Through the Heart of St. Joseph is an invaluable resource for discovering, or deepening knowledge and love of, St. Joseph, particularly during this 150^th anniversary year of his proclamation as Patron of the Universal Church. Benedictine Fr. Boniface Hicks’ gracious accompaniment of the reader takes the form of an extended lectio divina of St. Joseph’s portrayal in the Gospels, specifically his primary role in the lives of Jesus and Mary and thus in salvation history, that is both accessible and profound. This lectio is informed by insights gleaned from prayerful study of and ruminative meditation on Sacred Scripture, from a variety of spiritual traditions (Benedictine, Carmelite, Salesian, etc.), and from the author’s priestly ministry, especially as a spiritual director. In sum, this timely book on the Husband of Mary, Earthly Father of Jesus, and Patron of the Universal Church is spiritually rich and enriching, particularly when approached in a reflective and prayerful manner.

In Through the Heart of St. Joseph, Fr. Boniface Hicks has given us a rare gift.  These accessible pages are an original and ground-breaking contribution to understanding the spirituality of St. Joseph. In reading these pages, not only does the reader learn about St. Joseph, but also quickly feels he or she is meeting St. Joseph. Through the Heart of Saint Joseph is a spiritual tool that can access our heart and change our life.

A tremendous renewal of interest in St. Joseph is taking place in the Church today. It is a movement of the Holy Spirit, ushering in an unprecedented era of devotion to St. Joseph. Fr. Hicks has followed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and penned an incredible book for us on St. Joseph. Through the Heart of St. Joseph is packed with insights, wisdom, and application and highlights the important message that God is speaking to the Church today, namely, Go to Joseph! I very highly recommend this book. Now is the time of St. Joseph!

It’s clear that this book flows from a faithful monk who has not only a sound theological grasp of St. Joseph, but also a deep experience in his own interior life of Joseph’s fatherly care. Contrary to certain hyper-pious theories, Fr. Boniface portrays St. Joseph in his red-blooded humanity as a passionate spouse and tender father who is the vigorous head and strong protector of the Holy Family. If you read this book prayerfully, you will come to know St. Joseph as Fr. Boniface does: as a loving father and friend. You will also want to join the saints who chose the ‘Joseph Option’ to help others meet him as well.

Fr. Boniface speaks of St. Joseph in a way that is perfectly contemporary—and yet always grounded in tradition, engaging the reflection of many saints. I know no book that so thoroughly plumbs the spiritual depths of St. Joseph’s life. Through the Heart has become my favorite book about the holy patriarch.

Fr. Boniface Hicks is the person who not only introduced me to St. Joseph and encouraged me to form a relationship with this spiritual father, but Fr. Boniface most embodies the heart of St. Joseph in my life. In the pages of this book, you will glimpse Father’s devotion to St. Joseph and discover new aspects of the heart of this silent saint. You will encounter his tender fatherhood, his courageous masculinity, his fierce and chaste spousal love for Our Lady, and his fatherly heart for you. May you welcome St. Joseph into your heart!

What a novel work this is! It is a Christian Anthropology disguised as a loving devotion to St. Joseph. How fitting that he who was chosen to guard and protect the deepest mysteries of God (Christ, Mary, the Church) can also serve to unveil the mystery of what is truly human, truly virtuous. St. Joseph, known in this book through Scripture, saints, homilies, and theological reflection, encourages us to embrace our authentic humanity. Most powerfully he fathers us into loving the ordinary…that which we normally wish to escape. Joseph burrowed deep within the ordinary and found there life and life to the full. Let’s join him.

Reading this book helped me and will help you to love St. Joseph even more deeply! Beyond guiding us into the Saint Joseph option, Fr. Boniface engages us in a real relationship with St. Joseph in such a way that we experience the love of the tender heart of this fatherly saint.

It behooves Christians who seek to know the Lord Jesus to contemplate him in the midst of the Holy Family. Through careful attention to the biblical stories about St. Joseph, and drawing upon spiritual wisdom from a wide range of sources, Fr. Boniface Hicks here explores ‘Joseph's way’ of serving and obeying the Lord. If Catholics today are to advance beyond our fallen experience of wounded fatherhood—whether our own or that of our fathers, including our spiritual fathers—we will need to draw close to the obedience, patience, and perseverance of St. Joseph. May this book draw many hearts into the circle of the Holy Family where, in the midst of human trials, the love of the Lord reigns.

Do we know enough about St. Joseph to know him? How can the one known for his silence and strange disappearance be a guiding presence in our lives? Why did God the Father choose Joseph to father His Son?  What is it like to be fathered by the father of our Lord? Drawing on many years as both a spiritual director and devotee of St. Joseph, Fr. Boniface Hicks provides a delightful pastoral portrait of St. Joseph. While the Church’s teachings on and her saints’ devotions to St. Joseph are brought to life, it is this book’s ability to impart to its readers a great sensitivity to Joseph’s sacred heart that is most remarkable. This is precisely what we need in order to rekindle devotion to St. Joseph in our day.  Take and read and then go to St. Joseph!

Shortly after praying with Fr. Boniface’s extraordinary and stunning insights in this book, I saw a statue of St. Joseph that, until that moment, I had encountered routinely with no significance. At the sight of the statue, my heart unexpectedly leapt and I had to catch my breath.  A spontaneous cry of recognition came up from the depths of my heart: ‘I know him and he knows me!’ I was no longer looking at the face of a saint I wanted to get to know in heaven, but at the face of one I knew and loved and whom, thanks to this book, I now can intimately encounter in my daily life. He is a father and protector who sees me and loves me. This book is undoubtedly written by a prayerful heart who truly knows this beloved saint.