Befriending St. Joseph
Finding Faith, Hope, and Courage in the Seven Sorrows Devotion
by Deacon Greg Kandra
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Pub Date 8 Apr 2022 | Archive Date 20 May 2022
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Description
After Pope Francis declared 2020 the year of St. Joseph,interest in the patriarch of the Holy Family and patron of the Universal Church was heightened worldwide.
In Befriending St. Joseph, popular blogger Deacon Greg Kandra leads you on a journey of imaginative exploration and spiritual renewal rooted in the few Bible stories where Joseph is written about. This book offers a fresh take on the centuries-old devotion known as the Seven Sorrows of St. Joseph and provides an opportunity to ponder Joseph’s role in our salvation and to become more like him.
Although the Bible doesn’t record St. Joseph saying a single word, we know he became what God wanted him to be with patience, attention, trust, and prayer. The biblical account of Jesus’s life shows us that St. Joseph had faith in times of uncertainty and courage in times of danger. Kandra shows us Joseph as a gentle man, pure of heart, trusting in God, and a role model for those who feel unworthy or unready.
Through guided reflections, Kandra helps you imagine what life may have been like for Joseph, Mary, and Jesus and offers guidance to help you better navigate your own life, with particular attention to trust, purity of heart, courage, and persistence in faith.
Each chapter of Befriending St. Joseph includes a scriptural verse about Joseph that lies at the heart of the devotion, original prayers by Kandra, and questions for self-reflection, journaling, or faith sharing. The appendixes include additional prayers to St. Joseph and an adaption of the Seven Sorrows devotion for group prayer.
A Note From the Publisher
Kandra has received two Peabody awards and two Emmy awards, four Writers Guild of America awards, three Catholic Press Association Awards, and a Christopher Award for his work. He also was named 2017 Clergy of the Year by the Catholic Guild of Our Lady of the Skies Chapel at JFK International Airport. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maryland. Kandra cowrote the acclaimed CBS documentary 9/11. He contributed to three books, including Dan Rather’s Deadlines and Datelines and a homily series. His work has been published in America, US Catholic, Busted Halo, and The Tablet. He has been a regular guest on Catholic radio. Kandra is the author of four books.
Advance Praise
“Packed with prayerful insights that you’ll return to over and over again.”
Joel Stepanek
Life Teen International
“Deacon Greg Kandra leads us through the life of this great saint in a relevant and practical way. Reading this book has increased my desire to trust God’s plan even when I don’t fully understand all the details.”
Gary Zimak
Author of Give Up Worry for Lent!
“Innovative and inspirational, Befriending St. Joseph breathes new life and insight into a traditional devotion as Greg Kandra invites us to consider Joseph as the perfect companion for our daily challenges and everyday joys.”
Lisa M. Hendey
Founder of CatholicMom.com
“Fascinating and probing meditations on the seven sorrows of this beloved saint. In reflecting on an ancient and somewhat hidden tradition, Greg Kandra invites us to see in Joseph that same ancient grace, that hidden presence, which lives in the shadows but intercedes for, guides, and supports us.”
Bishop Paul R. Sanchez
Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781646801374 |
| PRICE | US$13.95 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Andrienne C, Librarian
Befriending St Joseph is a journey of faith through the experiences of the foster father of Jesus. It has snippets of respectful fictionalized scenarios intertwined with thoughtful questions that can be used as a devotional or prompts for a retreat session. Readers who hunger more about the life of St Joseph will find plenty to ponder here. The book also includes prayers to St Joseph usually found in novenas and other sources for convenient access. Accessible and nourishing, this is a prayer/devotional book that is a great addition to a personal or public library.
April S, Reviewer
This book is a wonderful look at the life of St. Joseph with respect to his life with Mary and Jesus. So little is actually known about him, yet he had such a big role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. To be the head of the Holy Family, to care for and love the Mother and the Son, the Son who would later make the biggest sacrifice to save us all.
I loved this look at the Seven Sorrow of Joseph. Being familiar with the Seven Sorrows of Mary, this additional look into what St. Joseph experienced helped me learn even more about a Saint that became so special to me during the year of Saint Joseph.
I highly recommend Deacon Kandra’s book to anyone wanting an additional look at this Saint. This books is so well written and the writing is so descriptive, making it easy to picture the things mentioned. I also loved the prayers at the end of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ave Maria Press, and Deacon Greg Kandra for the copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
Rachel F, Reviewer
Befriending St. Joseph: Finding Faith, Hope, and Courage in the Seven Sorrows Devotion by Deacon Greg Kandra is a wonderful book focussing on the life of St. Joseph, the husband of Mary. Just beautiful.
This is a book collecting what we know about Joseph from the bible, and the author takes all of this information, and presents it in chronological order so that we can piece together a life that was full, important, needed, loved, cherished, and vital.
The author then adds how these passages add messages, meaning, and relevance, to our lives today. The end of the book has a nice collection of prayers to St. Joseph that can be done with groups (Seven Sorrows), and individually.
Nicely done and very much needed during this time.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Ave Maria Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/8/22.
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