Is It the Year of St. Joseph or ‘Amoris Laetitia’ or Both?

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National Catholic Register, 18 March 2021

From the outset there has been something strange with the Vatican’s non-rollout of the Year of St. Joseph. And it is creating another unnecessary controversy.

Is the Year of St. Joseph being observed in the Vatican? Or will the focus be on fostering devotion to Amoris Laetitia

All over the world Catholics have taken up devotional activity for the Year of St. Joseph, announced completely without warning last December after it had already begun. While parishes, media apostolates and preachers (myself included) have devoted considerable effort to the special year, it has dropped like a stone in Rome, leaving only the faintest ripples.

From the outset there was something strange with the Vatican’s non-rollout of the Year of St. Joseph. Pope Francis’ apostolic letter on Joseph, Patris Corde, made absolutely no mention of it. Indeed, he has not made reference to the year a single time — not even on the feast of the Holy Family. Quite to the contrary, on that day he announced the Year of Amoris Laetitia, to begin on March 19, solemnity of St. Joseph, and to continue for 15 months. 

The announcement of the Year of St. Joseph was made in a decree establishing indulgences for the year, published by the Apostolic Penitentiary. That document, signed by Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, states that Pope Francis has established the Year of St. Joseph. The document does not indicate that its provisions were ever presented to Pope Francis in an audience to be approved.

Thus there is a special year, claimed by others to be established by Pope Francis, but which he has steadfastly refused even to mention, despite his well-known personal devotion to St. Joseph. There has been minimal notice from Vatican offices. In contrast, the Year of Amoris Laetitia was announced by the Pope himself and includes many activities coordinated by Vatican offices. 

Every Monday, the Dicastery of Communications puts out a preview of events it considers significant for the week ahead. It is wide-ranging. For example, this week it noted that climate envoy John Kerry was in Berlin to meet the president of the European Union. Also, the Canadian bishops were hosting the third of four webinars on “Nurturing Friendship,” a look at the Directory for Catechesis in dialogue with the encyclical Fratelli Tutti.

For St. Joseph’s feast on Friday there is nary a whisper about the Year of St. Joseph. The beginning of the Year of Amoris Laetitia is noted, along with a preparatory press conference the day before.

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