St. Joseph

This week we received word from the Chancellor of Spiritual affairs of the Archdiocese that the name of St. Joseph is to be inserted in Eucharistic Prayers 2,3, and 4 (His name is already in Eucharistic Prayer 1) There is a blog that I regularly follow: www.praytellblog.com which covers this kind of thing, and I found an interesting article about the History of St. Joseph's name in the Eucharistic Prayer:

November 10, 1962, during the first session of the Second Vatican Council:

The aged Bishop Petar Cule (Mostar, Yugoslavia) put in a long plea for the inclusion of the name of St. Joseph in the canon of the mass, but as he talked on, nervously repeating himself, murmurs began to be heard and Cardinal Ruffini was prompted to interject:“Complete your holy and eloquent speech. We all love St. Joseph and we hope there are many saints in Yugoslavia.” The next speaker launched into a long and tedious sermon on the Virgin Mary, which also brought forth murmurs. He too had to be cut off by Ruffini, who remarked: “One does not preach to preachers” (Praedicatoribus non praedicatur). Winding up the day’s proceedings at 12:45 with the customary Angelus and Gloria Patri, the Cardinal President brought down the house with a loud invocation of the name of St. Joseph.

It was this cutting off of Bishop Cule that prompted Pope John to order the insertion of the name of St. Joseph in the canon of the mass on his own authority (decree announced November 13th, effective Dec. 8, 1962), without waiting for any conciliar recommendation in the matter. This caused great astonishment, but few were aware that the pope, following the debates on closed circuit television in his apartments, knew Bishop Cule personally and also knew that his nervous manner of speaking had a tragic source: he had suffered through one of those long trials made famous by the Communists and was sentenced to four years in a concentration camp in Yugoslavia. He and other prisoners were then put on a train which was deliberately wrecked in an attempt to kill all aboard. The bishop survived, but both his hips were broken. In poor health, he had nevertheless made great effort to attend the Council and speak up for St. Joseph. Thus his wish was fulfilled.

From: Xavier Rynne, Vatican Council II (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999) Pages 75-76.

The "Test" Sacramentary that I helped to Pilot in the year 2000 - before the current one we received in 2011 - had Joesph's name in every Eucharistic prayer.  I heard that this was because St. Joseph is the Patron Saint of Canada!

Hence forth we will be including "blessed Joseph, her spouse" after we invoke the memory of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God...
Peace!