New Book on St. Joseph by Fr. Joseph Chorpenning, OSFS
Book cover
On May 1st, 2025, the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, Catholic University of America (CUA) Press released a new book by Fr. Joseph F. Chorpenning, OSFS: Saint Joseph and the Carmelite Reform of Saint Teresa of Ávila: Father, Teacher of Prayer, Intercessor in Every Need. An open house to launch the book was hosted by the Brisson Hall Oblate Community in Washington, D.C. The book was presented to the faculty of CUA’s School of Theology and Religious Studies at its meeting earlier in the day.
Saint Joseph and the Carmelite Reform of Saint Teresa of Ávila is an expanded version of the 2nd Annual Lecture in Carmelite Studies at CUA that Fr. Chorpenning delivered in 2021, as part of the observance of the Year of St. Joseph proclaimed by Pope Francis to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as Patron of the Universal Church (1870). This title is the 2nd volume in the series, “Studies in the Carmelite Tradition,” sponsored by the Center for Carmelite Studies at CUA.
In this richly illustrated book, Fr. Chorpenning charts a narrative arc from the late medieval liturgical cult of St. Joseph codified by the Carmelite Order of Ancient Observance, to the saint’s vital formative presence in St. Teresa’s life and reformed Carmel as father, teacher of prayer, and intercessor in every need, and then to the Carmelite family’s liturgical expression of its privileged relationship with St. Joseph by the establishment of the Feast of the Patronage (later Solemnity) of St. Joseph (1680), which played a major role in the lead up to his proclamation as Patron of the Universal Church. Pre-publication critical acclaim describes the book as “elegant,” “engagingly written, concise yet substantive, and brimming with insights.”
Fr. Chorpenning is no newcomer to the study of St. Joseph. He has published a half-dozen books and more than two dozen scholarly articles on St. Joseph and the Holy Family. He has been interviewed about his research on St. Joseph by national media outlets, including Catholic News Agency, Fox News, and Time magazine. He is an honorary member of the Archconfraternity of St. Joseph of Malta and a charter member of the Josephology Society International.
Saint Joseph and the Carmelite Reform of Saint Teresa of Ávila is available from Catholic University of America Press, as well as from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
May 1st Open House and Book Launch at Brisson Hall. From left, Fr. Chorpenning, Dr. Susan M. Timoney (Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies and Associate Dean for Graduate Ministerial Studies, CUA), Fr. Steven Payne, OCD (Endowed Chair of Carmelite Studies, CUA), Fr. Quinn Conners, OCarm (Whitefriars Hall), and Dr. Christopher C. Wilson (Professorial Lecturer in Art History, George Washington University).