(Tyrolese Art Glass Co., Austria, 1899 / Courtesy Saint Joseph’s University Collection, Philadelphia)

By Gina Christian • Posted September 27, 2022

As it marks its 75th anniversary, a Delaware County parish is inviting area faithful to “a prolonged moment of prayer” with its patron saint.

St. Joseph Parish in Aston will host a Triduum to St. Joseph Oct. 1-4, featuring Masses, eucharistic adoration, benediction and talks on the saint by Benedictine Father Boniface Hicks.

Father Hicks, a Benedictine monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, will draw from his book “Through the Heart of St. Joseph” to reflect on the saint as a friend of angels, a terror of demons, a provider of steadfast accompaniment and the father of little ones.

The saint – who remains silent in the Scriptures – “invites us to a new volume of listening” amid a noisy, hectic world, said pastor Msgr. Brian Bransfield.

“The great silence of St Joseph has a language all its own,” said Msgr. Bransfield.

Those devoted to the saint find their prayer life enriched, he added.

“God really hears listening best,” since it “enables us to beyond the sounds,” Msgr. Bransfield said.

The saint’s pivotal role in salvation history also deepens the lives of faithful, he added.

“St. Joseph is the one who accompanies the flight into Egypt, who sees angels in his dreams,” Msgr. Bransfield said. “He has seen the secret of the kingdom of heaven from a unique perspective, and he wants to share from his poverty. He keeps nothing for himself.”

In the same way, he said, St. Joseph parishioners are sharing their blessings by spreading the word about the foster father of Jesus.

With Aston Township’s Community Day observance set for this weekend, parishioners will undertake street evangelization amid the festivities, staffing a tent and welcoming passers-by who are interested in joining the Triduum – with their patron as team leader.

“St. Joseph has a wide reach,” said Msgr. Bransfield. “He’s the main recruiter, because of his closeness to Our Lord and Our Lady.”

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For more information and a complete schedule of the St. Joseph Triduum, visit the St. Joseph Parish website.