Devotion to St. Joseph flourishes in most Catholic communities, but this phenomenon has not always been the case throughout Church history. 

Today, St. Joseph is a popular intercessor and Confirmation saint. Catholics from many walks of life, from fathers to young women seeking a husband, cherish their relationship with St. Joseph. However, many well-known devotions to St. Joseph did not exist before the modern age. 

 St. Joseph’s name was not added to the Divine Praises until 1921, and he was not included in the Eucharistic Prayer of the Canon of the Mass until 1962. Finally, the popular Litany to St. Joseph is not an old prayer; on the contrary, it was approved by Pope Pius X in 1909. 

What has triggered this modern rise in devotion to St. Joseph? In his book Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, Father Donald Calloway, MIC, posits a compelling answer. 

According to Calloway, the modern age is riddled with attacks on marriage and family life. Abortion, pornography, contraception, transgenderism, and other distortions of sexuality and parenthood have eroded the family in our culture. These struggles seem apocalyptic: in fact, Sister Lucia dos Santos, a Fatima visionary, stated that “the final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about marriage and the family.” 

Calloway believes that these attacks on marriage and the family are actually a cause of the intensifying flood of devotion to St. Joseph. As head of the Holy Family, St. Joseph’s intercession is desperately needed during this battle. Thus, the Church as a whole, as well as individual Catholics, are turning more and more to St. Joseph’s example and care. 

With these facts in mind, and spurred by his recent solemnity on March 19, how can one grow in devotion to St. Joseph? In his book, Calloway proposes one practical and powerful option: consecration to St. Joseph. 

Calloway describes consecration as an act of entrustment to St. Joseph, asking for his protection. Consecration also includes a commitment to cultivating St. Joseph’s particular virtues. According to Calloway, “the person who consecrates himself to St. Joseph wants to be as close to their spiritual father as possible, to the point of resembling him in virtue and holiness.” The goal is to imitate St. Joseph’s humility, chastity, silence and intimate devotion to Christ. 

The process of consecration is very achievable, even for overscheduled college students. Patterned after Marian consecration, Calloway’s book includes a 33-day period of preparation, leading up to consecration on a personally chosen feast day of St. Joseph. 

Each preparation day, readers reflect on one of St. Joseph’s titles from his litany, such as “Terror of Demons” or “Lover of Poverty.” Calloway also provides short readings that explore topics like confirmed miracles of St. Joseph or his marriage with Mary. Finally, each day of preparation concludes with recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph. 

The 33-day preparation helps readers deeply understand the virtues of St. Joseph, culminating in consecration, the wholehearted commitment to live those virtues. Additionally, consecration entails a special relationship with St. Joseph as a protective spiritual father. 

For those who have persevered to the bottom of this article, using the Josephite virtue of patience, here is a challenge:

First, hunt down a copy of Calloway’s Consecration to St. Joseph, either from John Paul II Library, an elderly Italian parishioner with a guaranteed stash of St. Joseph-themed literature or good old Amazon. 

Next, commit to a consecration day. If you begin the 33-day preparation on April 11, consecration day will fall on May 13—the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, with whom St. Joseph appeared, blessing the world. Each evening until then, go to a dorm chapel and read for 20 minutes from Consecration to St. Joseph.  This endeavor will be infinitely fruitful. There is no better time for consecration to St. Joseph, for in our hostile culture, St. Joseph is a mighty protector and friend.