CATHOUC COURIER DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER N.Y. THURSDAY MARCH 14.1996 PAGE 13

What do you know about St. Joseph? St. Joseph, whose feast is celebrated to take Mary into his home as his wife. joyed wide popularity. Veneration of on March 19, is patron of the universal Which he did. Joseph developed much later in die church as well as of carpenters (of Joseph proved a dutiful-foster fadier West, his feast not appearing on die Ro­ course) and workers, and of Belgium, to Jesus and husband to Mary. He had man liturgical calendar until 1479. Canada, China, Korea (with Mary), and taken Mary widi him to Bethlehem for Devotion to Joseph was popularized Peru. And yet fewsaint s have less known die census even diough women did not by St Teresa of Avua and St. Francis de about them than he. need to be present He took special care Sales in die 16tii century, and>he was de­ In spite of his important supporting of the newborn child's life when, after clared patron of die Universal Church in role in the mystery of redemption — as being warned in anodier dream, he took 1870. It was Pope John XXHI who husband of Mary and foster fadier and Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape die added his name to the Canon of die guardian of the Child Jesus - not a sin­ slaughter of die innocents' ordered by Mass in 1962. One of die pope's bap gle word is attributed to Joseph in the King Herod. tismal names was Joseph. New Testament. After Herod's death, he was told in Perhaps die strongest practical testi­ A few decades ago one well-meaning The discomfiting point of die biblical yet anodier dream diat it was safe to re­ mony to the enduring force of Joseph's theologian tried to make something story is diat Mary was already pregnant, turn home. When he learned that sanctity and his witness to justice lies in more of him, attempting to create a new even diough she and Joseph had not yet Herod's son was ruling over Judea, how­ diose communities which minister self- subdiscipline in theology known as come together as husband and wife. ever, he settled his family in Nazaredi in­ lessly and often courageously, under his Josephology. It never caught on. According to law, if a woman were de­ stead. tutelage: die Josephite priests and brodi- However, a less devotional, more crit­ termined to have had sexual relations Each year Joseph took Jesus and Mary ers, who have a special ministry to ical reading of die New Testament nar­ widi someone odier than her betromed, to Jerusalem for die feast of Passover, African-Americans, and die Sisters of St ratives of the birth, infancy, and early a divorce or annulment could be de­ and when Jesus was 12 years old diey Joseph. childhood of Jesus yields a more positive creed. went up "according to die festival cus­ There are many outstanding commu­ profile of Joseph than traditional piety Why Joseph wanted to divorce Mary tom" (Luke 2:42). It was on diis occasion nities of religious women, to be sure, accorded him. secredy once he learned of her preg­ diat, widiout his parents' knowledge, Je­ but none more dedicated to die service In earlier translations Matthew's nancy has evoked several different inter­ sus stayed behind in die Temple, engag­ of odiers and to die promotion of jus­ Gospel spoke of him simply as "a just pretations. The pious explanation is ing die teachers in discussion. tice in particular. The nun at die center man" (1:19; more recent versions use diat, even dien, Joseph knew all. about Then Joseph drops out of die story of die outstanding film, "Dead Man "righteous"). But he wasn't "a just man" God's plan and about die virginal con­ entirely. Mark's Gospel,, which starts Walking," is a Sister of St Joseph, Helen only in die sense diat he never lied, ception as well, and simply didn't want with Jesus' baptism by John, never even Prejean. cheated, or stole. His justice was tem­ to expose Mary to ridicule and public mentions Joseph. Commentators as­ She comes across dierein, like so pered by compassion and understand­ shame from people, who couldn't possi­ sume diat Joseph died some years be­ many of her sisters, as a model of pas­ ing. bly understand. But diat doesn't explain fore Jesus' public ministry began. toral ministry and an uncommon wit­ The same verse that refers to him as a why he-wanted to divorce her. The subsequent veneration of Joseph ness to die GospeL Just like Joseph him­ just man also tells us that he was "un­ The narrative goes on to report diat seems to have originated in die East self. willing to expose Mary to shame" and so an angel of die Lord appeared to Joseph where die apocryphal fourth-century Father McBrien is a professor of theology "decided to divorce her quiedy." subsequendy in a dream, directing him "History of Joseph die Carpenter" en­ at the University of Notre Dame. Courier welcomes readers' input In the waning months of 1995,1 used team looking into die potential die In­ other parish? Was diat person aware of diis column to tell you about several ini­ ternet and World Wide-Web offer tiie- die paper's existence and how he or she tiatives diat interdepartmental teams of Catholic Courier and its subscribers. could obtain a copy? our staff were working on to improve In addition to these staff efforts, die Did you realize diat die Courier is sold die content of die Catholic Courier. Courier's Board of Directors has estab­ on die newsstands of many grocery and We implemented die first of diem — between lished a Strategic Planning Committee, drugstores? die weekly "On the Move" centerfold — comprising board members, staff and Dp you operate or know of a business in November and, I believe, diat re­ the lines pastor representatives. This group, diat should consider advertising in die vamped youdi package already has hit which is charged with charting the Courier? its stride. (Several attractive submissions Courier's future tiirough die year 2001, What kinds of improvements do you have arrived in response to our call for will be considering such topics as the ex­ think the Courier should make in its cir­ teens to design an "On die Move" T- pansion of advertising revenues, alter­ culation program? shirt; well soon announce the winning ments during Catholic Press Month. native circulation programs and online Do you use a computer at home? Do design.) The team diat developed those ads also services. you have access to an online service The monthly "Parenting" feature de­ has been working on odier activities to As the Strategic Planning Committee (America Online, Prodigy or Com­ buted in late 1995, and a mondily feature broaden community awareness of the begins its work, I'd like to ask your input puServe) and the Internet? for young-adult Cadiolics began Jan. 18. Catholic Courier and die services it pro­ on some of diese questions. While you If the Courier were to go online, would We're also working on a series of quar­ vides. might not consider yourself an expert you find it easier to access it through an terly sports supplements diat will wrap Anodier team is looking into ways of on such matters, we have found your online service\or on the World Wide up concluding seasons and look forward improving our internal operations - ideas very helpful in die past and be­ Web? to the seasons ahead. The first of diese from space allocation and office organi­ lieve you could offer unique insights in What kinds of information or assis­ supplements will appear April 4. zation to die ways we communicate in­ these areas as well. tance would you like to see the Courier The forgoing doesn't even address formation internally. One team is work­ How do you think die Courier could offer in an online service? die behihd-die-scenes efforts also un­ ing widi diocesan Cadiolic Charities to attract more businesses to advertise I look forward to receiving your re­ derway by staff teams. \fou may have no­ enhance die effectiveness of fund rais­ their products and services to our read­ sponses and promise to share them in ticed, for example, a series of "house ing on behalf of die annual Christmas ership? an upcoming column. ads" appearing in February to introduce Appeal, which diis newspaper estab­ Have you ever mentioned the Courier Franz is general manager/'editor of the die staff of die various Courier depart- lished in 1969. Last but not least, is a to a non-Cadiolic or someone from an­ Courier.

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