The Episcopate’s President Entrusted the Nation and the Church in Poland to St. Joseph

The Act of Entrustment was read on Thursday, October 7^th, 2021, in front of the miraculous image of St. Joseph at the end of the Holy Mass. The ceremony was attended by the Apostolic Nuncio in Poland Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio and bishops from all over Poland, including the Primate of Poland Archbishop Wojciech Polak. The hosts were Bishop of Kalisz Damian Bryl and the custodian of the sanctuary, Prelate Jacek Plota.

At the beginning of the Mass the Bishop of Kalisz, Msgr. Damian Bryl, greeted the participants. The auxiliary Bishop Lukasz Buzun read a letter from Pope Francis, in which the Holy Father greeted all the participants and gave them the Apostolic Blessing.

The President of the Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Stanislaw Gądecki, presided over the Mass and gave the homily. In his homily, he emphasized the role of St. Joseph as the protector of married couples and families, of human life from conception to natural death, as well as the protector of good human work and of the whole Homeland and the Church. “We can call St. Joseph the patron saint of times of crisis. He was put into difficult situations, and he faced them,” Archbishop Gądecki stressed, noting that we are currently living in times of crisis. Among other things, the Metropolitan of Poznan drew attention to the conflict on the Polish-Belarusian border and repeated his recent call to help the refugees and immigrants, and for permission to start humanitarian corridors.

“O good Joseph, so attentive to the voice of God and the fulfillment of His will, help us to recognize the signs of the times and to engage in the transformation of our world. Protect our homeland, so that we may responsibly care for its development. Show us how to be faithful to our baptismal promises and sensitive to the sufferings and needs of our sisters and brothers,” read the Episcopate’s President at the end of the Mass in the Act of Entrustment to St. Joseph.

We are publishing the full text of the Act of Entrustment:

ACT OF ENTRUSTMENT
OF THE NATION OF POLAND AND THE CHURCH IN POLAND
TO SAINT JOSEPH

In the name of the Most Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in this hour of the history of our salvation, we together invoke you, Saint Joseph, and entrust ourselves to you!

O valiant Joseph, following you whom the Scriptures call “Just,” we want to walk, as you did with Mary, on the path of faith, with obedience and trust in God.

Man of listening and action, stand by us in our struggle against the powers of darkness! And as you repeatedly saved your family from dangers, so now defend our families, nation, and Church on Polish soil against Satan, who brings division and lies. May the Holy Spirit guide us to the truth, so that, following you, we may together assume the responsibility for God's plan of salvation.

O good Joseph, so attentive to the voice of God and readiness to accomplish His will, help us to recognize the signs of the times and to engage in the transformation of our world. Protect our homeland, so that we may responsibly care for its development. Show us how to be faithful to our baptismal promises and sensitive to the sufferings and needs of our sisters and brothers.

You who are a wonderful model of great faith, of unwavering hope, and a heart burning with love! Help us to watch over the elderly, the weak, and the sick; protect our children and youth; support those who serve the social good.

Humble Servant of Salvation! Help us to live the Gospel so that, both in our Church community and in our own lives, we can eliminate evil and sin and live fully in grace. Stimulate us to accomplish the work of evangelization in our families, parishes, and in the world.

Compassionate Pilgrim of Faith, who knows the burdens that weigh down the heart, intercede for us before God as we walk on our earthly path towards the Kingdom of Heaven, so that here, like the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may glorify God the Father for the immensity of His mercy, listen to and imitate the Son of God, and experience joy in the Holy Spirit.

Saint Joseph, Protector of the Holy Family and of the Universal Church, attracted by the example of your virtues and trusting in your support, we trustingly turn to you to be our inspiration and guide in leading a life worthy of Christians. We, therefore, now choose you as our Protector and special Patron in life and in death.

Amen.

KAI/ Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference

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Blessing of the Holy Father Francis on the Feast of the Entrustment of the Nation and the Church in Poland to Saint Joseph

Pope Francis gave his pastoral blessing to those who participated in the ceremony of the Entrustment of the Nation and the Church in Poland to Saint Joseph, which took place in Kalisz on October 7, 2021. “Thanking the clergy and the faithful in Poland for the noble initiative of entrusting the Nation and the Church to Saint Joseph, I wish all those who will perform this act to grow continually in holiness and grace, and I heartily impart the Apostolic Blessing,” the Pope wrote in a letter sent to the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.

We are publishing the full text of the letter:

Your Excellency Archbishop Stanislaw Gądecki
President of the Polish Bishops' Conference

I join you spiritually, Brother, together with the Bishop of Kalisz and all the Bishops, Priests, and Faithful of the Church in Poland who, in the National Sanctuary in Kalisz, are participating in the solemn Act of Entrustment of the Nation and the Church in Poland to Saint Joseph.

In the announcement of the Year dedicated in the universal Church to the Spouse of Mary and Protector of the Son of God, I invited the whole People of God to pray through his intercession, to imitate his virtues and his commitment (cf. Apost. Letter Patris corde, 7). In these times which the Church and the world are experiencing, I would like to address once again the biblical call to the Polish people: “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you” (Gen 41:55). The spouse of Mary, who links this Old Testament story with the mystery of the Messiah’s Incarnation, as a just and obedient man, teaches us to listen to the Word of God which reveals His saving plans and invites us to cooperate in their realization. St. Joseph, faithful to the vocation and mission he received from God, constantly watches over married couples, the family, and life. He constantly teaches that recognizing the primacy of the Creator means inviting Him into one's life, family, society, nation.

Thanking the clergy and the faithful in Poland for the noble initiative of entrusting the Nation and the Church to Saint Joseph, I wish all those who will perform this act to grow continually in holiness and grace, and I heartily impart the Apostolic Blessing.

Lateran, 2 October 2021.

Francis