FRIDAY: Celebrating St Joseph and the beginning of Family Year
Friday (19 March) is the Feast of St Joseph and marks the beginning of the Amoris Laetitia Family Year.
It's five years since the publication of Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia on the beauty and joy of love in the family.
To mark the Feast Day and the occasion, Holy Mass celebrated by Archbishop Cushley will be broadcast on our YouTube and Facebook at 8am on Friday.
The goals of Family Year
- Share the content of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia more widely.
- Proclaim that the Sacrament of Marriage is a gift.
- Enable families to become active agents of the family apostolate.
- Make young people aware of the truth of love and the importance of the gift of self.
- Broaden the vision and scope of the family apostolate.
Importance of family life
Fr Jeremy Milne, who leads the Archdiocesan Marriage & Family Life Commission, said the year was "testament to the Church’s enduring recognition of and commitment to the central importance of marriage and family in the life of the Church and every society."
He added: "After an extraordinarily tough year for families, this is a great opportunity to celebrate their strength, their capacity to buffer the effects of life’s trials and difficulties, their contribution to the life of the Church and their role in forming their members in the ways of sacrificial love.
Officials from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life introduce the “Amoris Laetitia Family” Year, which begins on the Solemnity of St Joseph.https://t.co/ZBuDzWuYsU
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) March 18, 2021
"It will be a time to reflect more deeply on the teaching of Amoris Laetitia; to proclaim once more the beauty of marriage and family life in all its joys and struggles by which the path of holiness is advanced; and to promote the mission of families to share love with those they encounter as disciples and evangelists.
"We aim to share the resources of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and promote them in our parishes. Look out for regular updates on the Archdiocesan Facebook and webpages."
He finished: "At the end of the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis referred to the Year as “a special year to grow in family love.” May the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph make it so."
St Joseph's Family Prayer Book
The Archdiocese has recently produced the St Joseph's Family book which can be ordered through your parish. Read more about it here.
