By. Kelechi Darlington Eke.
Fathers’ Day celebration has become one important event that has gradually gained popularity among the Catholic community. It is a day the Church in her wisdom has set aside to celebrate fathers just like mothers celebrate Mothers’ day. The celebration is in honour of St. Joseph the husband of Mary and foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Mat.1:16). Beyond the attractions of the celebration, it is important to understand the mind of the Church and the significance of the celebration.
St. Joseph has two feast days in the Catholic liturgical calendar. The first is March 19th, which celebrates St. Joseph as the Husband of Mary. The second is May 1st that celebrate St. Joseph as Patron of Workers. By the 9th century, the feast of St. Joseph was observed on March 19 in some places in Europe. It later became a universal feast in the 16th century when the Council of Trent revised the Breviary and Missal.
In 1955, Pope Pius XII replaced the feast with the May 1st celebration that honours St. Joseph the Worker. Pope Pius intended this feast to acknowledge Christian workers’ value and pay tribute to the nobility of human labor.
Though it might be considered very little, nevertheless, the scripture has a rich account of St. Joseph in his role as the husband of Mary, and foster father of Jesus. As the husband of Mary, St. Joseph was that chaste spouse God appointed to protect Mary and Jesus. Though a humble and lowly man, who was just a carpenter and not of any known wealth, St. Joseph received the huge responsibility. We notice his utter humility and dignity in accepting Mary even in the confusion of a pregnancy from the Holy Spirit. He was also to protect Jesus. This we see through his role when Herod wanted to destroy the boy Jesus. In Joseph, the ancient prophecies about the coming of Jesus as the Messiah from the royal lineage of King David (Lk. 2:20) was fulfilled.
We can also see from his actions in the scripture that St. Joseph was a compassionate man, and obedient to the will of God. He also loved Mary and Jesus and protected and provided for them. As a man who accepted such an exalted responsibility from God, while yet remaining a lowly carpenter, St. Joseph also teaches us humility in service, regardless of who one is. Through St. Joseph Jesus learned perseverance because the scripture attests that Jesus followed Joseph and Mary, and was obedient to them.
St. Joseph is the Patron Saint of Catholic fathers and his life of obedience, chastity, availability, sacrifice and humility is a source of inspiration and a classical lesson in fatherhood. St. Joseph was not found wanting in his duties and responsibilities as the earthly father of Jesus Christ. He persevered in his commitment despite the challenges while listening to the voice of God.
These qualities are the reasons the Catholic Men Organization of Nigeria (CMON) under the authority of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), adopted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker for the celebration of Father’s Day in the Catholic faith. This celebration is held every first Sunday in May and will be held on Sunday May 4, 2025 with the theme, Responsible Christian Fatherhood.
The theme of this year’s celebration speaks to our collective experiences as Christian fathers. The need for responsibility cannot be overemphasized. The responsible father lives in the ever consciousness that he is the head and that as the head he bears the burden of the family especially when things may not seem to go as expected in the family. This is what St. Joseph did in times of confusion in his family. Responsibility for a father goes as far as bearing the consequences of the actions of the wife and children, even when they are not living out the full life expected of them.
The responsible father does not go about laying blames or getting frustrated, he rather listens to God in the sure hope that his love as the father both for his wife and children is expected to conquer the power of evil and sin in the family. The responsible father also lives in the faith of a brighter and better tomorrow. Through him the entire family gets the inspiration to surmount all challenges facing the family.
It is on account of all that the father represents in the family that Fathers’ Day has become a day to extol fathers who are available for their families and who have made sacrifices to prioritize the unity and welfare of their families as well as make meaningful contributions to the growth of the Church and the communities. We celebrate fathers who are struggling to navigate through the challenges of fatherhood in a period of economic uncertainties, social injustice, bad governance, insecurity and unfortunate craze for money and pleasure which are threats to family cohesion and national development.
Fathers’ Day is also a day, mothers, children and indeed all Catholics honour and pay tribute to their husbands, fathers or father figures in their lives. It is important to note that when we celebrate fathers on Fathers’ Day, we celebrate each and every man: fathers, brothers, husbands, men consecrated to God in virginity. We celebrate perfect men and weak men. We celebrate all men as they have come forth from the heart of God. We also pray for them that God will continue to support them with his grace in their onerous tasks as fathers.
This year’s Fathers’ Day celebration is significant in many ways especially for Catholic fathers in the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri. This is because the Church in the Archdiocese is celebrating the 75 years Diamond Jubilee Anniversary of the planting of the seed of faith in the Diocese of Owerri in 1950. For this reason, we also have a couple of our fathers who will be presented with certificates from the Archdiocese for their unflinching faith for the last 75 years as catholics. These are fathers who were baptised in 1950. We say congratulations to them. On an additional grace, this year’s fathers’ day also falls into the universal Church’s celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope.
Jubilee year in the Christian space is always a special year in the lives of the faithful. It is a year of grace. It is therefore an opportunity for fathers to genuinely interrogate their faith as fathers with the aim of reviving and living the faith in order to become responsible Christian fathers. It is also a period of reflection and a time for fathers to reawaken their consciousness to their responsibilities.
Apparently, the responsibilities of fathers have become more daunting in a society that revels in mundane and transient things. A period that is becoming difficult for fathers to chastise their children, a period our young ones are drifting from the practice of Christianity to the practice of neo paganism and the craze for quick money, a period of religious apathy, drug abuse, moral decadence, etc, with its dire consequences on the families, Church and society.
However, this year’s Fathers’ Day should encourage fathers not to be overwhelmed by these challenges and pressures but be motivated by the life of St. Joseph their Patron Saint as pilgrims of hope in a bleeding society. St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians 6:4, wrote, “Fathers, do not provoke your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord”.
On the flip side, Proverbs 3:11-12 wrote, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in”. This is a call for children not only to listen to their fathers but to live a life that will make fathers know that they have not worked in vain, for all fathers also want to see children who will take care of them in their old age. This is the recipe for a peaceful and united home which translates to a peaceful Church and a peaceful society.
As we celebrate the 2025 Fathers’ Day, we congratulate all Catholic fathers who are genuine heroes in their families and worthy ambassadors of the Church and the society. Take your flowers dear fathers and enjoy your day.
Kelechi Darlington Eke is the President, Owerri Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Men Organization.