%20(Facebook%20Cover).png)
Joe's Faith Story
Joe Biden would not be where he is today if it weren’t for his long walk in faith. Raised Catholic in a financially unstable home, Joe’s parents taught him to cling to God even during rough times.
But Joe’s trials would only become more difficult with time. When he was 30 years old and U.S. Senator-elect, a car accident changed his life forever. His wife, Neilia, and 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, were killed while driving to pick out a Christmas tree. Joe’s sons, Beau and Hunter, survived with major injuries. Joe Biden was sworn into the Senate, his hand on the Bible, in the hospital with his sons, whom he refused to leave.
“Faith...is the one thing that gives me hope. And purpose. I’ve learned the only way... I’ve been able to deal with when my wife was killed and my daughter was killed and then my son died. I’ve only been able to deal with it by realizing they’re part of my being.”
Years later, tragedy would strike Joe’s life again. In 2015, his son, Beau, died from brain cancer at 46.
Joe’s wife, Jill, described how he put himself back together again. “Joe’s purpose has always driven him forward...and his faith is unshakeable. Because it’s not in politicians or political parties, or even in himself. It’s in the providence of God.”
Joe himself also reflected on the many tests to his faith over the years, quoting Søren Kierkegaard, “‘Faith sees best in the dark.’” He went on to say: “Faith...is the one thing that gives me hope. And purpose. I’ve learned the only way... I’ve been able to deal with when my wife was killed and my daughter was killed and then my son died. I’ve only been able to deal with it by realizing they’re part of my being.”
Still, moving forward wasn’t easy. It was hard waking up and living in a world where so many of the people he loved were not. But he kept going because Joe believes that “We are our brother’s keeper” and with this he is called by God to use the gifts he has been given for the common good.
Today, he is still a devout Catholic who regularly attends mass at St. Joseph's on the Brandywine in Greenville, Delaware, with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden. Joe wears his late son’s rosary beads on his arm every day.
