Following on from Sydney’s successful Camino of St Joseph, more than 300 men came together on 1 May to celebrate the feast of St Joseph the Worker and the end of their 33-day consecration to the saint with Eucharistic adoration, confession, Mass and a BBQ.
Giovanni Figini, a parishioner from St Ambrose in Concord West, was among the men who attended the feast day Mass at St Peter Chanel in Berala.
He said it was the perfect opportunity to continue developing the spiritual fruits from the 22km overnight camino walk on 26 April and month of prayer and learning about St Joseph.
“Though much isn’t said in the scriptures about St Joseph, in between the lines there is actually a lot we can learn from him,” he said.
“One thing I never considered was the graces that St Joseph must have had for the holy family to be entrusted to him.
“It’s scary to see so the world walking in the opposite direction to Christ. But looking at these men from different walks of life get together under the umbrella of Jesus to pray gives me hope for the future, for myself, my family and my children.”
As the father of two prepares to welcome a third child, he hopes to apply the lessons of St Joseph in their lives.
“He is the best example of fatherhood and how to look after the real needs of the family, including spiritually,” he said.
“We need this example where you provide not just with money and work, but faith. It means you go back home, hug your wife and children and thank God for the opportunity to build a home for them.”
Fr Adrian Simmons, who attended the consecration Mass, said it was the great forum for men who have struggled on the path to Jesus but have a genuine and real desire to discover his love.
“These men want to do great things, be great fathers, husbands. That starts with effort into little things, such as a camino walk or cooking a parish barbecue,” he told The Catholic Weekly.
“Some might not be able to sit in adoration for hours, but there’s beauty in masculine service.
“The world is full of masculine caricatures—the ‘chads’ or alpha male and so many other forms of masculinity that don’t involve men getting up on the cross.
“But truly masculine virtue is in the courageous solider, the selfless father, and the individual who uses his assets not for himself, but with an eye for what others need. Think of how to make a better place, not just for yourself, but for your children, future generations and even people you don’t even know.”