Pope Francis issues an Apostolic Letter "Patris Corde" proclaiming a year of St. Joseph. bit.ly/2K4Y360 "Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation." (Icon William Hart McNichols)

"Often in life, things happen whose meaning we do not understand. Our first reaction is frequently one of disappointment and rebellion. Joseph set aside his own ideas to accept the course of events...take responsibility for them and make them part of his own history."

"Here, once again, we encounter that Christian realism which rejects nothing that exists. Reality, in its mysterious and irreducible complexity, is the bearer of existential meaning, with all its lights and shadows..."

"Nor should we ever think that believing means finding facile and comforting solutions. The faith Christ taught us is what we see in Saint Joseph. He did not look for shortcuts, but confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it."

"God always finds a way to save us, provided we show the same creative courage as the carpenter of Nazareth, who was able to turn a problem into a possibility by trusting always in divine providence."