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It is this “gift of self” which every Catholic man is
called upon to offer on behalf of
the Church. Such a task may be
accomplished in many ways; one way
is to act in collaboration with
other men out of love for Mary and
her beloved Son.
In her great wisdom, the Church has always called upon St.
Joseph as her protector because of
his unique evangelical gifts.
Because of his complete submission
to the will of God, his faithful
cooperation with the work of
salvation, his fidelity to Mary, his
purity and his reputation for
justice, the Church looks to Joseph
to defend her from the powers of
darkness. Recalling always that it
is St. Joseph to whom God entrusted
the beginnings of our redemption,
she sees St. Joseph as the guardian
of the inheritance which Jesus
purchased for us with His blood.
In that same spirit, I have entrusted the men of the
Diocese of Scranton to the care of
St. Joseph. Now, I ask all men of
the Diocese to join with me in
invoking St. Joseph to remove from
us all cares, especially those which
threaten their families. I call upon
them to commit their families to the
care of Blessed Mother, Mary, and to
St. Joseph, who are united in a
sacred bond of charity, as we pray
all married couples in our Diocese
may be. Let us pray to the great St.
Joseph to save us from the mortal
dangers that afflict our families in
the same way that he once saved the
Child Jesus from the mortal danger
represented by Herod’s wrath.
I invite all the men of the Diocese and their sons to join
the Diocesan Council of Catholic Men
on Monday, March 19, at a Pontifical
Mass in honor of the feast of St.
Joseph, beginning at 6 p.m. at St.
Peter’s Cathedral, Scranton. At that
time, I look forward to addressing
the men of the Diocese who
participate in the service of
Christ’s saving mission in the
world.
I pray that St. Joseph will strengthen the men of the
Diocese in their devotion to Our
Lord, Jesus Christ, and in their
desire to be the protectors and
defenders of the Church.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, D.D.,
Hist. E.D.
Bishop of Scranton
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