Archbishop Bernard Hebda offers the sign of peace to the congregation at the closing Mass of the Year of St. Joseph Dec. 8 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. JOE RUFF | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

A Year of St. Joseph dedicated to increasing love for the foster father of Jesus, seeking his intercession and trying to imitate his virtues and zeal drew to a close Dec. 8 with ringing trumpets, a chorus of voices and Archbishop Bernard Hebda presiding at an evening Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.

The Mass was the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the Church celebrates that Mary was conceived without original sin. A year dedicated to the foster father of Jesus had been planned in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as part of preparations for an Archdiocesan Synod in 2022, even before Pope Francis proclaimed the same period for a celebration by the universal Church of the great saint.

“It beautifully, providentially coincided with what we were planning to do here in the archdiocese,” Archbishop Hebda noted in his homily. “Pope Francis managed to take it up a notch.”

With a special St. Joseph prayer book and a series of 10 talks at 10 locations entrusted to St. Joseph’s patronage that centered on the 10 “wonders” or virtues and strengths of the saint, as well as other opportunities for learning and reflection, Archbishop Hebda said he hopes people see how by God’s grace they are “better able to imitate the virtues and zeal of St. Joseph.”

St. Joseph took on, with great obedience, the task of protecting Mary and Jesus, the archbishop said. The Lord granted St. Joseph natural and supernatural gifts of discernment, strength, prudence, love and compassion.

It is enlightening to think that Jesus must have spoken like St. Joseph, the archbishop said. “He must have walked like St. Joseph. He must have emulated the gestures and expressions of St. Joseph. A father’s influence is so pervasive.”

St. Joseph was totally obedient to the directions of the angel and placed his trust in God when he took Mary into his home, when they fled to Egypt as a family and later settled in Nazareth, the archbishop said.

The archbishop wore vestments graced with artwork showing St. Joseph with a pregnant Mary on the front and the Heart of St. Joseph on the back, commissioned by Father Joseph Bambenek, assistant director of the Synod, as part of his own journey to more fully appreciating his patron saint. The image was patterned after the image of the Holy Family used for the special year.

Archbishop Hebda credited the work of Father Bambenek and others on the committee for the Year of St. Joseph, which was led by Anne Marie Hansen of Cathedral of St. Paul and included Father Tom Margevicius, director of worship for the archdiocese, Viviana Sotro of Guardian Angels in Chaska and Sam Roble of St. Joseph in West. St. Paul.

Music at the Mass included the Cathedral of St. Paul Festival Choir and Consort. The music, homily and opportunities throughout the Year of St. Joseph were appreciated by Katherine Weber of St. Gabriel in Hopkins, who attended the closing Mass.

Weber said she wanted to help celebrate in part because it fell on the 33rd and final day of her consecration to St. Joseph, which she undertook with a son, Peter.

“This is to honor St. Joseph, through the archbishop, who has been so instrumental in helping us fix our eyes on what really matters,” Weber said. “He’s (St. Joseph) real and he can take special care of us. And he does.”