St George Preca held a deep devotion to St Joseph, the husband of Mary, head of the Holy Family, righteous man, and legal father of Jesus. This devotion was evident in his sermons and meetings, both with the public and the members of his Society. He never missed an opportunity to speak about or honor St Joseph.
In his dedication, he set aside Wednesdays in special reverence for St Joseph, greeting him with a heartfelt stanza filled with love, acknowledging him as the guardian of the Virgin and the blessed father.
We greet you St Joseph,
you are the guardian of the Virgin,
you are the blessed Patriarch,
we ask you to pray Christ for us.
St. George Preca encouraged us to invoke St. Joseph as ‘St. Joseph of pure heart’ and to pray with the words: ‘Pure heart of St. Joseph, enclose us within you’. This reflects the desire to take refuge in the heart of this great saint, who remained so close to Jesus.
We should honor St. Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church and look to him as a guiding light for our families. Following St. George Preca’s counsel, we should also entrust to him those in their final moments of life, as he regarded St. Joseph as the patron of the dying.
