Former diocesan chancellor reflects on St. Joseph as ‘Man of the Year’ and for all time

SISTER OF CHRISTIAN CHARITY MARY EDWARD SPOHRER

MENDHAM  Catholics should not limit the celebration of St. Joseph to the 365 days that make up the Year of St. Joseph, which concludes on Dec. 8. Rather, the faithful should use this year, which has generated considerably more interest in St. Joseph, to foster their own devotions to him going forward. This would be in part to harness his power as a heavenly intercessor and to gain more inspiration from him in his vocation as a husband of Mary, father of Jesus, and friend to all for all time.

So suggested Sister of Christian Charity Mary Edward Spohrer, former diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious, who is currently music minister at St. Patrick Parish in Spencerville, Ohio, during “St. Joseph: Man of the Year,” an hour-long Zoom videoconference held on the evening of Oct. 15 by Villa Pauline Re­treat and Spiri­tual Center here. With the aid of Scripture, writings by popes and other prominent Catholics, and music, she reflected on the qualities of St. Joseph’s multifaceted vocation that could inspire and motivate Catholics in their own faith journeys. In the Diocese of Paterson, Sister Mary Edward had also served as provincial of her order and formator of novices for the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham.

“This talk is to help plant seeds in our hearts so that in these last few weeks of the Year of St. Joseph, we can spend them with fervor and with extra devotion and with the opportunity to go more deeply into the heart of St. Joseph,” Sister Mary Edward told the virtual audience. “Have a statue, an image, or a prayer book of St. Joseph to remind you of him. Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary, reflecting on the heart of St. Joseph — his joys and challenges — and the joy of Mary and Jesus,” she said.

The Year of St. Joseph, Sister Mary Edward said, commemorates the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph being named patron of the universal Church. It also recalls, when Pope John XXIII added the saint’s name be added to Mary’s at Mass in 1962. Pope Francis more recently added his name to three Eucharistic prayers as the spouse of Mary. On Dec. 8 last year, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter, “Patris corde,” (“With a Father’s Heart”), declaring the Year of St. Joseph, which will end this Dec. 8. In the document, the Pope described St. Joseph as a beloved, tender, loving, obedient, and accepting father, who is creatively courageous — a working father and a father in the shadows.

During her lively presentation, Sister Mary Edward added, “St. Joseph is the hero of the redemption, along with Our Lady. He is not only man of the year, but also the man of the past two millennia since the coming of the Christ. He is the man of God forever and ever.”

Sister Mary Edward said that people have told her that they love St. Joseph “because he was so ordinary — like everybody else. That is part of the heroism of St. Joseph, as with Mary. He lived with a tremendous love for God — and for Mary and Jesus — and an openness to God’s will.”

Sister Mary Edward played an online video of “Joseph’s Song” by Michael Card. In it, the saint sings tenderly, “Who could this be, this baby in my arms, sleeping now so peacefully? The Son of God, the angel said.”

“St. Joseph was entrusted with the Baby Jesus and his mother, Mary. He gave himself totally to the mystery. We are called to love as Jesus loves — and as St. Joseph and Mary love,” Sister Mary Edward said. “Life is a mystery but it’s not that we cannot understand it. Sometimes, it takes time to unfold. We are often impatient. With the Holy Spirit, we can hear the inner voice of God if we are quiet and listen,” she said.

Sister Mary Edward talked about St. Joseph as a friend to many of all ages and of time. One of them was St. Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the Church and “a prophetic voice that helped develop the doctrine of St. Joseph in the 15th century.” St. Teresa also had a noted saying, “Go to Joseph,” she said.

In the community of the Sisters of Christian Charity, Jesus, Joseph, and Mary are never separated. Their names are engraved into the rings that the sisters receive with their profession of vows with the date of their profession and engraved on each sister’s gravestone are the names of the Holy Family. The order’s founder in Germany, Mother Pauline Mallinckrodt, wrote letters, telling people to pray to St. Joseph and “not forget” about him, Sister Mary Edward said.

At the beginning of the Zoom videoconference, Sister Marie Pauline Demek, director of the Villa Pauline Retreat and Spiritual Center, welcomed the audience. She thanked Sister Mary Edward for her talk “so that we can celebrate the Year of St. Joseph as the Sisters of Christian Charity family.”