CHARLOTTE — This is an extraordinary year in the life of the Church in the Diocese of Charlotte.
Bishop Peter Jugis has declared 2020 as the Year of St. Joseph, according to this year’s special commemora-tion of the life of St. Joseph, the Guardian and Protector of the Holy Catholic Church.
The faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged to celebrate the Year of St. Joseph by making a pilgrimage to the many parishes and chapels named for St. Joseph across western North Carolina.
WHAT IS A PILGRIMAGE?
A pilgrimage is no ordinary journey. It is a kind of “holy traveling” undertaken with resolve for a partic-ular spiritual purpose. Throughout Church history the faithful have traveled to holy sites – whether it is a place where a saint lived, where a miracle occurred, or where a saint is especially honored – to ob-tain a special favor and to do penance for one’s sins.
When a church is named for a saint, it means that particular saint is its special guardian and interces-sor in heaven. When you travel to parishes named for St. Joseph and leave your prayer intentions at his altars, it shows him special honor and will increase the blessings and graces you’ll receive through his intercession.
YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH PILGRIMAGES
To enhance your Year of St. Joseph Pilgrimage experience, look for the official Year of St. Joseph Prayer Book, with a forward written by Bishop Jugis. The prayer book is expected to be available in parishes in early March, prior to the feast of St. Joseph on March 19.
The prayer book includes blank, passport-style pages to be stamped at each church or chapel with an official Year of St. Joseph stamp customized for each location. You are encouraged to plan pilgrimages throughout the year – consider making it a family or group activity to collect all of the stamps as part of your Year of St. Joseph devotions.
OBTAINING INDULGENCES IN THE YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH
The Holy See has granted a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions for pilgrims who visit the designated pilgrimage sites across the diocese during the Year of St. Joseph.
A plenary (or full) indulgence is “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints” (Cate-chism of the Catholic Church 1471).
In general, obtaining an indulgence requires certain prescribed conditions and performing certain pre-scribed works.
To gain an indulgence, whether plenary or partial, you must be in the state of grace at least at the time you complete your indulgenced work. In addition, you must:
- have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;
- have sacramentally confessed your sins;
- receive Holy Communion; and
- pray for the intentions of the pope.
It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental confession and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the pope’s intentions take place on the same day that you perform the indulgenced work; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after the indulgenced act.
How you pray for the pope’s intentions is left up to you, but an “Our Father” and a “Hail Mary” are suggested. One sacramental confession suffices for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions are required for each plenary in-dulgence.
For the sake of anyone who is legitimately impeded, confessors can commute both the work pre-scribed and the conditions required (except, obviously, detachment from even venial sin).
Indulgences can be applied either to yourself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be ap-plied to other living people.
HOW TO HAVE A FRUITFUL PILGRIMAGE
It is important to carry on your pilgrimage a special prayer intention in your heart and mind. It can be a single intention or a different one for each destination. Kneel at the altar upon arrival and pray fer-vently, asking St. Joseph to intercede with Jesus Christ for your request. When you receive an answer, remember to offer prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter, with information compiled from www.yearofstjoseph.org.
33-day consecration to St. Joseph starts Feb. 16
CHARLOTTE — Parishioners across the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged to make a consecration to St. Joseph during this special Year of St. Joseph.
One of the recommended resources for a consecration to St. Joseph is a new book: “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father,” written by Marian Father Donald Calloway. Father Calloway serves as vocation director of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception and currently resides in Steubenville, Ohio.
“This year marks the 150th anniversary of when Blessed Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church, so this year is very significant,” Father Calloway said. “I said to 
myself, ‘We have a real crisis today in families where the family has been redefined. We have these so-called ‘modern families’ and there is gender confusion.’ I thought we could use a strong father to restore order to all of this chaos. I thought, ‘It has got to be St. Joseph.’”
After researching, writing and translating works into English over the course of three years, Father Calloway comprised the book drawing on the wealth of the Church’s tradition.
“All children resemble their parents. As our spiritual parents, Our Lady and St. Joseph, we are called to resemble them in virtue. I am hoping that people will walk away from this consecration with a great knowledge of St. Joseph and how much he loves them and how much he wants to protect them during these crazy times,” Father Calloway said.
The book focuses on the virtues of St. Joseph: his patience, prudence, faith and purity for example.
The Consecration to St. Joseph emulates the Marian consecration made popular by St. Louis de Montfort, highlighting many of St. Joseph’s titles, privileges and heroic virtues.
The program of preparation and consecration takes 33 days. Participants spend about 20-30 minutes a day on a short exposition on one of the invocations in the powerful Litany of St. Joseph, followed by a reading about St. Joseph, and concluding with the recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph.
The consecration to St. Joseph can be done anytime, but particular feast days such as March 19 or May 1 are special opportunities to focus this devotional effort. To conclude the consecration on March 19, plan to begin on Sunday, Feb. 16.
On the day of consecration, use whichever act of consecration you prefer or compose your own act of consecration to St. Joseph. Find suggestions online at www.yearofstjoseph.org.
Some parishes are organizing special Masses or opportunities to participate in the consecration as a group. Check with your parish office for details.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter; www.consecrationtostjoseph.org contributed.
More info
At www.consecrationtostjoseph.org: Learn more about what it means to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph, and order the book “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father”
St. Joseph Prayer Books available
CHARLOTTE — To commemorate the diocese’s Year of St. Joseph, “The St. Joseph Prayer Book” has been compiled to assist the faithful in their prayers to St. Joseph, the Protector of the Church.
Produced by St. Benedict Press, “The St. Joseph Prayer Book” contains all the famous prayers: the Novena for a Special Favor, the Litany of St. Joseph, 30 Days’ Prayer to St. Joseph, the Memorare, as well as prayers for purity, conversion, a happy death, and more. In total, the book contains more than 50 prayers, litanies and novenas. A Spanish version is also available.
Included in this commemorative edition is a letter from Bishop Peter Jugis about his declaration of 2020 as the Year of St. Joseph, as well as passport-type pages in the back of the book for pilgrims to have stamped as they visit each St. Joseph parish in our diocese throughout the year.
Take advantage of this special, limited-time offer to gift this treasury of prayers and bring souls closer to Jesus through St. Joseph. Orders are being accepted online at www.saintbenedictpress.com. Search for “The St. Joseph Prayer Book.” Cost is $12.95. Some parishes have also purchased copies, so check with your parish to see if books are available for purchase in the parish office.
— Catholic News Herald; St. Benedict Press contributed.
More online
At www.yearofstjoseph.org: Find educational resources, prayers and devotions, and “Year of St. Joseph” event details from across the diocese, as dates for special events are finalized.