"Some Saints are
privileged to extend to us their patronage with particular efficacy
in certain needs, but not in others; but our holy patron St. Joseph
has the power to assist us in all cases, in every necessity, in
every understanding." ~ St. Thomas Aquinas
Novena ||
Prayers to St. Joseph 1 & 2 & 3 || Litany to
St. Joseph || Prayer for the church || Prayer for Missionary Vocations
Prayer for Church and the Holy Father || download this page in rtf or pdf format
for printing
Use novena also for the Feast of
St. Joseph the Worker on 1st
May, see below.
Introduction
Joseph, the silent man of the Gospels, is in the line of
the great men of faith of the Old Testament. He is described as a
"just man", a righteous man of integrity. He is in the tradition of
Abraham who was called by God to "walk before my face and be
upright (Gen: 17.1); of Moses who was told to be "entirely
sincere", "entirely faithful" (Deut: 18.13). For centuries his
place in the story of Jesus was comparatively unnoticed. Gradually,
in Catholic tradition, he was recognised as patron of fathers of
families, of bursars and procurators, of manual workers, especially
carpenters, and of all who desire a holy death (cf. Farmer, Oxford
Dictionary of Saints). St. Bernardine of Siena (d. 1444) wrote of
St. Joseph:
"He it is who marks the closing of the old testament. In
him the dignity of the prophets and patriarchs achieves its
promised fulfilment. Moreover, he alone possessed in the flesh what
God in his goodness promised to them over and again
Therefore be mindful of us, blessed Joseph, and intercede
for us with him whom men thought to be your son."
St. Teresa of
Avila (d. 1582) wrote eloquently of St. Joseph in her
autobiography: "He who cannot find anyone to teach him to pray, let
him take this glorious saint for his master, and he will not wander
out of the way." She also recommended the intercession of St.
Joseph for our daily needs. "Our Lord would have us understand that
as he was subject to St. Joseph in all things during his earthly
pilgrimage, so now in Heaven he is ready to grant all his
petitions." (see other prayers
to St. J. below)
St. Joseph's
Missionary Society was founded in London in 1866. Cardinal Herbert
Vaughan called St. Joseph "Our Father and Founder". Herbert Vaughan
was inspired by Joseph's unobtrusive but essential role in the
story of salvation. St. Joseph's intercession was sought to obtain
the necessary funds for the new missionary society; he was invoked
to secure the desired house at Mill Hill that was to become the
birthplace of the Society. Cardinal Vaughan promoted devotion to
St. Joseph throughout the country and established at St. Joseph's
College, Mill Hill, the national shrine to St. Joseph. From the
beginning of St. Joseph's Society, lay people were involved as
"associates" in this work for the spread of the Gospel. Priests,
Brothers, "associates" all look to Joseph for protection, guidance
and inspiration. St. Joseph’s Missionary Society
& Mill Hill Missionaries
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Nine Days Prayer - in Honour of St.
Joseph 10th - 18th March
(or any nine
consecutive days)
Each day has a
reflection. To this may be added one or more of the prayers (see
later)
1st day
- 2nd day
- 3rd day - 4th day - 5th
day - 6th day - 7th day - 8th day - 9th
day
Daily Novena
Prayer
Almighty God, you have chosen Saint Joseph to be
the mainstay of Jesus and Mary, the wise and faithful servant in
whom they could trust. We pray that he may truly be the guardian of
your Church; that he may inspire with confidence those who are
devoted to him; that he may give security to those who work in the
vineyard of Your Son; and finally, that he may be a source of
strength to us, who wish, like him, to dedicate ourselves to
Christ's service, now and in times to come. Amen.
1st Day - Joseph the Just Man
Matt.1.19: "Joseph was a man who
always did what was right."
What a
predicament Joseph was in when he discovered that Mary had
conceived. What was he to do? But he "always did the right thing",
he was a man of God, a just man. God would show him what was to be
done, he trusted in God's guidance - and God did show him
the way.
We are often in a state of uncertainty as to what will be
the right thing to do. We fret and worry, and blame God for
allowing this or that to happen to us. Pray that like Joseph we
will put our problems before the Lord and learn from him what is
the right thing for us to do.
say the Daily Novena
Prayer
top of
page
2nd Day - Joseph the
Man who Listened
Prov.2.9: "If you listen to me, you will know what is
right, just.''
Joseph was a man who listened. No spoken word is recorded
of him. He was able to hear God's word; he knew how to be silent so
as to allow God's word to come through to him.
In our world today we are surrounded by noise and
distraction. Our spiritual "senses" become deadened by the
intrusive noises of radio and television, of vehicles and planes.
Is it any wonder we don't hear God speaking to us? Let us ask St.
Joseph to help us to know how to be silent before God, how we can
carve out a "quiet time" in our day.
say the Daily Novena
Prayer
top of
page
3rd Day - Joseph the
Man of Vision
Matt. 1.20; 2.13; 19.22: "The angel of the Lord appeared
in a dream to Joseph."
Joseph was a man of dreams, a man of vision. His life was
"ordinary", yet he realised that God could work in extraordinary
ways even in his life, in his village.
Our lives
too seem very ordinary. But every one of us is special before God.
God has a plan for each of us. Re wants to use us in his plan to
make his Kingdom come. Let us ask St. Joseph to help us be alive to
God's wonderful working in our lives.
say the Daily Novena
Prayer
top of
page
4th Day - Joseph the
Missionary
Matt. 2.14: "Joseph got up and took the child and his
mother and left that night for Egypt."
The Gospel tells us that Joseph took Mary and the child
to a pagan land. St. Hilary, one of the early Fathers of the
Church, said St. Joseph is the "model of the apostles". The
apostle's, the missionary's task is to take the good news of Christ
and his mother to the unevangelized.
The missionary of today is the bearer of the same Good
News. Every Christian is called to share in the mission of the
Church, at home and in lands afar. Let us ask St. Joseph to help us
to know how we can bring Christ into the lives of people,
especially those who are most disadvantaged.
say the Daily Novena
Prayer
top of
page
5th Day - Joseph the
Family Man
Micah 5.2: "Bethlehem. . . out of you I will bring
a ruler for Israel, whose family goes back to ancient
times."
Lk. 2.4: "Joseph went . . . to David's town of
Bethlehem-because he was a descendant of David."
Joseph was a descendant of the Royal Family of David. Yet
he lived in comparative obscurity and was a "nobody in the world's
eyes. He faced difficult family problems: Mary's pregnancy, the
threat to the life of the child, the exile to a foreign land; how
to make ends meet from the work of his hands. And then, what was he
to make of the forewarning that the boy Jesus was marked out for
glory and suffering?
Let us ask St. Joseph to protect our families as he did
his own. May he help us to discern God's hand in the ups and downs
of family life. May he help us with our financial problems, so that
we don't allow money or material things to spoil the bond that
unites us as a family.
say the Daily Novena
Prayer
top of
page
6th Day - Joseph-Man of Prayer
Lk. 2.41: "Every year the parents of Jesus went to
Jerusalem for the Passover Festival."
Joseph as head of the family observed the religious
festivities with his family. He would attend the synagogue in
Nazareth on the Sabbath, and go up to the Temple for the major
feasts. But he also would have prayed at meals, at certain hours of
the day; he would have used words like "alleluia", "hosanna",
"amen"; he would have prayed and sung the Psalms. In the silence of
his prayer time he would have known that God spoke to
him.
We are all called to be people of prayer. We can't be
content with where we are in our prayer life there is so much
more for us. We need to enter more deeply into the prayer of
the Church in the Liturgy, we need to make more meaningful our
daily prayer practices, we need to listen to God in prayer. May St.
Joseph help us to grow up more as people of prayer.
say the Daily Novena
Prayer
top of
page
7th Day - Joseph-Teacher of Jesus
Matt. 1.25: "And Joseph named him Jesus."
Name-giving was something very solemn and significant in
the Bible. "To know someone's name was to have access to the
mystery of his being." Joseph, "the man closest to Jesus" must,
like Mary, have pondered deeply on this remarkable child. Yet
Joseph as head of his household had the task of teaching Jesus his
prayers, taking him to sit with the men in the synagogue,
introducing him to the Scriptures, presiding over his "coming of
age" (bar mitzvah) at 13, teaching him the various rituals of the
devout Jew.
In our days many fathers of families have lost their
sense of place in the family; many provide weak leadership,
especially in the area of religious practice. We must pray that the
example of Joseph will inspire Christian fathers to assume their
rightful role of leading their children in worship of our heavenly
Father. May fathers provide firm and clear standards of Christian
behaviour to their families in a society that is losing its
spiritual foundations.
say the Daily Novena
Prayer
top of
page
8th Day - Joseph the Workman
Matt. 13.55: "Isn't he the carpenter's son?"
In Mark's Gospel we read of how the people said of Jesus
"Is this not the carpenter?" He learned his trade from Joseph, who
must surely have been as diligent at his work as he was at his
religious duties. He knew the dignity of work, the "homage of work"
(Vat. II) - that makes man's efforts part of the redemptive work of
Jesus himself He probably also knew the evil of unemployment; there
would be times of hardship in Nazareth when people had no money to
give work to Joseph and Jesus.
Modern man tends to view work only as a means of making
money; too often work is thought of as a means to satisfy one's
instincts of greed. The machine has taken over from the craftsman.
There is little sense of pride in workmanship. Let us ask St.
Joseph to help us see our work as service for others, as a sharing
in the work of redemption; a means of bringing order and beauty out
of chaos, a means of making our world a better place.
say the Daily Novena
Prayer
top of
page
9th Day - Joseph-Man of Loving Service
Matt. 24.45: "Who is the faithful and farsighted servant
whom the master has put in charge of his household to dispense food
at need?"
The Jewish ideal man was someone who was "righteous",
someone who actively obeyed God's word, who did his will. Joseph
acted instantly when he knew God's will. His was a life of loving
service. He served his family, he served his village neighbours, he
served his God. No wonder Christian piety has imagined his "happy
death" in the presence of Jesus and Mary.
May St. Joseph's example and intercession help us to grow
in loving service in our families, in our places of work, in all
our relationships. May we learn to "wait in joyful hope for the
coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ", and may we share one
day in the loving service of the heavenly banquet in the Kingdom of
Heaven.
say the Daily Novena
Prayer
Content courtesy of St. Joseph’s
Missionary Society & Mill Hill Missionaries
top
Prayers to St.
Joseph (1)
Intercessions # I
Let us pray to God our Father, for from him, all
fatherhood in heaven and on earth takes its name.
R. Father, hallowed be your name.
Father, in your Son you revealed to Joseph the
mystery kept secret for endless ages:- Help us to acknowledge your
Son as God and man.
R. Father, you enabled Joseph to spend his life in
your service:-set our minds on your kingdom and your justice before
all other things.
R. Father, your will is that every man should
accept and answer your call:-by the prayer of Joseph, give us the
grace to live in accord with your will.
R. Creator of all things, you have entrusted your
work to our hands:-grant that our labours may prove worthy of
you.
R. Father, in whom all men live, grant to those who
have died new life, through your Son:-with Mary, and Joseph, and
all your saints for ever.
R. Our Father
Concluding Prayer: Almighty God, at
the beginnings of our salvation, when Mary conceived your Son and
brought him forth into the world, you placed them under Joseph's
watchful care. May his prayer still help your Church to be an
equally faithful guardian of your mysteries, and a sign of Christ
to mankind. (We make our prayer) through Christ our
Lord.
Intercessions # II
Whatever we do or say, let us do it in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
R. Lord, hear us.
As Joseph believed what you had told him, and
became the guardian of your only Son:- so may we put our faith in
you, and receive the fulfilment of your promise.
R. Father, give us that faith which gives substance to our hopes,
and make us certain of realities we do not see.
R. Joseph took the child Jesus into his care,
loving and accepting him as his own Son:- May we accept all that
God gives us, and care for those entrusted to us.
R. You have given man authority over the work of
your hands and invited him to share in your creation:-help us to
accept our responsibility by working for your glory and the good of
all mankind.
R. Our Father
Concluding Prayer: Lord God and
Creator of the universe, you imposed on mankind the law of work.
Give us grace, by Saint Joseph's example and at his intercession,
to finish the works you give us to do, and to come to the rewards
you promise. (We make our prayer) through our Christ
Lord.
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A Short Litany to
St. Joseph
Joseph, husband of the Mother of God, Pray for us
Joseph, foster father of the Son of God, Pray for us
Joseph, man of prayer , Pray for us
Joseph, man of faith, Pray for us
Joseph, committed to doing God's will, Pray for us
Joseph, model of workers, Pray for us
Joseph, defender of family life, Pray for us
Joseph, patron of the dying, Pray for us
Joseph, protector of the Church, Pray for us
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Prayer to St. Joseph for the Church
Loving husband of Mary, the Immaculate Virgin Mother of
God, and foster father of her Son, we turn to you with confidence
as we pray for the Church throughout the world. Watch over the
family of God, bought by the precious blood of Christ, as you
watched over the Holy Family of Nazareth. You once rescued the
Child Jesus from danger of death: protect now his mystical body
from the powers of darkness and strengthen it in every trial. Give
it your own courage, in the struggle against evil, and keep it free
from sin and error. Help us to follow your example, that we may
live a holy life, die a holy death and so share your joy for ever
in heaven.
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Prayer to Saint Joseph for the Church and The Holy
Father.
Most Powerful Patriarch Saint Joseph, Patron of the
Church which has always invoked you in anxiety and trouble, from
the exalted seat of your glory, cast a loving glance upon the whole
Catholic world. Let your fatherly heart be touched at the sight of
the Mystical Spouse and the Vicar of Christ overwhelmed with sorrow
and persecuted by powerful enemies. Oh, by the bitter anguish you
experienced upon earth, dry the tears of the Holy Father, defend
him, comfort him, intercede for him with the Giver of peace and
charity, that, all adversity being removed and all error
dissipated, the entire Church may serve God in perfect liberty.
Amen!
top
Prayer to St. Joseph
(2)
Humble and great, just and prudent, chaste and generous,
hard-working and prayerful, glorious St. Joseph, patron of the
universal Church and my protector, in the same confidence with
which I love and venerate you I turn to you, sure of your powerful
friendship and of your intercession with him who lived with you for
many years in the house at Nazareth, Our Lord Jesus
Christ.
God in his goodness chose you as the reliable and prudent
guardian of his greatest treasure and gift to mankind, Jesus his
Son. With your beloved spouse, Mary his Virgin Mother, you were the
one closest to the Saviour. Together you loved him like no one else
in the world; you cared for him as a baby, educated him wisely, and
worked with him in the silence and hidden-ness of Nazareth. From
him you learned Divine Wisdom. You were loved by him with a love
which had no equal. In his presence, and in the sweet company of
Mary, you closed your eyes, certain of living with them for ever in
the house of the Father.
Our glorious patron St. Joseph, generations of saints and
sinners have called on you as their protector and intercessor. They
have taken you as the model of Christian life, of surrender to the
will of God and of humility; as the model of love for Jesus and
Mary, of the interior life, of service and faithfulness, of purity
and prudence. In you and in Mary we contemplate with admiration all
the most noble Christian virtues lived under the gaze of Jesus, and
given by the Holy Spirit to all who welcome him and yield to his
direction.
Together with so many who look to you with deep
friendship and confidence I ask your intercession with the Lord
Jesus, the most high Son of God at whose name everything in heaven
and on earth kneels down (Phil. 2:1-11).
Ask for me humility, obedience, purity and faithfulness;
teach me simplicity, hard work, and wonder at the marvels God does
every day; endow me with discernment, respect for the values of a
simple holy life like yours, and the discipline of a faithful
spiritual life; introduce me to the beauty of interiority,
hidden-ness, and of family and community life based on the gospel;
help me to love and serve Jesus as you loved and served him;
encourage me by your example to grow with him and through him;
grant that I too may feel the strong sweet presence of Mary in my
life; assist me in carrying out my everyday work with dedication
and with all the enthusiasm and faithfulness fitting for someone
who wants to spend his life for the Lord (Col. 3:17-23).
Above all, pray that I may receive the grace of
humility-the humility which made you great by putting you totally
at the disposal of God's will to be used as his instrument in the
plan which brought salvation to the whole world. May my senses, my
mind, my heart and my whole being be open to his will, so much that
even my "dreams", like yours, may be full of his will and of love
for Jesus and Mary.
Glorious St. Joseph, I ask the grace that, whenever the
Lord of Life should wish, I too may end my earthly pilgrimage with
Jesus and Mary by my side, and enjoy their company for ever.
Amen
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Prayer to St. Joseph
(3)
O glorious St. Joseph, you who have the power to render
possible, things that are, for us impossible, come to our aid in
our present trouble and distress. (mention your petition here)
Take this important and difficult affair under your particular
protection that it may end happily.
O dear St Joseph, all our confidence is in you. Let it not be said
that we would invoke in you vain, and since you are so powerful
with Jesus and Mary, show that your goodness equals your power.
O St. Joseph, foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ and true
spouse of Mary the Virgin, pray for us.
This prayer may be said daily. it may also serve as a
Novena to be concluded by Holy Communion.
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Prayer for
Missionary Vocations
God our Father, your Son, Our Lord told us to pray and
pray often for what we want.
We pray to you not for ourselves.
We beg you to give the grace of vocation to young men and
women,
To give up all and follow the Cross of Christ to the far corners of
the world.
May they train to become wise and holy missionaries,
Ready to bear the heat of the day in the fields of fear and
confusion.
May they become the flickering flames for our brothers living in
the darkness of oppression and poverty.
Through our prayers and our missionaries May your name be
glorified, May the poor have the gospel preached to them, And may
our own faith be strengthened. We commend ourselves and our prayer
to the intercession of Our Lady of Vocations, To St. Joseph, our
patron, and to Our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Now and for ever.
Amen.
top
Prayer to St.
Joseph the Worker
O glorious St. Joseph, patron and model of all who
labour, obtain for me the grace; to work conscientiously, putting
the demands of my work before my ever-changing feeling; to work
with gratitude and joy, considering it an honour to develop, by
means of my work, the gifts God has given me; to work in an orderly
manner, with patience and perseverance, without too easily giving
in to weariness or difficulties; to work above all, with the purity
of intention and with detachment from self, keeping death in mind
and the account I will have to give God of time lost, talents and
material wasted, of good omitted, of complacency in success - all
so fatal to the work of God. "All for Jesus, all through Mary, all
after your example", blessed Joseph, such shall be my watchword at
my daily work, in life and in death. Amen. ~ Pope St. Pius
X
Alternative
version:- Glorious Saint Joseph,
model of all who are devoted to labour, obtain for me the grace to
work in the spirit of penance in expiation of my many sins; to work
conscientiously by placing love of duty above my inclinations; to
gratefully and joyously deem it an honour to employ and to develop
by labour the gifts I have received from God, to work methodically,
peacefully, and in moderation and patience, without ever shrinking
from it through weariness or difficulty to work; above all, with
purity of intention and unselfishness, having unceasingly before my
eyes death and the account I have to render of time lost, talents
unused, good not done, and vain complacency in success, so baneful
to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate
thee, O patriarch Saint Joseph! This shall be my motto for life and
eternity. ~ Pope Saint Pius X
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Other Prayers to St. Joseph
Saint Teresa of Avila said this about devotion to
Saint Joseph: "I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to
this glorious saint, for I have great experience of the blessings
which he can obtain from God. I have never known anyone to be truly
devoted to him and render him particular services that did not
notably advance in virtue, for he gives very real help to souls who
commend themselves to him. For some years now, I think, I have made
some request of him every year on his festival and I have always
had it granted. If my petition is in any way ill directed, he
directs it aright for my greater good."
O thou, whom
no one has ever yet invoked in vain, thou, whose power with Our
Lord and Our Lady is so great, that it has been truly said, "In
Heaven, Joseph commands rather than supplicates," tender father,
intercede for me!
St. Joseph, be my advocate with thy Divine Son, Whose foster-father
and faithful protector thou were here below. Add to all thy
glories, that of gaining the despaired of cause that I confide to
thee. I believe, yes, I believe thou canst obtain my deliverance
from the troubles that overwhelm me, and the desolation in which my
soul is plunged. I have the firm hope that thou wilt neglect
nothing in favour of the afflicted who invoke thee.
Humbly prostrate at thy feet, dear St. Joseph, I implore thee to
have pity on my tears, cover me with the mantle of thy merciful
protection and bless me. Amen.
An Ancient Prayer to Saint Joseph
O St.
Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before
the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O
St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain
for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus
Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly
power I may offer my Thanksgiving and Homage to the most Loving of
Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus
asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your
heart. Press him in my name and kiss His fine Head for me, and ask
Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph,
Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen
This novena to Saint Joseph, the
foster father of Christ, is often distributed on prayer cards with
the following text: "This prayer was found in the 50th year of Our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In 1505, it was sent from the pope
to Emperor Charles when he was going into battle. Whoever shall
read this prayer or hear it or keep it about themselves shall never
die a sudden death or be drowned, nor shall poison take effect on
them-neither shall they fall into the hands of the enemy or be
burned in any fire or be overpowered in battle. Say for nine
mornings for anything you desire. It has never been known to fail,
provided that the request is for one's spiritual benefit or for
those whom we are praying for."
<:))))<><
Glorious Saint Joseph, you are the pattern of all who work. Obtain for me, please, the grace to work conscientiously and to put devotion to duty before my selfish inclinations. Help me to labour in thankfulness and joy, for it is an honour to employ and to develop by my labour the gifts I have received from almighty God. Grant that I may work in orderliness, peace, moderation and patience without shrinking from weariness and difficulties. I offer my fatigue and perplexities as reparation for sin. I shall work, above all, with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill-spent, of talents unemployed, of good undone, and of empty pride in success, which is so fatal to the work of God. For Jesus through Mary, all in imitation of you, good Saint Joseph. Amen.
<:))))<><
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