Go to Joseph Paperback – September 5, 2009

This book is amazing.At first when I received it I was somewhat put off by how small the book is, but once I began to read it I was hooked. Father Gilsdorf's insights into Saint Joseph were profound. The first of his essays/homilies in this book is certainly my favorite, though they're all gems. If you have a special devotion to Saint Joseph or you would like to gain a deeper insight into the life of Christ's "foster father" then you should definitely read this book.

This is the best book I have read on Saint Joseph! It is truly an excellent read, I have read and re-read this book several times - often as part of a Novena to Saint Joseph! A great gift for a father or "soon-to-be-dad" or, even, a priest!

Go To Joseph provides insights into the hidden life of St. Joseph and the Holy Family. It is a beautiful little book with questions at the end of each chapter that are ideal for meditation. Everyone should read it!

An awesome read on St. Joseph. Every devotee of St. Joseph should own this one.

After a year of having this small book on my shelf, I finally read it in the first days of Lent, a week before the feast of St. Joseph. I regret having put it off as long as I did. "Go to Joseph" by the late Father Richard Gilsdorf is an interesting look at the man who was chosen as the step-father to Jesus Christ.There is not much on St. Joseph in the Gospels--indeed, they do not even reveal how he passed away or when he did so--but Gilsdorf offers some meditations on what we do know. Gilsdorf shows how Joseph is a desperately needed model for men in this age--a just man, a father figure, a provider, a worker, a husband, a protector. I am not so sure I would agree with Gilsdorf's assessment that St. Joseph is "the New Testament's most mysterious figure." I think it may be fair to say that he is a mysterious figure to this day and age. But this is a minor quibble. Christians looking to grow closer to their faith--men in particular--will profit by this charming work and find much to ponder. There are also study questions to close each chapter.Let me expand on a minor part of the book. Most introductions to devotional works offer little insight on the author. "Go to Joseph" features excellent sketches on the late Father Gilsdorf from Bishop David Ricken and Patrick Beno that present an engaging portrait of the author. Father Gilsdorf must have been an excellent parish priest and he can still bring people closer to God as readers of this excellent book can attest.

The book description leans heavily on "easy to read meditations," "like going on retreat," "warm and contemplative" and so forth. None of which prepared me for the sharp, discerning mind that Father Gilsdorf brings to bear on what we know about Joseph both through what is said and unsaid in scripture. I didn't pick the book because I expected it to be simple but because I like Saint Joseph and go to him for my husband and also for us as a couple.This book is unusual in many ways, one being that it was found among Father Gilsdorf's papers after his death. In fact, there are so many little introductions from a variety of people marveling at this sort of fact, that I would advise skipping them. It is the book itself that is a real marvel. Small as it is, this book is chock-full of fascinating insights and the scholarly, patient following of themes, all well within the bounds of Church teachings and tradition. The footnotes are extremely clear and have interesting references which the author urges readers to explore further for themselves. Although the chapters are short, each has a lot for our consideration.I highly recommend Go to Joseph. It has a modest price and would be a great gift for a man seeking greater holiness, or indeed for anyone with that goal.

Scholarly yet very readable, this relatively short book is the most detailed meditation on St. Joseph and his role in salvation that I am aware of.Fr. Gilsdorf draws critically from the witness of scripture, papal statements, the apocrypha, mystics, private revelations, and apparitions to fashion his portrait of St. Joseph, leading believers into devotion to the saint, deeper into the gospels, and closer to Christ.Unpublished during the author's lifetime, the manuscript for this book was discovered among his papers after his death. Thankfully, it is now available, an invaluable aid in devotion to this silent and oft overlooked saint.

This is a great synopsis of what we know of St Joseph. Some is historical speculation, some from Scripture, and lastly some is based on comments and teachings of the Saints.