Vatican Approves Inclusion of St. Joseph’s Name in Main Eucharistic Prayers

WASHINGTON—The Vatican'sCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has issuednew texts that include the name of St. Joseph, husband of the virgin Mary, in themain Eucharistic Prayers at Mass. The Vatican has provided Latin texts of the revisedprayers as well as official translations in the major western languages,including English and Spanish. The revised prayers are approved to be usedimmediately.

The decree, Paternas vices (Fatherly care), was issued May 1 by theCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments andpromulgated by the authority of Pope Francis. St. Joseph has been included inthe first Eucharistic Prayer since Pope John XXIII inserted his name in 1962.The new decree extends the inclusion of St. Joseph to Eucharistic Prayers II,III and IV.

St. Joseph is widely venerated inthe Catholic Church. In 1870, Pope Pius IX proclaimed him Patron of theUniversal Church, a feast celebrated on March 19. The Vatican's decree saysthat St. Joseph "stands as an exemplary model of the kindness andhumility that the Christian faith raises to a great destiny, and demonstratesthe ordinary and simple virtues necessary for men to be good and genuinefollowers of Christ."

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Keywords: St. Joseph, Pope Francis, Vatican, Congregationfor Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Eucharistic Prayers,Mass, Latin, English, Spanish, translations, official texts, decree, Paternas vices

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