Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., the director of spiritual formation for Saint Vincent Seminary, has written a book on Saint Joseph. Previously, he has co-authored two books with Father Thomas Acklin Spiritual Direction: A Guide for Sharing the Father’s Love and Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love.
Through the Heart of St. Joseph examines the life of St. Joseph as father, friend, protector, and various other topics as it is published in time for the 150th anniversary year of the Proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. In conjunction with that anniversary, Pope Francis has also declared 2020-2021 to be the Year of Saint Joseph.
“Father Boniface Hicks’ gracious accompaniment of the reader takes the form of an extended lectio divina of Saint Joseph’s portrayal in the Gospels, specifically his primary role in the lives of Jesus and Mary and thus in salvation history, that is both accessible and profoud,” writes Father Joseph F. Chorpenning, O.S.F.S., editorial director of St. Joseph’s University Press.
“Father Boniface speaks of Saint Joseph in a way that is perfectly contemporary,” noted Mike Aquilina, author of St. Joseph and His World. He notes that the book “is always grounded in tradition, engaging the reflection of many saints.”
Father Donald Calloway, M.I.C., author of Consecration to St. Joseph, called the book “packed with insights, wisdom, and application, and it highlights the important message that God is speaking to the Church today, namely, Go to Joseph!”
The book, writes author Dr. Scott Hahn in his foreword, “is unique for its theological synthesis of the reflections of the saints. Father Boniface examines the major motifs associated with Saint Joseph in Christian tradition, and he invokes the saints and doctors as his witnesses. He is also adept in the application of modern methods and disciplines, especially those of psychology and anthropology, though he never does this to excess… He remains grounded in the biblical text and actual history. He scrupulously avoids the flights of fancy and lazy use of legend that are common flaws in devotional works on Saint Joseph.”
Father Boniface, of State College, earned a bachelor of science degree in computer science and a master of science degree in computer science from Penn State University in 1997. A year later he entered the monastery and made his final profession of vows in 2002. He earned master of arts and master of divinity degrees from Saint Vincent Seminary, and was ordained to the priesthood in 2004. Following ordination, he returned to Penn State where he completed his Ph.D. in computer science in 2007.
He has served as a campus minister, faculty member, spiritual director and retreat master, and has also been involved with WAOB (We Are One Body) radio station, Latrobe, since its formation in 2010, serving as program director. Presently he is director of spiritual formation at the Seminary as well as director of the Institute for Ministry Formation.
The book, published by Emmaus Road, retails for $17.95, and is available at www.stvincentstore.com.