“The Son of a Carpenter” | Br. Tom’s Devotion to St. Joseph

By Julia St. Clair

After he became a Salesian, Br. Tom Dion, SDB began his devotion to St. Joseph. “He’s one of the patrons of our congregation and also the patron of brothers,” he began. “Along the way, I picked it up.”

Br. Tom’s role working with finance also helped him grow closer to St. Joseph. “A lot of my Salesian life has been spent with finances,” he remarked. “This helped me feel connected to St. Joseph since he was the provider of Mary and Jesus. He helps us to have what we need to do our ministry and live our lives.”

Prior to the pandemic, Br. Tom, who is the coordinator of prenovices, would treat everyone to a special trip that honors St. Joseph. “Normally, we take a trip to Canada and always visit the St. Joseph Oratory in Montréal, QC,” he exclaimed. “The Oratory was started by St. André Bessette. It’s the highest point in Montréal, a very large and beautiful place.”

Moreover, Br. Tom would like everyone to see how much of a true father St. Joseph was to Jesus. “Saying that St. Joseph is the adoptive father of Jesus puts an asterisk around him. In reality, he was every bit a father to Jesus as a natural father would be,” he exclaimed. “Joseph greatly influenced Jesus, and Jesus was known as the son of a carpenter. When Jesus thought of His Heavenly Father, his thoughts were shaped by what he experienced with Joseph.” The importance of Joseph in Jesus’s life is also illustrated in an important line from Christ. “When Jesus remarked, ‘Whoever does the will of God is my sister, brother, and mother,’” Br. Tom continued, “He never assigned the word ‘father’ to us as disciples. Jesus reserved it only to St. Joseph and our Heavenly Father.”