‘Women of Faith’ group deepens its relationship with St. Joseph at retreat

ST. JOSEPH MATTERS  Jerilynn A. Prokop, a member of the spiritual direction team at the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling and a staff member of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, speaks at a women’s retreat, “St. Joseph: Who He Is and Why It Matters,” in Halloran Hall of St. Joseph Church in Lincoln Park.

  During this Year of St. Joseph, Catholics in the universal Church, including those in the Paterson Diocese, learned more about this silent saint of Scripture, in part, by his many attributes and titles. They include as most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary; devoted earthly father of Jesus; protector of the Holy Family and the Church; and a reliable intercessor in prayer.

A member of the spiritual direction team at the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling, urged the faithful to deepen their relationship with Jesus and learn about St. Joseph as a role model through devotions, prayer, and further study related to the saint to provide spiritual benefits for a lifetime well beyond the conclusion of the Year of St. Joseph on Dec. 8.

Jerilynn A. Prokop, also a staff member of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization in Madison, made that suggestion, while addressing 45 women at a women’s retreat, “St. Joseph: Who He Is and Why It Matters,” in Halloran Hall of St. Joseph Church here. She examined the facts about St. Joseph in Scripture; religious traditions, devotions, and prayers to him; and myths and misconceptions about him. The women answered reflection questions about how he serves as a model for their own lives. At the end of the retreat, Prokop led them in consecrating themselves to St. Joseph during a short service in the church. The retreat was sponsored by Women of Faith, comprised of women from St. Joseph Parish, Holy Spirit in Pequannock, and Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) Parish in Pompton Plains, who meet twice a month and hold a yearly retreat.

“No matter your vocation or state in life, ardent devotion to St. Joseph will enhance your spiritual life, helping you grow in virtue and in holiness,” said Prokop, a widow, mother, and grandmother, and a graduate of the first Certificate in Catholic Evangelization Program at St. Paul’s. In her talk, she wove teachings of the Church, saints, and popes with her research and observations. “St. Joseph is not the ‘great unknown’ but indeed the ‘guardian of the mystery of God.’ We can only understand St. Joseph in the light of Jesus and Mary. He is but the doorway. We draw near to St. Joseph precisely because he leads us directly to Mary. Mary, in turn, leads us to the source of holiness, Jesus Christ,” she said.

In her talk, Prokop suggested that the women get to know St. Joseph as a friend by taking the time to develop a relationship with him through prayer and “deep heart-to-heart sharing.”

“As Women of Faith, any interior growth that we experience and any of the gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit aren’t just for ourselves. We are gifted by the Holy Spirit for two reasons: for our own holiness and to build up the Body of Christ — both for the greater glory of God. In this way, each person is offered a unique role in the story, the drama, of salvation,” said Prokop, also a graduate of the Avila Institute’s master’s-level program in spiritual theology.

Catholics can start their devotion to St. Joseph on Wednesdays, the day of the week that the Church has designated for recognition at Mass for him, and especially on March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, and May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, Prokop said. She suggested the following other practices:

• Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary in honor of St. Joseph, contemplating his role in these mysteries.

• Pray the Litany of St. Joseph, contemplating what his titles, such as St. Joseph, the Terror of Demons, tell us about who he is.

• Spend an extra two or three minutes on Wednesdays in prayer to the virginal father of Jesus and our spiritual father. To draw close to St. Joseph, observe his silent way of living and practice that in your own life.

• Ask the Holy Spirit to make you into “another Joseph.”

• Ask St. Joseph to model your heart after his example, because we need his virtues in our world today.

• Pray to St. Joseph for the grace of a happy death for yourself and your loved ones.

• Make Joseph the spiritual head of your household and ask him to intercede on your behalf through prayer.

• Make a consecration to St. Joseph. It could be as brief as: “I give you, St. Joseph, my ‘fiat’[’yes’] for my vocation, my family, the Church, and the world.” It can be renewed daily.

Prokop suggested that the faithful take the “St. Joseph challenge,” as proposed by St. Teresa of Avila, one of his greatest champions. St. Teresa suggested strongly that if you have not experienced the powerful intercession of St. Joseph in prayer, you should put him to the test, the speaker said.

In her presentation, Prokop said St. Joseph’s name only appears 14 times in Scripture and he is never quoted directly. But as a “just man,” he reminds us that “those who appear hidden, or in the shadows, can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation,” as Pope Francis writes. Also, Jesus saw God’s unconditional love through St. Joseph, his earthly father. St. Joseph also obeyed God, not in words but in action, turning his life into a prayer and listening to God always. In addition, the saint’s patronage of the Church can be a source of renewal for the Church, she said.

One participant, Tricia Fell of OLGC and a Women of Faith leader, called the retreat “peaceful.”

“It reminded us that God speaks to us and like St. Joseph, we need to be there to listen to his plan,” said Fell, who also noted that, while the saint was “humble and hidden in the background,” he also was a man of action, frequently on the move.

Another participant, Vicki Pignone of St. Joseph’s and a Women of Faith leader, called Prokop’s presentation “spiritual and educational.”

“We all learned something. The Conse­cration to St. Joseph was moving,” said Pignone, who has a personal devotion to St. Joseph through her late father, Richard, who worked three jobs, one of them as a carpenter, just like the saint. “My father was a silent angel, who sacrificed for the family. He followed in St. Joseph’s footsteps,” she said.