Discerning that “the sleeping giant of men, especially in the Catholic Church, are being awakened to their noble calling in God,” Devin Schadt has authored a book to help these men live out their commission as honourable husbands and fathers.

The co-founder of the U.S. based Fathers of St. Joseph apostolate, striving to renew authentic Catholic fatherhood, has synthesized many of his reflections over the years into the newly released The Rule: Counsels and Directives for Husbands and Fathers. Schadt presents 88 rules on how Catholic men can attain an “ordered interior life to give their exterior life form.”

In an interview with The Catholic Register, the co-host of the Catholic Gentleman podcast emphasized that to become a good father, first one must become a good son to the Heavenly Father.

Advertisement

He learned that lesson amid a “rock bottom” period of adversity in his early 20s where he wrestled with suicidal thoughts.

During this stage, he received a cancer diagnosis, and his newborn daughter Anna Marie suffered a hypoxic event in the hospital that resulted in her being medically evacuated to a children’s hospital a couple hours away. By the time Anna Marie landed at the hospital, she suffered three clinical death experiences and a permanent brain injury. She is confined to a wheelchair to this day 24 years later.

These challenges nearly depleted the family bank account and Schadt’s marriage with his wife Kim, to whom he has been wed for nearly 30 years, experienced rockiness.

“I just couldn't help but to feel like, ‘God, are you against me? Why are you doing this? Why are you allowing this?’ Just by looking at Jesus Christ and looking at St. Joseph, I realized that the son whom God loves, He tests in order to perfect," Schadt said.

“So, it is not a loving father who says, ‘I'm just going to spoil you and give you everything you want. You’re never going to have to rise to the occasion to become better or to become perfected or to become disciplined or well-ordered, become talented and gifted at anything.’ No, a good father sees that his child has potential and then works side by side with his child to teach him how to become better.”

Inspired by the lessons of God refining him during the fire of adversity, The Rule shares guidance related to affirming your wife, modelling Jesus’ heart when forging a relationship with your children and being proactive in resisting temptation.

Advertisement

Each of the spiritual practices, prayers and applicable advice may be read through concisely in 60 seconds, but Schadt said each “can be reflected upon for weeks.”

His book also urges men to exemplify St. Joseph’s fortitude, humility and trust, among a host of other virtues modelled by Christ’s earthly father.

Special attention has been directed toward St. Joseph throughout Canada in 2024 and 2025 since as it was in 1624, over 400 years ago, that he became the Patron Saint of Canada. The carpenter was recognized both last year and this year. 

Once while Schadt was on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, he was advised by a Dominican priest during confession that “you will become a saint by means of your vocation, not outside of it.” Schadt then started mulling about his vocational path. He received sage advice from his pilgrimage guide Nancy.

“I was telling her that I wanted to serve the Lord more, but I just couldn't figure out how,” reminisced Schadt. “She said, ‘are you married?’ I said, ‘yes.’ And she said, ‘do you have children? Yes. Go home and be St. Joseph.’ ”

Schadt worked to create a sacred space in his attic for a chapel and he asked Joseph to reveal himself.

“What I found with St. Joseph was this: He has a spirituality, a rule of life, a way for husbands and fathers to become holy. It's basically on four pillars, but I've made them into seven categories in The Rule, but it's basically embrace silence, embrace woman, embrace child and embrace his charitable authority.”

Advertisement

Schadt expounded upon the silence precept by stating Joseph “waited in the silence, waited for God to intervene and direct him through prayer.” It was this spiritual contemplation that helped Joseph understand he was to accompany the Virgin Mary and embrace her as his own wife. Then he went on to be “became the face, the voice and the touch of God, the Father to Jesus” and assumed his role at the head of a family “with the two most holy individuals who ever lived on this Earth.”

To learn more about The Rule, visit sophiainstitute.com.