A detail from St. Joseph with the Child, by Francesco Conti (1681–1760) / Public domain

Denver Newsroom, Apr 30, 2021 / 17:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis has declared 2021 to be the Year of St. Joseph, and Catholics will gather at multiple California churches on May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, to consecrate their state to the foster father of Jesus Christ.

Among them will be Father Donald Calloway, an Ohio-based priest of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception and author of the book “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father.” He encouraged others to take part the consecration.

“I am so excited to be participating in the Consecration of California to St. Joseph on May 1.” Calloway said on the website of BVM Blue Mantle, the group organizing the event. “In these very difficult times, we need a message of hope, and all families, marriages, men, women, children, bishops, priests, and nuns need to go to St. Joseph!”

One major event is hosted at St. John the Baptist Church in Costa Mesa. It will begin Saturday May 1 with Mass at noon, followed by the consecration prayers at 1:15. The congregation will lead a procession with a statue of St. Joseph at 2 p.m.

Father Calloway will then deliver a talk and sign books at 2:30.

BVM Blue Mantle, LLC, describes itself as a group of Catholics “whose love for our Lord and Mary has inspired us to consecrate California to Our Lady, and now to St. Joseph.” While the group has invited all Californians to join them for the consecration at the Costa Mesa church, they encouraged others to involve their parish or take part at events at other churches.

Participating churches include St. Mary Catholic Church in Escondido, St. Ephrem Maronite Catholic Church in El Cajon, Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in San Diego, St. Anne Catholic Church in San Diego, and St. Andrew Catholic Church in Pasadena.

Blue Mantle encouraged those without access to Mass to pray the rosary and consecration prayer outside a local church.

The group invoked Pope Francis’ proclamation of a Year of St. Joseph.

“Let’s ask St. Joseph to help us to defeat the Culture of Death. Together we are praying for an end of abortion, euthanasia, (and) natural disasters,” Blue Mantle said. “As brothers and sisters in Christ, we will be praying for the sick, elderly, unwanted, and an end to the violence, sex abuse, drugs, alcoholism, (and) sex trafficking.”

Blue Mantle’s website is called Consecrate California.