In honor of St. Joseph, the Father of Jesus, and of Father’s Day on June 20, The Observer and The Junior Observer are holding an art and coloring contest for children in the Rockford Diocese.

 

Pope Francis called his letter declaring the Year of St. Joseph “Patris Corde,” which means “A Father’s Heart.”

 

In it, he talks about Joseph’s courage to become Jesus’s father and to care for Him and His mother, even when it meant taking them to Egypt to escape persecution.

 

The pope recalled Joseph as “a beloved father,”  quoting his own earlier writing that said Joseph “concretely expressed his fatherhood ‘by making his life a sacrificial service to the mystery of the incarnation and its redemptive purpose.’ ”

 

Pope Francis also called Joseph a father who was “tender and loving,” “obedient,” “accepting,” “creatively courageous,” as well as “working” and “in the shadows.”

 

For the art contest, children are asked to create pictures that represent characteristics of fatherhood, as St. Joseph lived it.

 

Contest rules:

 

1. Children from pre-school through high school may enter.

 

2. Any art medium may be used — crayons, colored pencils, chalk, paint, etc.*

 

3. Images must be on standard 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper.

 

4. Limit is one entry per child. (All children in a household may enter the contest.)

 

5. All entries must be mailed to The Observer St. Joseph Art Contest, PO Box 7044, Rockford, IL 61125.

 

6. Entries must be postmarked by June 30.

 

7. All entries must be accompanied by the entry form (below). Make copies for all children in the household.

 

Winners will be announced in The Observer during July. 

 

Age-appropriate prizes will be awarded to four young artists who will be selected by The Observer staff and others who work at the Diocesan Adminstration Center in Rockford.

 

* Children who would prefer to color an image may download one with help from an adult at https://observer.rockforddiocese.org/junior-observer/ or from https://coloringhome.com/st-joseph-coloring-pages.