Archdiocese of Colombo Sri Lanka

Year of St. Joseph 20' - 21'

The Vatican announced that this year (December 8, 2020 - December 8, 2021) would be a year dedicated to St. Joseph, husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus Christ. The announcement coincides with the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX with the document Quemadmodum Deus on December 8, 1870.

But a celebration of St. Joseph and a call to focus on his patronage is particularly relevant in this time of universal turmoil when so many are having difficulty finding employment, when we are becoming more aware of how much we owe to so many ordinary, hardworking people, and when our human frailty and mortality are so much in our minds and in the news. The Church reminds us that we have a powerful ally in Heaven who, having lived and worked so long in the shadows like so many unsung heroes, is both Patron of Workers and Patron of a Happy Death.