“Pray to St. Joseph; we honor him this month and it is a month marked by special graces.”

The feast of St. Joseph is of special importance for the whole Church and for the Hijas de Jesus. What are the characteristic features which make it “so special”?

“Pray to St. Joseph; we honor him this month and it is a month marked by special graces.” St. Candida Maria de Jesus wrote these words in her autographed letter to Sr. Antonia Robles Hernandez from Segovia 130 years ago. (26 March 1895. Letter # 62 Vol. I)

St. Joseph: A Cornerstone in M. Candida’s Devotion to the Saints

We know that M. Candida finds great support in St. Joseph. She is well aware of his valuable intercession before God. In the face of a difficulty, she knows she can implore with all her heart: “Pray to St. Joseph”.

It is a fact that M. Candida founded the Congregation of the Hijas de Jesus in a house called “Casa de San José” in Salamanca, even if history does not record that she chose it for this reason. This name is placed with a beautiful image of St. Joseph on its facade. M. Candida gave the name “San José” to several of the schools she founded: Tolosa (Guipuzcoa), Coca (Segovia). Medina del Campo (Valladolid), Pitillas (Navarra).  (Data from Sr. Maria del Pilar Linde Cirujano FI)

St. Joseph in the Writings of M. Candida

In the thesis “The Praxis of Seeking and Finding God in All Things in the Letters of M. Candida” of Teresa Ramirez FI in 1984, we find a chapter: “Candida Maria de Jesus and the Communion with the Saints.” She gathered texts showing the devotion of M. Candida to St. Joseph.  We have selected the following paragraphs: 

Throughout the letters, it is evident that St. Joseph is the saint most often mentioned and to whom she explicitly shows a special love. In moments she mentions St. Joseph, he is very united with Jesus and with the Virgin. This leads us to think that for M. Candida the life of St. Joseph has been a point of reference to experience not only the mystery of the incarnation, so full of meaning for her and whom she felt closeness to a God made man for our love but also to strengthen that constant and ardent desire for God.

For M. Candida Maria de Jesus, the life of St. Joseph is a source of contemplation of the spiritual characteristics which had great depth. This text is written with her own hand and is very valuable.

I suppose the celebration of the Feast of the Blessed Patriarch St. Joseph must have been very solemn. This saint is very, very powerful before God. Alas, I wish we could imitate his virtues: his great modesty. Patient endurance, presence of God, humility, poverty, chastity, obedience, prayer, love for Jesus and Mary. How he sanctified himself in his work all the moments of his wonderful life. How holy was his precious death! We will be fortunate if we love him truly. He will watch over our body and keep our souls safe so that we can serve God in this life and later sing His praises in heaven with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Amen. (Letter # 63 a la Sr. Josefa González, el 29 March 1895)

On the other hand, the commemoration of St. Joseph's Day is a time of union and closeness among the Sisters. M. Candida receives greetings from her daughters and from the bottom of her heart she is grateful for the prayers offered to the Lord for her “through the intercession of St. Joseph, for this poor mother who needs it so much”.

As a simple woman who incarnates the faith without great theological discussions, she resorts to expressions of popular religiosity which are full of meaning for those who live deeply the search for God in all things. Thus, she rejoices on feast days. It feels good that the sisters have the lamp lit for the saint, that the novena and the traditional celebrations are held. This has only one meaning: to seek the greater glory of God in all things.

Finally, we find a close relationship of the saint at the moment of death, and thus, having worked for “Long years in the vineyard of the Lord” (24), “let us all go to praise him for all eternity, in the company of the Virgin, St. Joseph and all the saints.”

Something to ponder:

What is this telling us today?

May M. Candida's devotion to St. Joseph inspire us in this month of grace.

We pause for a moment and ask ourselves:

- What has been valuable to you about M. Candida's devotion to St. Joseph?

- What has resonated in your own life?

Prayer to St. Joseph

We conclude this sharing in the context of this special time of Lent, as Pope Francis concludes his Apostolic Letter Patris Corde (Apostolic Letter written by Pope Francis on the occasion of the Jubilee Year of St. Joseph in 2021). Let us invoke him in our prayer:

Hail, guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted His only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself to be a father,
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.