An icon of St. Joseph will be the centerpiece of a special prayer service at St. Peter’s Church at 6:00 p.m. August 5. The icon will be displayed at St. Peter’s on August 4 and 5 and Holy Trinity on August 6 and 7. This beautiful icon is housed at St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montréal, Canada’s preeminent Shrine to St. Joseph, founded by St. André Bessette. The original is written (prayerfully painted) by Elizabeth Bergeron, from a drawing by famed iconographer Alexandre Sobolev. In the image, St. Joseph stands with his eyes cast humbly down, but with a determined strength in his face. In his covered arm he bears the Child Jesus, whose own hand is raised, blessing the world. The prayer service, flowing from the Year of St. Joseph declared by Pope Francis in 2021, and inspired by his apostolic letter Patris Corde, is sponsored by Knights of Columbus Council 2294 to honor St. Joseph and pray for his intercession in preserving, cultivating and passing on the Catholic faith to future generations. The St. Joseph icon is the latest icon to be a part of the Knights of Columbus Pilgrim Icon Program. Every few years, the Knights of Columbus selects an icon of a saint whose patronage is particularly inspiring to Knights and their communities to be featured in the program. The icons travel from council to council and serve as the centerpieces for prayer services in parishes throughout the Order.