To help celebrate The Year of St. Joseph, the Diocese of Orange Office for Evangelization and Faith Formation has partnered with Trinity West Liturgical Supply to create a special St. Joseph Candle. The back of the candle is printed with the prayer to St. Joseph, presented in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean.
Fr. Al Baca, director of Evangelization and Faith Formation for the diocese, said, “Along with the many ways that St. Joseph is being celebrated in this year dedicated to him, we thought it would be beautiful to create a candle that would carry his picture and the prayer the Holy Father had chosen. We then translated that prayer into the four significant languages of our diocese. We hope these candles, purchased in our parishes, will become powerful instruments of prayer in our homes.”
St. Joseph candles can be purchased from participating parishes.
THE SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH
We honor St. Joseph, Spouse of the Virgin Mary, on March 19, which falls on a Friday this year. Canon 1251 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law foresees every Friday as a day of abstinence, with the exception of when a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Since St. Joseph’s Day is celebrated as a solemnity (and even if it is not a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States), by virtue of the law itself, the faithful are encouraged to, but are not required to abstain from meat on Friday, March 19, 2021.