Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC is on a mission. He is on a divine mission to inspire the world to learn about, love, and consecrate themselves to St. Joseph.
To that end, Fr. Calloway has written the best-selling Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, which includes, of course, the titular consecration, as well as many fascinating and inspirational stories about Jesus’s father on Earth, special prayers to Joseph, and much more.
What does it mean to consecrate oneself to St. Joseph?
Fr. Calloway explains:
Well, it basically means that you acknowledge that he is your spiritual father, and you want to be like him. To show it, you entrust yourself entirely to his paternal care so that he can lovingly help you acquire his virtues and become holy.
How does one make this consecration?
![Consecration to St. Joseph book cover](https://i0.wp.com/www.spiritualwarfaredaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/consecration_to_st_joseph_book_cover.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1)
Fr. Calloway includes the full 33-day consecration, which involves a daily reading about St. Joseph followed by a reciting of the Litany of St. Joseph. Then, on the final day, there is an extra reading and praying of an Act of Consecration.
The book also includes a handy chart of dates on which you can plan the best days to begin and end your consecration. There are many Feast Days on to which to end the consecration, including the Feast of the Holy Spouses (January 23); Presentation of the Lord (February 2); Solemnity of St. Joseph (March 19); All Saints (November 1); and several more. The chart then counts back to the day on which you are to start the consecration to end on the Feast Day of your choice.
What do we know about St. Joseph?
Obviously, we know very little about the life of St. Joseph, which Fr. Calloway explains is by design so that when Jesus delivered his message about his “Father” to his disciples there would be no mistaking which father he meant, his holy Father and not his earthly father.
Despite not much written in the Bible about St. Joseph, there is a remarkable history of devotions to the loving foster father to Jesus. In Consecration to St. Joseph, you will learn about:
- St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, Canada, founded by St. Andrew Bessette.
- St. Joseph being proclaimed the Patron of the Universal Church in 1970 by Blessed Pope Pius IX
- Why depictions of St. Joseph as an old man in paintings and other art are erroneous and incorrect
- Visions of St. Joseph at Fatima and to several saints
- The miraculous transportation of the Holy House of Loreto — the childhood home of Jesus — from Nazareth to Loreto, Italy
- The building of the miraculous staircase at the Sisters of Loretto’s girl’s academy in New Mexico in 1873
- And more
The spiritual fruits of the Consecration
Fr. Calloway argues that the world needs more devotion to St. Joseph especially in this age in which marriage and the family are constantly under attack. Servant of God Sr. Lucia dos Santos, one of the children of Fatima, gave this warning: “The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about marriage and the family.”
To this end, the Litany that is prayed each day of the consecration includes many invocations and titles for St. Joseph inspiring us to imitate, including Light of Patriarchs, Mirror of Patience, Model of Workmen, and Chaste Guardian of the Virgin.
Maybe most important about Fr. Calloway’s book is that it isn’t a book to be read only during the consecration. Consecration to St. Joseph is organized so that one can read the stories about St. Joseph outside of the consecration; and make the minor daily consecrations any day of the year.
The author of this article first read the book’s “Part II: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father”, then followed through the consecration to end on the Feast of the Holy Spouses in January. This was a profound spiritual blessing that inspired us to bring more devotees to the consecration through this article.
Lastly, in addition to Consecration to St. Joseph, Fr. Calloway has written the graphic novel The Chaste Heart of St. Joseph illustrated by Sam Estrada for children to learn about Jesus’s foster father on Earth.
Buy Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Fathers
Buy The Chaste Heart of St. Joseph graphic novel
![Illustration of St. Joseph](https://i0.wp.com/www.spiritualwarfaredaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/chaste_heart_of_st_joseph_book_cover.jpg?resize=215%2C300&ssl=1)
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