BROOKFIELD—”Be a person of action and follow the example set by St. Joseph,” was the message shared with everyone at the Solemnity of St. Joseph Mass at his patron church in Brookfield.
“Nowhere in the Gospels do we ever hear Joseph say anything but he is a man of action,” said Pastor Father George O’Neill, referring to Joseph’s obedience to take Mary as his wife as the angel instructed him to do.
“Just like God had a plan for Joseph, God has a plan for each one of us,” Father O’Neill said. “He wants us to be upright and righteous. He wants us to follow the law and observe the commandments.”
St. Joseph parish and parishes throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport celebrated Mass concurrently to consecrate the diocese to the protection and intercession of St. Joseph, the Patron of the Universal Church.
“St. Joseph may have been a simple carpenter who did not amount to much during his life but today he is venerated as one of the greatest saints in the church,” Father O’Neill said, encouraging everyone to heed St. Joseph’s example.
“God gives us dreams and he speaks to us through those dreams,” Father O’Neill said, adding that although we may never see the fruits of our labor, it is important to do what is right. He implored the congregation to pray to St. Joseph for guidance.
“Let him guide us and help us open our hearts to God’s plan, God’s will for us in our lives. That we may be upright and righteous. That we may be women and men after God’s will,” O’Neill said.
Parishioner Suzanne Holko was one of the many people who came out to celebrate this special Mass to the parish’s patron saint.
“We can all learn so much about our faith and the only way to do it is to keep coming to church,” she said, adding that the message of the homily, to take action, resonated with her.
“We all need to do our part in reaching out to others and being the Christian God would hope us to be.”
“Let God speak to you in your dreams,” Father O’Neill said, adding and like Joseph, “let us get up and do.”