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ST. JOSEPH, PATRON OF CARMEL

A Letter from the Prior General, O.Carm. and Superior General, O.C.D. to the Carmelite Family on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the

proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.

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ST. JOSEPH, PATRON OF CARMEL

A Letter from the Prior General, O.Carm. and Superior General, O.C.D. to the Carmelite Family on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the

proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.

This year, 2020,we celebrated the feast of St. Joseph in the full throws of apandemic,thatforcedustoremaininourownhomes.Becauseofthat,wefelttheneedevenmoretoturntothatjustandfaithfulmanwhoknewthemeaningofhardship,exile,andworriesabouttomorrow,butdidnotloseheart,butcontinuedtobelieveandhopeGod,fromwhomhehadreceivedaveryuniquemission:hewastotakecareofMaryandthechildJesus,thefamilyofNazareth,theembryoofthenewfamilythatGodwasgivingtotheworld.PopeFrancis,preachinginSantaMarta,remindedusofsomeofthequalitiesofSt.Joseph:themanofclearandpracticalvision,capableofdoinghisworkwithprecisionandprofessionalskill,andonewhoatthesametimepenetratedthemysteryofGod,beyondallthatwasfamiliartohimorwasunderhiscontrol,andinthepresenceofwhichhekneelsandadores.1

ItdoesusgoodtothinkaboutSt.Joseph,tomeditateonhimasonewhomourtraditionhas recognised as apatron and amodel ofCarmelite life. It is somethingwewanttodotogether,asaCarmelitefamily,O.Carm.andO.C.D.,because inourveneration of St. Joseph, and in our constant reference to him,wefind one of themostpreciousaspectsofourcommonheritageandspirituality.Thisyearhastheaddedmotivationofasignificantanniversary,namely,theproclamationofSt.JosephasPatronoftheUniversalChurch,byPopePiusIX,onthe8thofDecember1870,150yearsago.

The place of St. Joseph in Carmel

The veneration of St. Joseph is an integral part of our Christian formation,traditionandculture.WearesoaccustomedtoplacingSt.JosephalongsideJesusandMary,thatwetendtothinkthattheChurchhasalwaysattributedtohim,whoselifewasoneofintimacywiththemysteryoftheincarnation,thedignityandthehonoursthatwenormallyassociatewithhim,butinreality,itwasnotalwaysso.Inthefirst

1 Pope Francis, Homily, Santa Marta, 19th of March, 2020.

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millennium,thetracesofatheologicalreflectiononSt. Joseph,orofanyparticularhomagegiventohimareveryrare.ItwasonlywiththeadventofthemendicantordersthatdevotiontoSt.Josephbegantodevelop.InadditiontotheworkoftheFrenchtheologian,JeanGerson,adecisivecontributionwasgivenbytheFranciscansandbytheCarmelites. ForCarmelites,interestinSt.JosephwasanaturaloffshootofitsfundamentalMarianorientation.EverymemberofthewiderfamilyofMary(herparents,JoachimandAnne,thesecondaryprotectorsofCarmel,andhisallegedsistersandbrothers,MaryofJamesandMaryofSalome)weretherecipientsofparticularattentioninCarmel.Inthatcontext,Joseph,Mary’sspouse,couldnotbeignored.Piousmedievallegends,inordertounderlinethecloselinkwiththefamilyofNazareth,Jesus,MaryandJoseph,andbasedperhapson theApocryphalGospel ofPseudoMatthew,make referencestovisits thattheHolyFamilymadetothesonsof theprophets, thedescendantsofthe prophet Elijah, living onMount Carmel.Others speak about a presumed visitthattheHolyFamilymadeontheirreturnfromEgypt2.ThisconnectionmusthavelookedsostrongintheChurchthatsomeoftheancientauthors,liketheBenedictineabbot,GiovanniTritemio, thought thatperhaps thevenerationofSt. Joseph in theLatinChurchmaywellhavebeenbroughtbytheCarmelitehermitsontheirreturntoEurope.3Thisidea,whichisnolongeraccepted,isonethatwefindinthewritingsofPopeBenedictXIV,whosuggestedthatthevenerationofSt.JosephintheliturgybeganwiththeCarmelites.4WhatiscertainisthatdevotiontoSt.JosephamongCarmeliteshadliturgicalovertonesfromtheverybeginning.Inlatertimes,andrightuptothepresentday,wefindalsoaEucharisticdimensioninCarmelitedevotiontoSt.Joseph,astheonewhoheldinhishandsthebreadoflife,ourspiritualfoodanddrink. Intruth,itisimpossibletosayexactlywhenpeoplebegantocelebratethefeastofSt.JosephinCarmelitechurches.Inallprobability,asearlyasthe14thcentury,therewasstronglocaldevotion,butbythe15thcenturywebegintoseeaMassandaDivineOfficepropertoSt.Joseph.TheFlemishCarmelite,ArnoldBostius,in1476,statedthatCarmeliteshadasolemncelebrationofhisfeast.5TheproperoftheliturgyinhonourofSt.JosephintheCarmelitetraditionisthoughtbyhistoriansandliturgiststobethe

2  These pious legends inspired important works of art, e.g. paintings from the end of the 15th century that hang today in the Cathedral Museum in Frankfurt am Main.

3 LEONE DI SAN GIOACCHINO, Il culto di San Giuseppe e l’Ordine del Carmelo, Barcellona, 1905, 48. For the history of the development, cfr. E. BOAGA, O.Carm., ‘Giuseppe, santo e sposo della B.V.M.’, in Dizionario Carmelitano, ed. E. BOAGA e L. BORRIELLO, Città Nuova, Roma 2008, 443-446.

4 De Serv. Dei beatif., I/iv, 11; I/xx, 17.

5 Cfr. B. M. XIBERTA, O.CARM., Flores josefinas en la liturgia carmelitana antigua, “Estudios Josefinos” 18, 1963-1964, pp. 301-319.

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firstmonumentoftheLatinChurchtothedignityofSt.Joseph. TheancientliturgycelebratesSt.JosephasthefirstamonghiscontemporariesinNazareth,theonechosenbyDivineWisdomtobetheSpouseoftheVirginMary,so that the Son of Godmight enter the world with honour, but without fanfare.Carmelite Preachers insisted that just asMary the Virgin conceived the IncarnateWordinherwombthroughtheworkoftheHolySpirit,soJoseph,throughtheworkofthesameHolySpirit,conceivedtheWordthroughcontemplation,andbecamethefatherofJesusonthisearth.6TheliturgycelebratedthenuptialunionbetweenJosephandMarytheVirgin,andpresentedhimastheprotectorofhervirginityandofthelifeoftheincarnateSonofGod.WiththesensitivitythatistypicaloftheCarmelitecontemplativecharism,theancientliturgycelebratedthepurityoftheBlessedVirginandofSt.Joseph,byhighlightingtheiropennesstoGod,whichmadeitpossibleforthemtowelcomethemysteryoftheIncarnation.Formedbythisliturgicalspirituality,St.MaryMagdalen de’Pazzi would see Joseph’s protection as a consequence of hispurity:“InparadiseJoseph’spurityjoinswiththepurityofMary,andinthatexchangeofsplendour,Joseph’spurityshinesalightontheevengreatergloryandsplendourofMary’spurity.SaintJosephisinthemiddleofJesusandMaryasaresplendentstar,andhetakesparticularcareofourmonasterybecauseweareunderthecareoftheVirginMary.”7 St.JosephispresentedinCarmel’sancientliturgyasthevirginalspouseofMary,unitedtoherthrougharealmarriage,inwhichhisauthorityasaspouse,protectorandfatherisseeninhisconstantservice.Moreover,St.JosephispresentedinhisobediencetoGod.Heisthejustone,theworthymasterofthehouseoftheLord,towhomagreatresponsibility is entrusted, thatofgivinganame to thechild that isborn.Hegavehimthedivinenameannouncedbytheangel,thenameJesus.Bydoingthis,JosephbecamethefirstonetoannouncethatinthechildofNazarethwearesavedbyGod.InthatsameancientliturgywecandetectawealthofCarmelitespiritualityundertheimageofSt.Joseph:1)puritas cordisthatmakesitpossibletohaveavisionofGod,2)unionwithMary,and3)thefruitfulnessofthemysticallifeunderstoodintermsoftheconceptionandbirthoftheincarnateWordinthesoulthatispure.St.JosephforthatreasoniscelebratedastheimageandreflectionoftheCarmelitemysticallifeinGod.

6  CHRISTOVAL DE AVENDAÑO, Tomo primero sobre los evangelios de la quaresma, predicados en la corte de Madrid.. ., Sebastian y Iayme Matevad, Barcelona 1630, 158-159.

7 SANTA MARIA MADDALENA DE PAZZI, ‘Vigesimo secondo colloquio’, in I Colloqui: Tutte le opere.. .dai manoscritti originali a cura di Claudio Catena, Fulvio Nardoni, Firenze 1961, 237-238.

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Saint Teresa and Saint Joseph

As the heir of a rich tradition of veneration and devotion to St. Joseph inCarmel,St.Teresaof Jesuswouldgivemorebreadthanddepth to the tradition, tothegreatbenefitofCarmelandoftheuniversalChurch.Indeed,itisundeniablethatmorethananyother,TeresaofJesusmadedevotiontoJosephoneoftheelementsthatcharacterizes the spiritual identity ofCarmel.Her encounterwith St. Joseph cameaboutinoneofthedarkestperiodsinherlife.Shewasabouttwenty-fiveyearsold.Shehadbeensufferingfromapainfulandendlessillness,andthedoctorshadnotonlynotcuredherbutmadeherworse.Shewasparalysedandwornout,bothphysicallyandpsychologically.Shefeltthatshewasalone,withoutanybodytohelpher,whenasifshefeltsomethinginsidepushingher,sheturnedtoSt.Josephasher“lordandfather”(Life6,6;33,12).Fortherestofherlife,Josephwouldremainforherandherworkasthecustodianandprotector,takingheroutofeverydifficultythatcameherway.Frombeingonlyapersonaldevotion,herdevotiontoJosephwouldbecomeintimeafeatureoftheTeresianReformcentredonfriendshipwithJesusChrist.JustasJosephwatchedovertherelationshipbetweenJesusandMary,defendingitfromdangersfromoutsideandprotectingthehomewheretheydwelt,likewise,hewouldwatchovertheCarmelsthatjustlikethefamilyofNazarethwereintendedtobeplacesinwhichthehumanityofJesuswouldfindahome,andCarmeliteswouldliveonlyforthatend.Forthisreason,Josephisnotonlyapatron,butalsothemasterofallwhopracticeprayer,(Life6,8)becausethereisnoonewhoknowsmorethanhewhatitmeanstolivealifeofintimacywithJesusandMary,becauseofthemanyyearshelivedwiththemandthewayinwhichhemadepossibletheirlifeasafamilyinNazareth.ItisnosurprisethereforethattenoutofthefifteenCarmelitemonasteriesthatTeresaherselffoundedborethenameofSt.Joseph. St.JosephwassomuchapresenceinthefoundingactivitiesofTeresa(everytimeshetravelledshebroughtwithherastatueofSt.Joseph)thathebegantobeknownasthe“Founder”oftheTeresianCarmel.8WeshouldunderstandbythatthathetrulyhelpedherinthefoundingoftheCarmelitemonasteriesofthereform.Itiscertain,however,thatalongsidethetraditionalfigureoftheProphetElijah,therewasnowaplaceforSt.Joseph,andthiscausedsomequestioning,astowhichoftheseshouldbeconsidered

8  Gracián, in a well known passage from his work Josefina (1597), reached the point of stating that «(those who profess the Rule of the Discalced Carmelites) recognise glorious St. Joseph as the founder of this reform because St. Teresa founded it through her devotion to him, just as the Carmelite Order recognises as its foundress the Blessed Virgin Mary, in devotion to whom the prophet Elijah initiated the religious life of the prophets on Mount Carmel.» (l. V, cap. 4; ed. Silverio, 476).

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theprincipalpatronandfounderaftertheBlessedVirginMary.9ItissignificantthatinalettertoFr.Gracián,TeresaintryingtodecidewhatnameshouldbegiventothecollegethattheywereestablishinginSalamanca,wrote:ItwouldberighttocallthiscollegeafterSt.Joseph(Letter,22May1578)butthecollegewillbecalledafterSaintElijah.Thefollowingyear,in1579,St.JohnoftheCrossgavethenameofSt.JosephtothecollegeinBaeza,whichmadethecollegeinBaezathefirstmalefoundationthatwasdedicatedtoSt.Joseph.Thetitle,however,lastedonlytwoyears.FromMarch1581onwardsthecollegewouldbeknownasthecollegeofSt.Basil,oneofthegreatfathersoftheChurch.ItiscleartousthattherewasstillsomeuncertaintyaroundtheroletobeattributedtothecarpenterofNazarethintheTeresianreformoftheCarmelites.Thingsbecamecleareraquarterofacenturylaterwhen,inhisInstruction for Novices,Fr.GiovannidiGesùMariaexplainedthatvenerationofSt.JosephissecondonlytotheBlessedVirginandisfollowedbydevotiontothegreatprophets,ElijahandElisha,the“foundersofourOrder”.(Istruzione dei novizi,III,cap.4,29-30).

The patronage of St. Joseph

One of the characteristic thoughts of Teresawas thatwhile other saints aredestinedbyGodtohelpincertainkindsofneed,St. Josephhasakindofuniversalmandate, toassist inanykindofneed,materialor spiritual. (Life6,6). It isonthisconvictionthatthefeastofthepatronageofSt.Josephwasfounded,inawaythatwastypicallyCarmelite.Intheyear1628,theintermediateGeneralChapteroftheSpanishcongregationoftheDiscalcedCarmelites,declaredSt.JosephastheprincipalpatronoftheDiscalcedOrder.TheinitiativeofcelebratingthefeastofthepatronageofSt.JosephmaybeattributedtothediscalcedCarmeliteJuandelaConcepción(1625-1700),whowasthefirstProvincialoftheProvinceofCataloniaandafterthatSuperiorGeneraloftheSpanishCongregation.HeobtainedfromtheGeneralChapterof1679theapprovalofthefeastofthepatronageofSt.Joseph,theliturgicaltextsforwhichwerecomposedbyanotherCatalandiscalcedCarmelite,JuandeSanJosé(1642-1718).TheCongregationofRites, after a comprehensive rewriting of the texts byCard.Casanate, approvedthemonthe6thofApril1680.ThefeastofSt.Joseph’sPatronagewassetforthethirdSundayafterEaster,thedayonwhichnormallyGeneralandProvincialChapterswereconvoked.VerysoonafterthatthefeastwastakenupbytheCarmelitesoftheAncient

9  Cfr. FORTUNATO DE JESÚS SACRAMENTADO, OCD, San José en el Carmen Descalzo español en su primer siglo, “Estudios Josefinos” 18, 1963-1964, 367.

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Observanceand itwascelebratedunder the title, ‘De Patrocinio S. Joseph Confessoris, Protectoris, et Patroni nostrae Religionis’.10Already,foralongtime,theterms,protector,and/orpatron,wereusedwithoutdistinctiontorefertoSt.Joseph.Veryquicklythiscelebrationspreadtootherordersandreligiouscongregations,upuntilthetimeoftheproclamationofhispatronageoftheuniversalChurch. ThecontextoftheproclamationandtheliturgicalcelebrationofthepatronageofSt.JosephforCarmelasawholehasalwaysbeenthatofgreattrialandtribulation,duetobothproblemswithintheOrderandaggressionofthehistorical,politicalandreligious circumstances of the time. Carmel, in those days,was experiencing greatdifficultyinitseffortstopreserveitsownidentityanditsvalues.ItshouldbenotedthataspartoftherenewalmovementsoperatingwithintheCarmeliteOrder,therewasaproliferationofdevotionalwritingsaboutSt.Joseph,thatrepresentedparticularformsofexpressionof thekindofpiety thatwarms theheartandgives impetus tothe spiritual life.Therewere severalCarmelite authors and preacherswhoworkeduntiringly inspreadingdevotiontoJosephandinpromotinghispatronage.Worthyofmention,RaffaeleilBavarowhowroteIstoria di San Giuseppein1723,inwhichheexhortedhis readerswho lovedJesusandMary, toalso love Josephasonewhowaslovedbybothofthem.11GiuseppeMariaSardi,maybeconsideredthegreatpropagatorofthepatronageofSt.Joseph,notonlyfortheOrder,butalsoforChristianparentsandotherswho found inhimamodelofholiness.12 Itwasnotwithout reason thatJosephcametobeknownamongCarmeliteasthebestofteachersandwasheldtobetheprotectorandpatronespeciallyofthosewhoareoverburdenedorwhohavelosttheirwayintryingtofollowJesusChrist. Onthe10thofSeptember,1847,withthedecreeoftheCongregationforRites,Inclytus Patriarcha Joseph,PopePiusIX,atatimeofgreattribulation,extendedtothewholeChurchthefeastofthepatronageofSt. Joseph,tobecelebrateontheThirdSundayofEaster.FortheliturgyoftheMass,andthedivineoffice,thetextsusedatthattimebytheCarmeliteswereadopted,withsomemodifications.ItwasthefirstgesturebyPiusIXinhonouringSt.Joseph,andhewasnotyetonefullyearinoffice.ItwasduetohisgreatdevotiontothefatherofJesus.AtthetimeofconvocationoftheIVaticanCouncil,thePopereceivedanumberofrequeststoincreaseevenmoretheveneration

10  See, for example: Missale Fratrum Ordinis Beatissimae Virginis Mariae de Monte Carmelo, Roma 1759, 350.

11  RAFFAELE MARIA BAVARO, Istoria di San Giuseppe, Antonio Abri, Napoli, 1723, 612; Vita di San Giuseppe o sia Ristretto della sua Istoria ed Esercizi di Devozione per fruttuosamente venerare il medesimo Santo.. ., Antonio Abri, Napoli 1724.

12  GIUSEPPE MARIA SARDI (Veneto), ‘Discorso sopra il Padrocinio di San Giuseppe Sposo di Maria’, in Sermoni, Lorenzo Rivan Monti, Venezia 1742, 213-221.

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ofSt.Joseph,especiallybymakinghimthepatronoftheuniversalchurch.ThecouncilwhichwasinterruptedunexpectedlyinSeptember1870,didnotallowenoughtimefortherequesttobegranted.Therefore,onthe8thofDecemberofthatsameyear,PiusIXdecideduponthesolemnproclamationthroughadecreeoftheCongregationforRitesQuemadmodum Deus. ThefeastofthepatronageofSt.Josephwastransferredin1913toWednesdayofthethirdweekafterEaster,andthenin1956itwasreplacedbythememorialinhonourofSt. Joseph theWorker, tobe celebratedon the 1st ofMay.Nevertheless,theDiscalcedCarmelites,withtheapprovaloftheirliturgicalcalendarin1957,werepermittedtocelebratethefeastofthepatronageofSt.Joseph,as“theprotectorandpatronofourOrder.”

Saint Joseph, patron of Carmel worldwide

ThereformoftheLiturgythatfollowedtheSecondVaticanCouncil,brought,amongotherthings,anotablesimplificationoftheliturgicalcalendar.Inthecalendarapprovedon the 14th ofFebruary 1969 the title “protectorof theuniversalChurch”disappeared from theprincipal feastofSt. Joseph, celebratedon the 19th ofMarch.Ofcourse, itwasnotabolished,but itwas thought that itwouldbebetter toholdon to only the biblical title of “spouse of the Virgin Mary”, giving the individualbishops’conferencesandreligiousfamiliesthefreedomtoaddothertitles.FollowingtheinstructionoftheCongregationforDivineWorshiponparticularcalendars(29th of June 1969) the solemnity of the patronage of St. Josephwas removed also fromthe calendar of the Discalced Carmelites.The General Definitory (OCD) decidedthentotransferthetitleof“protectorofourOrder”tothe19thofMarchsolemnity.Similarly,itwasdecidedthattheoptionalmemorialofSt.JosephtheWorkershouldbecelebratedthroughoutthewholeOrder.13Thesedecisions,itwouldseem,wereveryquickly forgotten.While the title, “protectorof ourOrder”waskept in the liturgyof the Carmelites of the ancient observance, it disappeared very quickly from theliturgyoftheDiscalcedCarmelites,giventhatintheparticularcalendaroftheOrder,neitherthesolemnitynorthememorialofSt.Josephappeared.Nevertheless, inthepostconciliarconstitutionsofbothOrdersthereiscontinuedreferencetoSt.Josephastheirprotector(Cost.O.Carm.,91;Cost.OCD,52).Bythisfactwemayrecognisean

13  Cfr. ‘Normae de calendario liturgico OCD pro anno 1970’ (approved in the 128th session of the General Definitory, July 18, 1969), in Ordo Divini Officii recitandi missaeque celebrandae iuxta calendarium romanum ac proprium Carmelitarum Discalceatorum […] pro anno Domini 1970, [Casa generalizia OCD] 1969, 29-32.

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importantelementofunityintheCarmeliteFamilyasawhole,thatperhapswehavenotsufficientlyconsideredorappreciated.

Today’s world Weare livingnowinaperiodinwhichtheChurchisnotsoconcernedwithdefending itself fromanoutside enemybut seeks to recognise itsmissionof givingauthenticwitness to the truth of theGospel.Thus, in aworldwhere there is needfor “concreteness and the sense ofmystery”14, in a world inwhichwe tend to fleefromthebondsof stablerelationshipsandcommitmentsandtorevert toakindofsterilenarcissism,Josephshowsusthewayofself-denial,dailyresponsibility,thesilentdedicationtothecareandgrowthoffamily.Anyfatherofafamilywillwanttohealthewoundsofhisownhome.Ourpatronhelpsustoseetheneedtohealthewoundsofhumanity,andthewoundsoftheChurch.ThereisnoChurch,thereisnoCarmelwithoutpeople,who,forgettingthemselvesworkdayandnighttogiveothersasurefoundationinwhichtheycantrust.Thesepeopleworkawayfromthelimelight,bearingintheirownhearts alltheirownconcernsandanxieties,veryoften,notseeingthefruitsorevenseethegoal,trustingonlyintheonefromwhomtheirpaternitycomesandtakesitsname(Ef3,15)ThesearethepeoplewhowillalwaysfindinSt.Josephtheirpatronandmodel,“theirfatherandlord”. TheWordcametoJosephinadream,whichwemayunderstandashisprayer,his interiority.WemightsaythateveryCarmelisaplaceofdreams:prayeris likeadream,thathaswithinitasecretmessage.ACarmelitecommunityisagroupofpeoplethatdreamsofmakingofitsownhomeanewJerusalem,peoplewhosharethedreamoftheprophetforabetterworld,peoplewhoallowthemselvestobecapturedeverydaybythedreamofsalvation.InlisteningeverydaytotheWordofSalvation,weareconformedtoChristinhisobedienceandinhisdesiretoserve,astheonewhodidnotcometobeserved,buttoserve,asonewhofoundinsmallchildrentheexampleofhowmustbeifwewanttoenterthekingdomofGod.Carmelites,likeSaintJoseph,knowthedreamandkeepalighttheflameofhopethatshinesforthenewworldpromisedtothosewhoareattentivetothewordofGod,becauseGodwillmakeallthingsnew. SaintJosephprotectsCarmel,notonlybecauseheprotectsitfromhostileattackand fromevery adversity15, but alsobecausehehelpsCarmel to remainfirm in thesimplicityandprofundityofitsidentity.Withhisbeingjusthepointsthewaythatwe

14 Pope Francis, Homily, Santa Marta, 19th of March, 2020.

15  Prayer to St. Joseph by Pope Leo XIII at the end of the encyclical, Quamquam pluries.

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mustfollowandthegoalforwhichwemuststrive.Inthissense,thereisnodoubtthatourvenerationofSaintJosephisnotonlyadevotionorpiouspractice,butratheralifeplan,thatisanintegralpartofthecharismaticheritageofCarmel.TogetherwithMary,JosephisthegospeliconinwhichweCarmelitesmayseeandunderstandwhatitmeanstolive“inallegiancetoJesusChrist”.Itisrightthenthatwecontinuetoturntohimasourfatherandpatron,butalsoasafaithfulfriendandreliableguideinourfollowinginthefootstepsofJesus. AstheworldcontinuestodealwithCovid-19,weuniteinprayerforthedoctorsandnurses,formedicalresearchers,andforallwhohavefallenvictimtothispandemicandforthefamilieswhoareinmourningforthelossoflovedones.MayJoseph,ourprotector,protecteachoneofus,andwiththetenderloveofGod,spreadhisprotectionthroughoutthewholeworld.

Fraternally in Carmel

P.MíċeálO’NeillO.Carm.Prior General

P.SaverioCannistràO.C.D.Superior General

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ST. JOSEPH, PATRON OF CARMEL

A Letter from the Prior General, O.Carm. and Superior General, O.C.D. to the Carmelite Family on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the proclamation

of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.