Patris corde

This is the text of the Apostolic Letter issued by Pope Francis on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Catholic Church, made by Blessed Pius IX on December 8, 1870. After Mary, Mother of God, no saint occupies as much space in papal Magisterium as Joseph, her husband.

Pope Francis' reflections take up the message contained in the few verses transmitted in the Gospels to highlight even more, like his predecessors, the central role of Joseph in the history of Salvation: Blessed Pius IX declared him "Patron of the Catholic Church", Venerable Pius XII presented him as "Patron of Workers", and St. John Paul II as "Guardian of the Redeemer".

This edition also includes the Jubilee Decree an essay on St. Joseph and the Popes (from Pius IX to Pope Francis) and prayers to St. Joseph.