Joy of New Father After Praying 54 Day Rosary Novena

It’s been less than a year since I got married, yet I never knew God would bring about a great gift so soon. I knew my wife on a different level. We met eye to eye on many things since our second date, one of them is having children and guiding them to heaven.

It was August, just two months after we got married, that I overcame an anxiety attack and some marital adjustments, when I began a 54 Day rosary novena on the Assumption. The intention was for my wife and me to have a child.

Fast forward to September, my wife was gearing up for another year of teaching science at a co-ed high school. It was that one morning that I was wide awake to the news that changed the trajectory of our lives; we were pregnant. It was kept a secret for a time.

By November, we went public and shared with extended family and friends.

As Christmas drew near, we received the news that our first child would be a boy. I was overjoyed, and so was my wife.

As the weeks turned into months, we watched the gift grow before our eyes, blessed by many priests, and eventually showered with love.

On May 6th, my son, Joseph, was born. He was a week early, yet he was perfectly made in the image and likeness of God. I got to witness a miracle before my eyes as I watched my strong, amazing wife bring him into this world. My prayers were answered. How fitting God wanted Joseph to come into this world on the First Wednesday of the month, dedicated to the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph.

GK Chesterton said, “God chooses ordinary men for fatherhood to accomplish his extraordinary plan.” Every man who is called to marriage will have to take up the gauntlet to not only be a loving husband but also a father. There is no way a man can be a husband without being a father.  Every man is capable of leading their household. It takes courage to give God your full yes beyond your wedding day.

Father Lawrence Lovasik reminds us that fatherhood is a vocation in “God’s service to be not held lightly or frivolously, but with the serious determination of serious men.” As I navigate fatherhood, I am joyful to be part of God’s extraordinary plan. The big part is leading my wife and children to God.

It will be a challenging task. Yet, with God, it is possible to live out a joyful occasion in his eyes as long as I rely on him.

St. Joseph, pray for my family