 A: Father’s Day did not start in the USA until 1909 to commemorate veterans of the Civil War in the United States and all they do for their families and our nation. Before that in 1908 Grace Clayton proposed a one-time event to honor fathers who lost their lives in Virginia Coal Miner’s disaster. It was rejected but it sparked Sonora Dudd in 1909, whose father was a Civil War veteran whom she wanted to honor, to have the Spokane Ministerial Alliance to promote Father’s Day worldwide. Her father’s birthday was in June. It spread until President Lyndon Johnson named a date officially in 1966 stating, “In the homes of our Nation, we look to the fathers to provide the strength and stability which characterizes a successful family”. It was later signed into law by President Richard Nixon. The third Sunday of June was chosen. In 2026, June 21st happens to also to fall on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. But, Father’s Day has deeper Catholic roots. Sometime around the 14th to 15th centuries European Franciscans began to associate St Joseph’s feast on May 1st (St Joseph the workman) and the solemnity on March 19th (date of St Joseph’s death), with all fathers. Before this when the East and West Schism happened in the Catholic Church around the 5th century the Coptic Church put in place a devotion on July 20th to the fatherhood of St Joseph which also celebrated all fathers. These various devotional dates to St Joseph and all fathers came to the Americas with the Spanish and Portuguese sailors and eventually in 1909 Sonora Dudd laid groundwork for its official national recognition for all fathers. The gift of the special fatherhood St Joseph had for Jesus gives us an excellent human example for all fathers and points to our heavenly Father’s loving provision and care for each one of us. All fathers have this special mission to reflect not only St Joseph’s special care of Mary and Jesus but to reflect God Father’s loving care of each of us. Life is not always easy, it can be messy, and even misunderstood in what the Father’s plan is for us. But like St Joseph, if men have faith and humility to take care of Mother Church, invite Mary into our homes, and take care of souls born from her whether we understand the complexity of it or not, we too will be blessed beyond measure. Fatherhood is extremely important in our society with all its relativity and lack of order. True fatherhood shows the power and strength of humility, stability, relationship, confidence in faith and its example, work ethic to care for dependents, endurance to go the distance, and provides a safe loving authority so that order can be in our society. The priesthood is a special spiritual fatherhood God has gifted us in the Catholic Church that extends this image of the Father to each one of us whether our fathers are in our lives or not. Let us celebrate the gift of fatherhood in each father we know, pray and encourage them in this special mission of witnessing to us who our heavenly Father truly is. |
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