Why Joseph?

We chose Joseph for an important reason.

There are so many incredible saints we could have made an animation about. We chose Joseph for our next animation for an important reason.

My Story

I have always had a close connection to Saint Joseph. I grew up attending Saint Joseph Church and Saint Joseph School. After college, I lived next to Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montréal for two years. Today, I continue to go to Saint Joseph after Daily Mass. It is safe to say Saint Joseph has had an impact on me throughout my life. If our ministry has a goal of making future saints (with God’s grace) by helping them increase in virtue, he is the one to go to.

The Silent Worker

There are certain saints that come up in homilies, bible studies, and memes online. You may hear about Mother Theresa, Saint Francis, and other well-known saints in your Catholic circles again and again. But one saint continues his mission without much fanfare.

Decision Process

Before launching our Songs of the Saints series, we took time in prayer and reflection to decide on the saints we would feature in our animations. When Joseph came to our minds and hearts, there was no doubt, he was a clear choice.

In our upcoming animation, we depict the guardian of the Redeemer, the head of the Holy Family, the light of patriarchs, crossing the desert. Exhausted, he renews his strength through a prayer to God.

Devotion to Saint Joseph Growing

In the 19th century, Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church. Since then, the Memorare to Saint Joseph, the Litany of Saint Joseph, and devotion to Saint Joseph has grown in popularity. In the 20th century, the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker was instituted. And in 2020, Pope Francis declared the Year of St. Joseph.

Saint Joseph is for Everyone

If you are not going to Saint Joseph already, you may want to consider it. Let me tell you why.

Devotion to this saint is growing, and for a reason. The world today needs a renewal of family life. “As the family goes, so goes the world,” says Pope John Paul II. Devotion to Saint Joseph is needed for the sake of the family. Saint Joseph is the answer to toxic masculinity and passive manhood. He is the ideal role model that we need for men today.

In fact, he is a role model for everyone. Pope Leo XIII describes Joseph as shining with all the splendor of virtue and holiness. Pope John Paul II also reminds us that great things are not required - only common virtues, true and authentic. Putting God and family first, Joseph leads the virtuous life that we should strive for. When called, he answered. When asked, he said yes to God.

Ite Ad Joseph

“Ite Ad Joseph,” means “Go to Joseph.” I see these words every day on my Rosary as a daily reminder to go to him. It originally applied to the people of Egypt during the famine when they cried out for bread, they were told, “go to Joseph.” Joseph, the son of Jacob, would save them from the famine. Today, we go to Saint Joseph, the protector of the Church, who has been appointed over His household and possessions. As the protector of Jesus and Mary, Joseph now protects the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.

Words from the Creative Director

Here are a few words from our writer/director, Lindsey Bruno, and her connection to St. Joseph:

When deciding on which saints to choose for our series Songs of the Saints, St. Joseph's name was thrown into the hat and the response from me was a resounding, "duh!". As a new convert to the Catholic faith from an Evangelical background, one of the biggest surprises and gifts of my life was St. Joseph. After a difficult decade wandering in the wilderness and running from God, Jesus brought me back to Himself (this time in the form of the Eucharist), but He also brought me to two very special humans who I'd never met until becoming Catholic - His holy mother, Mary and his foster father St. Joseph.

Sadly, my experience of "father" has fallen far from what God intended for the human family. While there is the sweetness of forgiveness and the power of prayer to heal the pain of abandonment, Joseph the Just was just the saint I needed to remain steadfast in faith even when I encountered great suffering.

I encountered Joseph in contemplative prayer many times, and developed a very close relationship with him. When consulting him for this project, I felt a special grace of being inspired (through his intercession) by the Holy Spirit to share an intimate moment of his life when he faced the edge of Egypt. Invited into his most chaste heart, I sensed how his faith was strengthened by the stories of the patriarchs who came before him. The psalm of Mary, which so beautifully tells the story of God's faithfulness to Israel, came to mind and I imagined how she may have shared her psalm with her husband and Child to encourage them as their family faced the terror of Herod's tyranny.

The script was born from this idea, combined with inspiration I gleaned while working on the set of The Book of Boba Fett, where I watched the Mandalorian and The Child play out a similar narrative - adoptive dad protects special chosen one child from bounty hunters seeking his little life. I think modern men are finding a deep resonance with The Mandalorian BECAUSE it's a wink to St. Joseph, the world's greatest example of fatherhood.

My prayer is that this film would inspire men to make the choice to remain faithful to their family, regardless of what trials God allows. To always turn to the Father in prayer, and strive with all their might to persevere in the faith - laying their life down daily for those in their charge.

Support this Project

It’s a true blessing to work alongside a creative director whose love for Saint Joseph shines through every part of this project. I know that this animated musical short film will help increase devotion to this incredible saint. And I hope that this animation will help the viewers increase in virtue to be more like Saint Joseph.

Please continue to keep this project in your prayers. And please consider donating to our kickstarter to allow us to keep making these animations free for future saints of all ages around the world.

In Christ,

Trevor Rothaus