Ite ad Joseph! At St. Joseph Oratory in Detroit, the annual St. Joseph Day of Prayer began at 7:00 a.m. as faithful gathered in the church for Lauds. The parish, which sees many visitors on a daily basis, became a special place of pilgrimage for over 1,000 souls (on a Monday!) throughout the day in celebration of the feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In preparation for the St. Joseph Day of Prayer, Canon Michael Stein reminded the faithful of the importance of being ready to welcome visitors and pilgrims to the Oratory, and to share with them a triple beauty: the beauty of the liturgy, the beauty of the historic parish campus, and the beauty of our Fraternal Charity.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated at 8:00 a.m. (Low Mass with organ), 12:00 p.m. (High Mass), and 7:00 p.m. (Solemn High Mass). The St. Joseph Cappella and Chant Schola sang for both High Masses. Confessions began at 7:30 a.m. and continued throughout the day.
The Oratory was blessed to welcome Canon Matthew Talarico, Provincial Superior, who came from Chicago for the feast day, and celebrated the High Mass at noon. After Mass, he joined pilgrims in the parish social hall for an Italian Dinner, where volunteers served nearly 300 meals.
At 5:30 p.m., there was a public procession from St. Joseph Oratory to nearby Eastern Market, where the faithful prayed the St. Joseph Novena Devotions and venerated the relic of St. Joseph. During the procession they prayed the Rosary and sang hymns, while the men of the parish bore the statue of St. Joseph on a new hand-crafted wooden statue carrier made by parishioners for the feast.
Other events throughout the day included St. Joseph’s Table breakfast, serving parishioners, visitors, and neighborhood residents hosted by our Parish Food Pantry, blessing of St. Joseph’s Day Bread, and praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Stations of the Cross. At 4:00 p.m., Mr. Michael Semaan, Music Director, gave an organ recital in the church. Following the 7:00 p.m. Solemn High Mass, a dessert reception was held in the parish social hall, and the evening closed with the praying of Compline in the church.
Monica Beauchamp and her husband, Adam, came for the 7:00 p.m. Solemn High Mass and attended the dessert reception. “What I appreciate about Canon Stein and the priests and altar servers is that they do everything with so much reverence. The church is gorgeous, and with the choir, it was truly a liturgy that brought me to Heaven’s door,” Monica said. “I made my sacraments there (except matrimony) and it makes me so happy to see people bring that parish back to life!”
