From the Desk of Father Nathan

St Gabriel Catholic Church | Pompano Beach
God Bless You All

A Message from Father Nathan

My dearest people closest to my heart!
God bless you and your generous heart

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Tuesday, March 19

On Tuesday, March 19th, we will celebrate the feast day of St. Joseph.

The Church celebrates two feast days for St. Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the husband of Mary and May 1st for Joseph the worker.

March 19th has been the more commonly celebrated feast day for St. Joseph, and it wasn’t until 1955 that Pope Pius XII established the Feast of “St. Joseph the Worker” to be celebrated on May 1.

This is also May Day (International Workers Day) and is believed to reflect Joseph’s status as the patron of workers. Many places and churches all over the world are named after St. Joseph, including the Spanish form, San Jose, which is the most common place name in the world.

Joseph is considered by many to also be the patron saint of the New World; of the countries China, Canada, Korea, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Peru, and Vietnam; of the regions Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol, Sicily, and of several main cities and diocese.

What we know about the life of Joseph

Everything we know about the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus comes from Scripture and that has seemed too little for those who made up legends about him.

  • We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, “Is not the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55).
  • He wasn’t rich, for when he took Jesus to the Temple and Mary to be purified, he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb. ( Luke 2:24).

Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus’ public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably died before Jesus entered public ministry.

Patron Saint of …

Joseph is the patron saint of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus’ public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, in the way we all would like to leave this earth. Joseph is also the patron saint of the Universal Church, families, fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travelers, and working people in general. May St. Joseph be our intercessor for our Holy Mother Church.

With lots of love and blessings,

Ever wanting to be faithful to your service,

— Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan

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Past Messages from Father Nathan

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 10, 2021

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 10, 2021

Together, We Are the Church. A universal body of believers, delivering God’s message of hope and love to everyone, everywhere. Your generosity to the Archbishop’s Charity and Development Drive, ABCD, serves the Church so that the Church can serve you.

read more
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 3, 2021

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 3, 2021

Happy New Year. Goodbye, 2020. Hello, 2021. We have all experienced a most unusual year. Our lives have had to adjust to never-ending uncertainties that shake our personal and public lives. We have witnessed a shutdown in our thoughts and actions all over the world…

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From The Desk Of Father Nathan | December 20, 2020

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | December 20, 2020

Merry Christmas to You! “JOY TO THE WORLD” Fourth Advent of Sunday. In this season…when the people were all tired, worried, concerned, and waiting with lots of perplexities, the Lord incarnated Himself and opened up a new world of love to His people.

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From The Desk Of Father Nathan | November 1, 2020

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | November 1, 2020

On November 2nd we are going to celebrate All Souls Day. This is a holy day set aside for honoring the dead. The day is primarily celebrated in the Catholic Church, but it is also celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as well as a few other denominations of Christianity.

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From The Desk Of Father Nathan | October 25, 2020

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | October 25, 2020

Every week as we profess our faith, we express… “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic
Church and THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.” The author of this letter to the Hebrews wrote. “Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and the perfecter of faith.” (12.1-2)

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