FEBRUARY  2026

Dear Rev. Fathers, Religious, and People of God,

We celebrate the feast of St.Joseph on 19th of this month. I wish you all a happy feast to all of us. The feast is a very important one to all of us, since it is the patron saint of our minor seminary from where all of us received our initial formation to the priesthood. As our diocese is suffering from the paucity of vocations, we kindly plead our saint for his intercession to increase vocations. He was a man of strong faith, a just man and the guardian of the Holy Family. He followed the call of God through his dreams. God entrusted to the just, the silent and humble man with the unique privilege of raising his only Son. 

In the first Vatican Council, he was declared as the Patron Saint of the universal church. Pope Pius XII added to this title, Patron of the workers which is celebrated on the 1st of May. Previously his name was prayed only in the first eucharistic prayer in the mass. Pope Francis added his name in all the eucharistic prayers in the mass. St.Joseph is also invoked for a happy death. St.Theresa of Avila said that her prayers to our saint had never been unanswered. Our saint has the power to assist us in all cases, in every necessity, in every undertaking. Let us pray to Saint for his protection.

On 29th of this month onwards, we shall commence the Holy week. On 30th, we have our chrism mass and it is the day of the sanctification of priests. You understand the importance of the day. It is the day that  we thank Our Lord for the gift of the sacrament of the priesthood and it is the day to recommit ourselves to do priestly ministry to our people. If our ministry be meaningful, let our priestly life be a source of inspiration and edification to our people. Pope Paul VI said that modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses. The saying of the Pope reiterates that we should be role models to our people.

I wish you all a fruitful season of Lent. May God bless you.

Yours devotedly in Risen Lord

+L. Thomas Aquinas

Bishop of Coimbatore