St. Joseph’s celebration of the Catholic Church’s “Year of St. Joseph” came to an end this month with a grand finale service at SJC Long Island.
Click here to watch the entire event.
Last December, Pope Francis proclaimed 2021 as the “Year of St. Joseph,” presenting SJC with an opportunity to celebrate St. Joseph’s legacy and the College community’s commitment to making the world a better place. Throughout the year, the College honored St. Joseph through several events.
To wrap up the “Year of St. Joseph,” SJC Long Island’s Campus Ministry held a special finale service, allowing members of the community to reflect on St. Joseph’s values. The event featured recollections from Campus Ministry Director Cristian Murphy, Father Frank Pizzarelli, a sociology professor at SJC Long Island; and Campus Ministry students Claire White ’23, Dominique Brutus ’22, Erin Makowski ’23 and Dana Liuzzo ’23.
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During the finale service, Brutus, a biology major, said the “Year of St. Joseph” gave her an opportunity to learn more about the saint.
“After the ‘Year of St. Joseph,’ and praying the consecration for (Saint Joseph), I realize there is no greater saint than him,”Brutus said. “Although he wasn’t immaculately conceived — meaning he was born with sin like the rest of us — St. Joseph was chosen to be the head of the Holy family. And we know we have the intention of God. So, with all intentionality, God chose St. Joseph to be the father of Jesus when he was on Earth.
“This just shows the significance of St. Joseph,” she continued. “God saw St. Joseph, out of all men, as a necessary part of Jesus’ life on Earth. Jesus needed a human father to teach, love, care, provide, and guard him. And that’s exactly what St. Joseph did.”
The prior “Year of St. Joseph” events at St. Joseph’s included a free monthly raffle at SJC Brooklyn, where winners received St. Joseph statues and Sleeping Joseph statues; a 33-day prayerful and contemplative dedication to St. Joseph, using a famous text by Fr. Donald Callaway, along with specific readings, prayers and intentions at SJC Long Island; and a virtual St. Joseph Celebration event hosted by Campus Ministries at both campuses.
