After spending more than a millennium in relative obscurity, Saint Joseph has become the second-most mentioned saint in the papal magisterium after the Virgin Mary. To understand the life and importance of Saint Joseph, a good place to start is with the first papal title ever granted him: “Patron of the Universal Church.”

What is it that Saint Joseph has to offer the Church — and each one of us — today? That’s the question that A Man Named Joseph: Guardian for Our Times seeks to answer. To get there, author, podcaster, and blogger Joe Heschmeyer cuts through a lot of our misconceptions to see what the Bible and the earliest Christians really say about Joseph as a model husband, father, and saint. Questions at the end of each chapter help guide personal reflection and group discussion.

Whatever we may be facing in life, we can go to Joseph for his example, his protection, and his prayers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe Heschmeyer is a staff apologist with Catholic Answers, a lay apostolate that defends and explains the Catholic faith. He’s also the author of Who Am I, Lord? Finding Your Identity in Christ and Pope Peter: Defending the Church’s Most Distinctive Doctrine in a Time of Crisis. He blogs at ShamelessPopery.com. Previously, he was a litigator in Washington, D.C., and a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Kansas City. He lives in the Kansas City area with his wife and two children.