Re-Discovering St. Joseph
Presenting Rebecca Spellacy, Th.D

Ordinary Man

To observers of their times, Mary, Jesus and Joseph would have been just another ordinary family. They were poor, sometimes refugees, in many ways just getting by. However, in the midst of their low key way of life, God chose to become Man.

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Working Father

Jesus didn’t have to work, he could have provided for himself without toiling, and yet, Jesus, God himself, wanted to work like the rest of us. In doing that work he reminds us of the dignity and value of work. A lesson he learned day in and day out working with St. Joseph.

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Father in the Shadows

When I reflect on and pray with the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, my mind turns to St. Joseph and how he is not visible here in Jesus’ time of need. We know he is there, however, in the shadows and it makes us think of our fathers who were also so often there in the shadows.

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Respecting Women

St. Joseph is an example to us all that we have a role to play, each in our own way, in respecting the women in our lives. He is there to show us that it is not in the flashy gifts or acts that we show respect, but in the daily examples of service and love. He reminds us that to love Jesus and to care for Jesus means caring for his mother as well.

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Protector of the Poor

St. Joseph was offered the task of caring for Jesus and his mother, Mary. With prayer, with the help of an angel appearing in his dreams, Joseph accepted this responsibility, and in so doing, he would eventually be proclaimed as caregiver for us all.

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Devotion to St. Joseph

St. Joseph was tasked with doing nothing less than caring for Jesus and his mother and so he was always at their service and ultimately that means his vocation is to help ensure we have access to our salvation in Jesus Christ.

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Meet Rebecca Spellacy, Th.D

Rebecca Spellacy ThD, is the former Associate Director, Liturgy, Office of Formation for Discipleship, Archdiocese of  Toronto. About this role, Rebecca wrote “The Office of Formation for Discipleship is committed to cultivating a Church of grateful missionary disciples who actively encounter Christ in Word and Sacraments and share their God-given gifts in joyful service as living witnesses to Christ in the world.”

Rebecca  is now the Director of Worship for the Diocese of Austin, Texas.

Rebecca is also a board member for the National Association for Lay Ministry (NALM) . Rebecca writes: “NALM is a Board- run organization. The 8-member Board, together with an advisor from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, furthers the mission, values, and goals of NALM through visioning, planning, and running the day-to-day operations of the organization.” From Rebecca`s bio on Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation: “I'm originally from outside of Seattle. That means I have a slightly unhealthy appreciation for coffee and apples.

I went to college (The Catholic University of American) and got married and moved to small town in New Jersey.

My husband and I both decided to go to graduate school and ended up at the Toronto School of Theology. There I finished my ThD in theology with a focus on liturgy. Due in no small part to my husband's constant prayers, I was formally received into the Catholic Church on St. Joseph's Day, 2017.