it IT af AF zh-CN ZH-CN en EN tl TL fr FR de DE iw IW ja JA pl PL pt PT ro RO ru RU es ES sw SW vi VI

Family that has Saint Joseph as its father

Parent Categories: Pious Union initiatives

Year after year, the statistics of the Pious Union of the Transit of Saint Joseph encourage us to work assiduously for its growth

Don Bruno Capparoni

IThe month of March, the month of Saint Joseph, becomes the right time to draw some conclusions on the numerical vitality of our Pious Union,  “family” of devotees of Saint Joseph. Let's say right away that the numbers are cold and do not reflect the life of faith and prayer that pulsates among the members of the Pious Union, but they are a suitable tool for understanding some aspects of our association.

I begin with the observation that this year too the Pious Union of Saint Joseph has recorded a modest but real decline among its members, as well as among its readers. The Holy Crusade. It is a phenomenon that should not cause too much surprise, since devotion to Saint Joseph is affected by the general climate in which faith is scarce. But this first observation, while disheartening, should not be discouraging; indeed it pushes us to work for a revival of the Pious Union, while we ask the friends of Saint Joseph to help us in this work.

After this first negative statement, we move on to also show the positive numbers that comfort and arouse gratitude.

Over the course of 2023, we had 2.007 new registrations, with an obvious prevalence in Italy, but also good performance abroad. The new addresses, communicated during 2023 and to which we have sent The Holy Crusade, amount to 1.266. In total, the shipment of the magazine, in Italy and abroad, is approximately 32.500 copies this year.

During the year just ended, 144 people wrote to the management of the Pious Union expressing gratitude to Saint Joseph for having received a grace from him (a healing, a solved case, a spiritual favour...) and these thanks were accompanied by gestures of generosity in his honor and towards the poor we assist in his name. 

Some members said their thanks by lighting lamps near the image of the Transit; there are 316 new lamps, some lit "perpetually", or for every Wednesday of the year or for a single day. Others, favored by the intercession of Saint Joseph, offered their support to the poor through the offering of "cots" and "days of bread" (238 donations). A very generous act is also the financial help to the seminarians, who are preparing to serve the Lord following Don Guanella; we registered the foundation of 2023 scholarships for this purpose in 40.

The gratitude of those who obtain benefits from Saint Joseph is expressed many times through simple and sincere letters sent to the Pious Union. It is edifying to read how our Patron shows himself to be close to so many physical and spiritual tribulations. To express your thanks you can also use a fast and immediate means, that is, an e-mail to the address  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. A small part of the thank you letters is published at the end of each new issue of The Holy Crusade in the address book Word to the readers.

The membership of 2023 priests to the membership during 20 deserves particular mention Missa perennis. This is an important faith initiative, founded in 1917 by Benedict XV during the First World War. The priests who join the Missa perennis they are committed to offering an annual Mass for the dying and this acquires a particular meaning in the current moment, in which we are witnessing a "piecemeal" world conflict, as Pope Francis often denounces. We therefore ask our members and all the friends of the Pious Union to inform their parish priests and the priests they encounter about this initiative. 

The gestures of generosity and alms throughout 2023 amount to 32.229. Compared to the previous year we had a decrease of 2.335 units, but the sum of donations was higher: fewer donors, but more generous! In this regard, it should be noted that the decline in the number of donors occurred in Italy, while donors abroad remained almost the same in number at 2.214.

Since we continually invoke Saint Joseph for our dearly departed, a notable number of people report their deceased or communicate the death of people registered with the Pious Union. During 2023 we have signed up to Perpetual Mass  396 deceased members of the Pious Union, for whom we raise our prayers and include them in the largest Pious Union in heaven. Instead, deceased relatives and friends, marked at the Perpetual Mass  without first being registered with the association, amount to 2.438. 

As I move towards the conclusion, I feel the need to recommend the enrollment of children and young people in the Pious Union of Saint Joseph. In fact, we have the «Friends of Saint Joseph» Youth Group with their special report card, who become part of the "heralds" of Saint Joseph. In 2023 we had the registration, numerically modest, of 121 "heralds". I strongly recommend that Christian parents, grandparents and relatives report the names of children to be placed under the patronage of Saint Joseph.

Registrations are easy using contacts via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., the telephone numbers 0639737681 or 0639740055 and also the website https://www.piaunionedeltransito.org, where you can find the online method to register with the Pia Unione del Transito di San Giuseppe.

Let us remember that the purpose of the Pious Union is simple but valid: to pray every day for the dying, possibly using the ejaculation written by Saint Luigi Guanella: «O Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus Christ and true husband of the Virgin Mary, pray for us and for the dying of this day."

 We have the firm hope of an increase in our Pious Union of the Transit of Saint Joseph; our holy founders Luigi Guanella and Pius X passed it on to us and we in turn want to offer it to future Christian generations.