph.  The celebration marks the 150th anniversary of the saint’s being declared patron of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX.
The Universal Church is composed of a network of local churches called dioceses, which themselves consist of ecclesial communities called parishes. St. John Paul II, in his talk at Plaza Guadalupe in front of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in San Antonio, on Sept. 13, 1987, called the parish a “family of families.”  The rich term “domestic church” was given to the family by the Second Vatican Council (Lumen Gentium, 11), since “the parents are to be the first teachers of the faith for their children by word and example.” Joseph, as head of the Holy Family, fostered with his wife Mary the growth of the child Jesus “in wisdom, age, and grace” (Lk 2:52).  He was therefore spiritual father to his very special domestic church.
How fitting that for the Diocese of Austin our Bishop Joe Vásquez has chosen to include in the Year of St. Joseph a special focus on the domestic church.
In his talk at Plaza Guadalupe St. John Paul II highlighted the missionary call of the domestic church: “And finally I wish to encourage all families and parishes not to be inward-looking, not to dwell on themselves. Jesus commands us to serve our neighbor, to reach out to those in need. And I ask you especially to reach out to those brothers and sisters in the faith who have drifted away because of indifference or who have been hurt in some way.  I invite all you who are unsure about the Church or who doubt that you will be welcome to come home to the family of families, to come home to your parish. You belong there! It is your family in the Church, and the Church is the household of God in which there are no strangers or aliens.”
A similar missionary spirit was communicated by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in an address to participants at the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family on Dec. 1, 2011:  “The New Evangelization depends largely on the Domestic Church ... The family founded on the Sacrament of Marriage is a particular realization of the Church, saved and saving, evangelized and evangelizing community.  Just like the Church, it is called to welcome, radiate, and show the world the love and presence of Christ.”
With regard to the particular role of St. Joseph, Pope Francis, in Patris Corde, states that “Joseph’s attitude encourages us to accept and welcome others as they are, without exception, and to show special concern for the weak, for God chooses what is weak. He is the ‘father of orphans and protector of widows’ (Ps 68:6), who commands us to love the stranger in our midst. I like to think that it was from Saint Joseph that Jesus drew inspiration for the parable of the prodigal son and the merciful father.”
“The Holy Family,” he goes on to say, “had to face concrete problems like every other family, like so many of our migrant brothers and sisters who, today too, risk their lives to escape misfortune and hunger. In this regard, I consider Saint Joseph the special patron of all those forced to leave their native lands because of war, hatred, persecution, and poverty.”
Through the intercession of St. Joseph, together with the intercession of his Blessed wife Mary, may the domestic churches of Central Texas be inspired to form an evangelizing family of families!

Paulist Father Bruce Nieli is an evangelist and missionary based at St. Austin Parish in Austin. A native of Long Island, NY, he was ordained in 1973. Father Nieli leads parish missions and retreats, and speaks at a variety of diocesan and regional conferences.  He is fully bilingual and does presentations in both English and Spanish.