From the Mail is pleased to have among its readers an ancient Dominican in New York, and this venerable religious sent a note on St. Joseph, which FTM considers worth sharing...
"I am the youngest of ten children in an Irish immigrant family. Of the six who survived childhood, there are three religious and three married.
"I remember, well over 80 years ago, my holy mother obtaining fresh, new (every year) St. Joseph cords from the Homeless Child Home on Staten Island. We wore these blessed cords around our waist every day. My mother had a great devotion to St. Joseph. She saw two of her boys survive World War I, and one crossed the ocean in 20 round-trips with the Navy. Her husband was a firefighter for 45 years, without ever suffering an injury. She saw two sons become priests, and one daughter a nun, and two sons become Knights of St. Gregory. My mother dropped dead as she was making the stations of the Cross at the ninth station, Jesus falls the third time. She has 100 priests at her funeral...
"I urge all to have devotion to St. Joseph, Patron of Family Life, Patron of Working People, Patron of a Happy Death, Patron of the Universal Church. He proved it in our family."
~ From The Wanderer, May 6, 1993 issue; From the Mail column excerpt ~
