Consecration to St. Joseph
The first Consecration to St. Joseph was published in 2020 by Marian Press and written by Father Donald Calloway, a priest of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. Calloway has a deep devotion to St. Joseph and was surprised to discover that a consecration to him did not already exist. A consecration is an act of fully entrusting yourself to the help of a saint, so that they may bring you and all of humanity closer to the heart of Jesus. Encouraged by other religious orders, Calloway prayed, researched and ultimately wrote this book, Consecration to St. Joseph , which follows a 33-day format similar to a Marian consecration. The purpose of devotional consecrations is to draw out and concretize the meaning of the baptismal consecration. Baptism is, of course, the first and most important consecration of the Christian. Through baptism we become holy: persons belonging to God in the covenant relation of mutual love established in Christ. But this primal consecration is profitably expressed in those acts of devotion by which the Christian faithful renew their commitment to Christ and freshly embrace its radical implications. Consecrations to Mary and to the Sacred Heart, for instance, thus help believers to meaningfully live out their Christian discipleship. Because of this connection to baptism, devotional consecrations depend on the universal significance of their devotional objects for their justification. Not every saint can be the object of a consecration. Consecration to Mary, for instance, is only justified on the basis of her pivotal role in the Incarnation of Jesus, which extends to the special role she has to play in the spiritual life of every Christian. Thus to be baptized is, among other things, to be brought into a special relationship with Mary, and consecration to Mary draws this out more explicitly. The same must be said of a consecration to St. Joseph. While the move is not without its risks of theological daring, Calloway’s instinct to extend the practice of consecration to St. Joseph finds its warrant in the indispensable role of Joseph in the economy of the incarnation, and thus in the economies of salvation, the Church, and the spiritual lives of each and every Christian. As guardian of Christ, he is guardian of the Church (the Body of Christ), and also our guardian. St. Joseph, pray for us!
Joseph the Carpenter (La Tour), 1640s.
ST. JOSEPH AND A BACKGROUND ON CONSECRATIONS By MACKENZIE HUNTER ‘21 AND FATHER BRYCE EVANS, PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR LEADERSHIP INTERNS AND ADJUNCT PROFESSOR IN CATHOLIC STUDIES
St. Thomas Lumen Spring 2021 Page 13
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