This book is a wonderful look at the life of St. Joseph with respect to his life with Mary and Jesus. So little is actually known about him, yet he had such a big role in the lives of Jesus and Mary. To be the head of the Holy Family, to care for and love the Mother and the Son, the Son who would later make the biggest sacrifice to save us all.

I loved this look at the Seven Sorrow of Joseph. Being familiar with the Seven Sorrows of Mary, this additional look into what St. Joseph experienced helped me learn even more about a Saint that became so special to me during the year of Saint Joseph.

I highly recommend Deacon Kandra’s book to anyone wanting an additional look at this Saint. This books is so well written and the writing is so descriptive, making it easy to picture the things mentioned. I also loved the prayers at the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ave Maria Press, and Deacon Greg Kandra for the copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Befriending St Joseph is a journey of faith through the experiences of the foster father of Jesus. It has snippets of respectful fictionalized scenarios intertwined with thoughtful questions that can be used as a devotional or prompts for a retreat session. Readers who hunger more about the life of St Joseph will find plenty to ponder here. The book also includes prayers to St Joseph usually found in novenas and other sources for convenient access. Accessible and nourishing, this is a prayer/devotional book that is a great addition to a personal or public library.

Befriending St. Joseph: Finding Faith, Hope, and Courage in the Seven Sorrows Devotion by Deacon Greg Kandra is a wonderful book focussing on the life of St. Joseph, the husband of Mary. Just beautiful.

This is a book collecting what we know about Joseph from the bible, and the author takes all of this information, and presents it in chronological order so that we can piece together a life that was full, important, needed, loved, cherished, and vital.

The author then adds how these passages add messages, meaning, and relevance, to our lives today. The end of the book has a nice collection of prayers to St. Joseph that can be done with groups (Seven Sorrows), and individually.

Nicely done and very much needed during this time.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Ave Maria Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/8/22.

I received an ARC, of Befriending St. Joseph by, Deacon Greg Kandra. This is a great book for anyone who loves St. Joseph, or for anyone wanting to learn more about St. Joseph. I loved the prayers in this book.

Befriending St. Joseph can be a treasured resource for both long-time devotees of the saint and those just beginning to discover him. Deacon Greg Kandra assists the reader in getting to know St. Joseph better through a thorough exploration of his life with Jesus. I found this devotional to be profoundly moving and inspirational. By meditating on St. Joseph's sorrows, we can draw closer to not only the beloved foster-father of Jesus, but to Christ Himself.