National Shrine of St. Joseph

07/19/2026

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

Director of the National Shrine of St. Joseph

Though our Shrine is the United States National Shrine of St. Joseph, we recognize that our Church is a global community and that St. Joseph has an international following. 

While the US was celebrating its 250th anniversary this month, our Canadian neighbors celebrated their Independence Day on July 1. On July 1, 1867, the British North American Act united four Canadian provinces into the Dominion of Canada. It marked the beginning of Canada as a self-governing nation within the British empire. And Montreal, Canada is a notable center of devotion to St. Joseph; some would even say that St. Joseph is the patron saint of Canada. Perhaps you have even visited St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, Canada (pictured here); it is the largest shrine in the world dedicated to St. Joseph. St. Joseph is also recognized as the patron saint of Belgium; Belgium’s National Day is July 21, based on the July 21, 1831 establishment of the constitutional monarchy in Belgium under King Leopold I.

We live in a global community. It is appropriate to pray not only for our own nation’s government, but for all government leaders who strive to maintain peace, religious freedom, human dignity, and the safety and material well being of their country people. Aware of the special significance of St. Joseph to Canadians and Belgians, may we ask our patron saint to intercede on behalf of the Canadian and Belgian people as we mark their national holidays this month. And of course, people of Canadian and Belgian lineage do not just live in Canada and Belgium!

We are not only celebrating nations’ anniversaries this month; we also have the World Cup! And in case you wonder how Canada and Belgium fared in the World Cup this summer, the former was eliminated by Morocco, 3-0, on July 4 and the latter fell to Spain, 2-1, on July 10.

***

Br. Steve Joseph Herro, O. Praem., is Director of the National Shrine of St. Joseph and a member of the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey. The National Shrine of St. Joseph has been a ministry of St. Norbert Abbey since 1898. For more information about the National Shrine of St. Joseph, please visit norbertines.org/joseph.

06/29/2026

We encourage you to see the Catholic Saints of America Exhibit, which will be displayed here in northeast Wisconsin at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion on July 1-9. This first-of-its-kind “Hall of Fame of Holiness” honors 76 Saints, Blesseds, Venerables and Servants of God who helped shape our country.

Plans for 4th of July?

If you’re within driving distance of Champion, WI, you won’t want to miss this.

The Catholic Saints of America Exhibit, a first-of-its-kind “Hall of Fame of Holiness” honoring 76 Saints, Blesseds, Venerables, and Servants of God who helped shape our country.

Come celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with prayer, a rare gathering of over 14 relics of American Saints and Blesseds, stories, and a powerful reminder that holiness is part of our nation’s history, all at The First and Only Approved Marian Apparition Site in USA!

📍The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion
🗓️July 1–9 | 10 am–4 pm

Please share this with your parish, family, and friends so we can join together in honoring One Nation Under God!

Join us in praying For Our Nation! 🙏
Our Lady of Champion, Pray for us! 🙏

06/19/2026

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

Director of the National Shrine of St. Joseph

For many of us, the month of June means picnics, baseball, swimming, fishing, and other warm weather leisure activities. Of course, it is also a popular month for weddings and their anniversaries and Father’s Day. And during the litany of St. Joseph, we acknowledge St. Joseph as “Head of the Holy Family,” “Glory of family life,” and "Cornerstone of Families.” As we celebrate weddings, wedding anniversaries, and Father’s Day this month, let us keep our patron in mind.

St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother appear with the 12 year old Jesus in Luke 2: 41-52, sometimes referred to as “the boy Jesus in the Temple.” If we practice imagination as characterized in Ignatian spirituality, we may place ourselves in the shoes of Joseph in this passage. How did Joseph, foster father of Jesus, feel while he and Mary searched with futility for Jesus before finding him in the Temple, listening to religious authorities and asking them questions? Jesus said to Mary and Joseph, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And Luke continues, “But they did not understand what he said to them.”

We probably have memories of instances when we thought that our father understood us, but in actuality, we caught him by surprise in what we said or did. I am reminded of a meeting with our high school athletic director in which I told him that I was not going out for football in my sophomore year. He was not happy. “Does your dad know this?” he asked. I assured him that my dad was aware of my decision. I shared the story of the encounter with my dad that night, convinced that he knew of my intention. But he clearly let me know that he was not aware of my decision and that he expected me to play high school football the next year.

Family dynamics are such that parent and child are not always on the same wavelength; we can suspect that Jesus and Joseph were not on the same wavelength during this trip to Jerusalem for the Passover. But parent and child got over their disconnect. As Luke reminds us, “He [Jesus] went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and favor before God and man.”

As we celebrate Father’s Day, may we remind ourselves that child and father are due to differ at times, but like Jesus and Joseph, we can talk it out and grow in love, understanding, and obedience to each other. And by the way, though I never achieved high status as a high school football player, I know that my father was proud of me for participating later in other high school activities, such as National Honor Society and forensics.

***

Br. Steve Joseph Herro, O. Praem., is Director of the National Shrine of St. Joseph and a member of the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey. The National Shrine of St. Joseph has been a ministry of St. Norbert Abbey since 1898. For more information about the National Shrine of St. Joseph, please visit norbertines.org/joseph.

05/19/2026

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

Director of the National Shrine of St. Joseph

I was recently invited to address a local Serra Club, the Catholic organization founded to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life. My host assured me that I could choose any topic related to my vocation as a Norbertine brother. He asked me to come on May 1 (the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker) or June 5 (the day before the Memorial of St. Norbert). I chose May 1 in order to address St. Joseph the Worker. We know that a saint is special if they have multiple feast days; besides May 1, we honor St. Joseph on March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Pope Pius XI established the May 1 Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. May 1, particularly through the lens of the Communist world, had already been recognized as a civil recognition of workers and work. Pope Pius, by emphasizing the carpenter/manual worker St. Joseph, offered the world an alternative view of work and workers. Devoid of Communist ideology, the Church exalts the holiness of work and reminds the world that workers share in God’s creative genius. The collect for the Mass states:

O God, Creator of all things,
who laid down the human race the law of work,
graciously grant
that by the example of St. Joseph and under his patronage
we may complete the works you set us to do
and attain the rewards you promise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Furthermore, the US Bishops release a pastoral letter every Labor Day. The message particularly emphasizes the necessity of just wages and humane working conditions for all US workers. Most Rev. Borys Gudziak, Archbishop of Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, closed the September 1, 2025 letter:

"…As we celebrate this Labor Day, let us turn in prayer to Saint Joseph the Worker, the humble carpenter who modeled dignity, diligence, and care through his daily labor and love of family. Through his intercession, may we protect the rights of all workers, advocate courageously for the vulnerable, and ensure that technological progress always honors the sacredness of human work...."

Let us commit ourselves, through prayer and action, to building a future in which every worker finds dignity, security, and purpose. Saint Joseph the Worker, pray for us!

***

Br. Steve Joseph Herro, O. Praem., is Director of the National Shrine of St. Joseph and a member of the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey. The National Shrine of St. Joseph has been a ministry of St. Norbert Abbey since 1898. For more information about the National Shrine of St. Joseph, please visit norbertines.org/joseph.

05/02/2026

The National Shrine of St. Joseph was blessed to be the start for the annual Walk To Mary, which saw thousands of people faithfully walk 22 miles today from De Pere to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Champion. Fr. Michael Brennan, O. Praem. (first photo) of St. Norbert Abbey led the blessing shortly before the walk began. The National Shrine of St. Joseph, a ministry of the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey since 1898, is at Old St. Joe's at St. Norbert College. Both Old St. Joe's and St. Norbert College are apostolates of St. Norbert Abbey.

05/01/2026

Today (May 1), the state of Wisconsin officially recognizes St. Joseph the Worker Day. To learn more, we invite you to click this link for a story shared via On Mission: onmissionmedia.com/feast-of-st-joseph-the-worker

04/25/2026

The annual Walk to Mary will be held next Saturday, May 2, starting here at the National Shrine of St. Joseph in De Pere and winding approximately 22 miles to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Champion. The National Shrine of St. Joseph, a ministry of St. Norbert Abbey since 1898, is at Old St. Joseph Church (shown here) on the campus of St. Norbert College. This picture is from the start of last year's event. To learn more and to register, please visit walktomary.com.

04/19/2026

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

Director of the National Shrine of St. Joseph

Happy Easter!

Earlier this month, my friend Patrice posted about her love of the Easter Exsultet. When referring to the Easter event “bringing joy to mourners,” perhaps she was referring to the line from the Exsultet, “This is the night when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld.” Indeed, the Paschal mystery puts a new spin on death.

The Church recognizes Joseph as “patron of a happy death.” Tradition states that Joseph died in the company of the Blessed Mother and Jesus; what could be a happier state of dying than to be in the presence of these two? The Christian understanding of Easter also reminds us that the death of Jesus is reason to joyfully celebrate, as his death opened the gates of heaven for all of us.

Earlier this year, I was praying in the National Shrine of St. Joseph when I read an announcement of the dying of the mother of Jesuit Fr. James Martin. How ironic that I came upon Fr. Martin’s prayer to St. Joseph, patron of a happy death, when I was praying at the National Shrine of St. Joseph. I wrote to Fr. Martin, extending my appreciation for his ministry in the Church, my sympathies to him and his family, and gratitude for his prayer to St. Joseph on the occasion of his mom’s dying. His prayer included the following, “Gentle Joseph, patron of a happy and peaceful death, who, it is believed, breathed your last in the presence of Jesus and Mary, obtain for Eleanor this same grace….”

Many of us have been beside a loved one at the time of death. This Easter season, may we pray to our patron saint, patron of a happy death, should we be so honored to accompany another in life’s final moments. Not everyone dies in the physical presence of the Blessed Mother and Jesus, but Easter reminds us that we all benefit from the resurrection of Jesus who conquered death by removing its victory and sting (I Corinthians 15: 55).

***

Br. Steve Joseph Herro, O. Praem., is Director of the National Shrine of St. Joseph and a member of the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey. The National Shrine of St. Joseph has been a ministry of St. Norbert Abbey since 1898. For more information about the National Shrine of St. Joseph, please visit norbertines.org/joseph.

03/26/2026

Join the universal Church by signing this petition in support of an annual liturgical designation of the memory of the most chaste heart of St. Joseph: https://corjoseph.org

03/20/2026

Thank you for joining us for the 139th Solemn Novena in Honor of St. Joseph. Please keep St. Joseph in your heart year-round.