Modern popes of the last two centuries — from Pius IX to Francis — have sought the protection and intercession of St. Joseph in times of personal and societal need, elevating his status as a patron for all Catholics.
Here’s how some of the popes of the past have contributed to the Church’s devotion to the holy patriarch.
Pius IX
Early in his pontificate, Pope Pius IX saw the growing devotion to St. Joseph among Catholic faithful across Europe and abroad, according to theologian and Church historian Veronika Seifert.
“[He] welcomed the growing spirituality towards St. Joseph and promoted these seeds,” she told EWTN News. “There were many religious congregations and dioceses that chose him as their protector and many confraternities formed with a strong devotion to him.”
This impetus from Catholic communities led Pius IX to approve the 1870 decree Quemadmodum Deus, which declared St. Joseph as universal patron of the Church, toward the end of the First Vatican Council.
Leo XIII
Quamquam Pluries, the first encyclical dedicated to St. Joseph, was published by Pope Leo XIII in 1889, nearly two decades after Pius IX declared the earthly father of Jesus the patron of the universal Church.
“Practically every pope has added a small piece to what was missing” in Pius’ 1870 decree, Seifert said.
Known for his devotion to the Virgin Mary, Leo XIII’s personal devotion to St. Joseph was subsequently connected to the Mother of God. Though his encyclical, he encouraged Catholics to jointly seek the aid of the two holy spouses.
“Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as his father among men,” he wrote.
Pius X
Pope Pius X, who governed the Church for 11 years in the wake of the first world war, wrote a number of prayers dedicated to the holy patriarch and approved the Litany of St. Joseph in 1909.
Seeing in him a virtuous model for families and workers, he encouraged Catholics to imitate Joseph’s example as head of the Holy Family and as a laborer in his workshop in Nazareth.
Pius XII
Devotion to St. Joseph the Worker was further elevated when Pope Pius XII instituted a liturgical feast day in his honor in 1955.
“Pius XII instituted the feast day that Pius XI intended to [be celebrated] on the third Sunday after Easter. Pius XII moved it to May 1 — a date we now all know,” Seifert said.
Wanting to counter the influence of communism on the Church and its faithful, Pius XII wanted to emphasize a Christian vision of work that saw labor as a means of participating in the creative power of God.
May 1 is “Labor Day” or “International Workers Day” in over 80 countries, including most of Europe.
John XXIII
Describing Pope John XXIII as a “great devotee” of St. Joseph, Seifert said he was the first pope to decree his inclusion in the Mass.
“He inserted the name of St. Joseph into the [Roman] Canon, precisely in the First Eucharistic Prayer, placing it immediately after the Virgin Mary,” she said.
Announced just one month into the opening of the Second Vatican Council on Nov. 13, 1962, the liturgical change was the first to the Roman Canon since the seventh century, The New York Times reported.
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II wrote about the life and mission of St. Joseph when he published his apostolic exhortation Redemptoris Custos in 1989 to mark the centenary of Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Quamquam Pluries.
“May St. Joseph become for all of us an exceptional teacher in the service of Christ’s saving mission, a mission which is the responsibility of each and every member of the Church: husbands and wives, parents, those who live by the work of their hands or by any other kind of work, those called to the contemplative life and those called to the apostolate,” he wrote.
Seifert said the joyful and sorrowful experiences of the Holy Family are not distant to the human realities of the present day.
“By meditating on the feelings of St. Joseph, we can learn a lot and perhaps even put something right in our own lives,” the theologian and Church historian said.
Francis
Having inaugurated his pontificate on the March 19 feast day of St. Joseph in 2013, Pope Francis popularized devotion to the “Sleeping St. Joseph” following his 2015 apostolic journey to the Philippines.
During the papal journey, Francis revealed his love for the foster father of Jesus, saying: “Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church! … So when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it underneath St. Joseph, so that he can dream about it!”
Pope Francis also proclaimed the Church’s first-ever Year of St. Joseph through his 2020 apostolic letter Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”) to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the holy patriarch being named patron of the universal Church by Pope Pius IX.
Watch “Devotion to St. Joseph throughout the Centuries” on Vaticano here.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.