Editor's Note: This blog, originally highlighting the fall air dates on ABC and offering a synposis of the film, was first posted Oct. 15, 2021. It was updated Dec. 2 with the latest information.

St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father will be available at no cost as of Dec. 8, to coincide with the end of the special Year of St. Joseph.

The Year of St. Joseph ends only “officially” on Dec. 8, but the day should signal that devotion to St. Joseph should now continue to strengthen and grow. One of the great treasures of the Year of St. Joseph is this new film produced by the Knights of Columbus. It aired on several ABC affiliates throughout the country in October and November. 

Now, the Knights of Columbus are making sure everyone can see this film free, anytime. The site also has related resources on St. Joseph and encourages viewers to maintain their devotion to St. Joseph that has grown during this blessed year dedicated to him.

 

About the Film

To create the film, the Knights wisely chose the award-winning Spirit Juice Studios, which is devoted to communicating the Catholic message in the highest quality, to bring to the masses the story of St. Joseph and the effects he has on the spiritual and temporal lives of those who turn to him.

The 60-minute film begins with an onscreen narrator who is a St. Joseph devotee — Marian Father Donald Calloway, author of Consecration to St. Joseph, giving a quick introduction and insight into St. Joseph’s importance. The introduction also brings a montage of images of St. Joseph, from many statues inside and outside of churches and grottos to murals, stained-glass scenes and paintings.

Mother Mary Agnes Donovan of the Sisters of Life says that St. Joseph “is a spiritual father interceding forever before God for your sake. He cares for the good of your life. He cares that God's plan within your life will be fulfilled,” highlighting how the film shares St. Joseph-related tales from the lives of various people sharing their stories.

Father Calloway makes clear that, while the “Church has always recognized Mary as our spiritual mother, the Church hasn’t always understood that same significance for St. Joseph, that he’s our spiritual father.” 

The film interweaves the basic story of St. Joseph in the Gospels with the stories of individuals and families whose lives have been immeasurably enriched when they turned to St. Joseph. Every one of these stories is uplifting. One will even bring many to tears.

St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father uses a minimum of actors to unpack the Gospel incidents, to highlight the great mysteries about St. Joseph, and to share how, though his example, he inspires and urges people to imitate him and turn to him for their needs.

The film also sheds light on what St. Joseph had to face, how he responded, and how that enabled him to become a model par excellence for the faithful, beginning with men. Leading the list of the solid sources is Father Calloway. Others sharing insights include Tim Gray, president and professor at the Augustine Institute; Joseph Atkinson, professor at the John Paul II Institute; and Bishop James Wall of Gallup, New Mexico. Pope Francis is also included, talking about devotion to the sleeping St. Joseph.

Personal Devotion

Personal testimonies underscore how their lives and families have benefited from the life-changing effects of devotion to St. Joseph.

No one has to be a sports aficionado to be moved by the personal testimonies of former MLB player Daryl Miller and former NFL player Matt Birk. The two athletes share stories of what St. Joseph means to them, how he is a role model for men, and how devotion to him has made their marriages and families stronger, including how they and their wives and children grow in love for each other and in their faith. 

Beautiful moments showcase families sharing their heartwarming commitment to Jesus’ earthly father. Their witness is enough to convince viewers to do likewise by turning to St. Joseph. As one of the men explains, “The battle is not out there, but it’s at home within me, in the family, and that’s where St. Joseph’s help comes in.”

Another inspiring, must-hear story is told by Aaron Joseph, founder of Saint Joseph Our Patron, a lay apostolate. And another shared by a wife about her husband and their children will bring many to tears. This moving section is about how St. Joseph is also the patron of a happy death.

Spirit Juice’s effort proclaims truth about the goodness and spirituality that takes hold via devotion to St. Joseph, something so needed in these troubled times, as the faithful turn to him as Pillar of Families and Patron of the Universal Church.

Scene to Scene

From scene to scene, inspiration continues. University of Notre Dame students who belong to the Knights of Columbus chapter on campus explain why they are consecrating themselves to St. Joseph. 

The Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal is also highlighted, underlining the religious zeal that grew for this greatest of all saints after Our Lady through the simple efforts of St. André Bessette; archive footage gives a welcome glimpse of Brother André, too.

Because St. John Paul II wrote about the importance of St. Joseph in Redemptoris Custos (The Person and Mission of St. Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church) and how St. Joseph is the ultimate example of the dignity of work, viewers are also treated to archival footage of John Paul II in triumphal appearances for workers — plus some excellent insights from papal biographer George Weigel.

Eye-openers abound. A Knight of Columbus in Poland tells the importance of St. Joseph in his life, a familial devotion that he was surprised to find stretched back to his grandfather, who believes he was saved by St. Joseph’s intercession from death in a World War II concentration camp — along with the priests there who fervently prayed a novena to St. Joseph for his heavenly aid.

Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is also shown, to see the miraculous staircase whose construction is attributed to St. Joseph the Carpenter. (Learn more about the staircase via Real Life Catholic on EWTN here.)

Graphics are used to illustrate, in a simple yet appealing way, the connection from the Davidic line to Joseph to Jesus the Messiah, accentuating the overall picture of St. Joseph’s place and importance.

In keeping with the spirit of the imagery and message, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly aptly said in a prerelease statement, “Joseph waits silently for us, ready to guide us in the same way he helped Our Lord. Throughout my life, I have found him to be a powerful help when confronted with tough choices, and I encourage others to turn to him as well.”

Simply put, St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father is a beautifully made, compelling film that does more than inform. It inspires every step of the way and encourages viewers to, as Scripture exhorts, “Go to Joseph.”

 

WATCH

Go to KofC.org/StJoseph to view St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father anytime beginning Dec. 8.