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May 1: Feast day for Joseph, the Worker
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Prayer to Saint Joseph, Patron of Workers: O glorious patriarch, Saint Joseph, humble and just craftsman of Nazareth, you gave to all Christians, but particularly to us, an example of a perfect life of assiduous work and of admirable unity with Mary and Jesus. Help us in our daily work so that we might find in it an effective means of glorifying our Lord, of sanctifying ourselves and of being useful to the society in which we live. Obtain for us from our Lord, O beloved protector, humility and simplicity of heart, attachment to work, benevolence towards those who work with us, compliance with the divine will in the difficulties of this life and joy in bearing them, consciousness of our specific social mission and the sense of our social responsibility, a spirit of discipline and prayer, docility and respect for our superiors, fraternity towards our equals, support in times of stress, charity and indulgence for our dependents. Help us to follow your example and to keep our sight fixed on Mary, our Mother, your gentle wife, who wove silently in a corner of your humble shop, smiling sweetly. May we never avert our eyes from Jesus, who worked with you at your carpenter's bench, so that we may in like manner lead peaceful and holy lives on earth, the prelude to the eternally happy one which awaits us in heaven for ever more. Amen. |
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Prayer For Success In Work: Glorious
St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the
grace to work conscientiously putting the call of duty above my natural
inclinations; to work with gratitude and joy, considering it an honor to
employ and develop, by means of labor, the gifts received from God; without
recoiling before weariness or difficulties; to work, above all, with purity
of intention, and with detachment from self, having always death before my
eves and the account which I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of
good omitted, of vain complacency in success so fatal to the work of God. All
for Jesus, all for Mary all after thy example, Patriarch St. Joseph. Such
shall be my watchword in life and death. |
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Novena to Saint Joseph
1st Day - Foster-Father of Jesus Saint Joseph, you were privileged to share in the
mystery of the Incarnation as the foster-father of Jesus. Mary alone was
directly connected with the fulfillment of the mystery, in that she gave her
consent to Christ's conception and allowed the Holy Spirit to form the sacred
humanity of Jesus from her blood. You had a part in this mystery in an
indirect manner, by fulfilling the condition necessary for the Incarnation -
the protection of Mary's virginity before and during your married life with
her. You made the virginal marriage possible, and this was a part of God's
plan, forseen, willed, and decreed from all eternity. In a more direct manner you shared in the support,
upbringing, and protection of the Divine Child as His foster-father. For this
purpose the Heavenly Father gave you a genuine heart of a father - a heart
full of love and self-sacrifice. With the toil of your hands you were obliged
to offer protection to the Divine Child, to procure for Him food, clothing,
and a home. You were truly the saint of the holy childhood of Jesus - the
living created providence which watched over the Christ-Child. When Herod sought the Child to put Him to death, the
Heavenly Father sent an angel but only as a messenger, giving orders for the
flight; the rest He left entirely in your hands. Then it was that fatherly
love was the only refuge which received and protected the Divine Child. Your
fatherly love carried Him through the desert into Egypt till all enemies were
removed. Then on your arms the Child returned to Nazareth to be nourished and
provided for during many years by the labor of your hands. Whatever a human
son owes to a human father for all the benefits of his up-bringing and
support, Jesus owed to you, because you were to Him a foster-father, teacher,
and protector. You served the Divine Child with a singular love. God
gave you a heart filled with heavenly, supernatural love - a love far deeper
and more powerful than any natural father's love could be. You served the Divine Child with great unselfishness,
without any regard to self-interest, but not without sacrifices. You did not
toil for yourself, but you seemed to be an instrument intended for the
benefit of others, to be put aside as soon as it had done its word, for you
disappeared from the scene once the childhood of Jesus had passed. You were the shadow of the Heavenly Father not only as
the earthly representative of the authority of the Father, but also by means
of your fatherhood - which only appeared to be natural - you were to hide for
a while the divinity of Jesus. What a wonderfully sublime and divine vocation
was yours - the loving Child which you carried in your arms, and loved and
served so faithfully, had God in Heaven as Father and was Himself God! Yours is a very special rank among the saints of the
Kingdom of God, because you were so much a part of the very life of the Word
of God made Man. In your house at Nazareth and under your care the redemption
of mankind was prepared. What you accomplished, you did for us. You are not
only a powerful and great saint in the Kingdom of God, but a benefactor of
the whole of Christendom and mankind. Your rank in the Kingdom of God,
surpassing far in dignity and honor of all the angels, deserves our very
special veneration, love, and gratitude. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of having
been chosen by God to be the foster-father of His Divine Son. As a token of
your own gratitude to God for this your greatest privilege, obtain for me the
grace of a very devoted love for Jesus Christ, my God and my Savior. Help me
to serve Him with some of the self-sacrificing love and devotedness with
which you have done so. Grant that through your intercession with Jesus, your
foster-Son, I may reach the degree of holiness God has destined for me, and
save my soul. 2nd
Day - Virginal Husband of Mary Saint
Joseph, I honor you as the true husband of Mary. Scripture says: "Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, and of
her was born Jesus who is called Christ" (Matt. 1:16). Your marriage to Mary was a sacred contract by which
you and Mary gave yourselves to each other. Mary really belonged to you with
all she was and had. You had a right to her love and obedience; and no other
person so won her esteem, obedience, and love. You were also the protector and witness of Mary's
virginity. By your marriage you gave to each other your virginity, and also
the mutual right over it - a right to safeguard the other's virtue. This
mutual virginity also belonged to the divine plan of the Incarnation, for God
sent His angel to assure you that motherhood and virginity in Mary could be
united. This union of marriage not only brought you into daily
familiar association with Mary, the loveliest of God's creatures, but also
enabled you to share with her a mutual exchange of spiritual goods. And Mary
found her edification in your calm, humble, and deep virtue, purity, and
sanctity. What a great honor comes to you from this close union with her whom
the Son of God calls Mother and whom He declared the Queen of heaven and
earth! Whatever Mary had belonged by right to you also, and this included her
Son, even though He had been given to her by God in a wonderful way. Jesus
belonged to you as His legal father. Your marriage was the way which God chose
to have Jesus introduced into the world, a great divine mystery from which
all benefits have come to us. God the Son confided the guardianship and the support
of His Immaculate Mother to your care. Mary's life was that of the Mother of
the Savior, who did not come upon earth to enjoy honors and pleasures, but to
redeem the world by hard work, suffering, and the cross. You were the
faithful companion, support, and comforter of the Mother of Sorrows. How
loyal you were to her in poverty, journeying, work, and pain. Your love for
Mary was based upon your esteem for her as Mother of God. After God and the
Divine Child, you loved no one as much as her. Mary responded to this love.
She submitted to your guidance with naturalness and easy grace and childlike confidence.
The Holy Spirit Himself was the bond of the great love which united your
hearts. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being
the virginal husband of Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain
for me the grace to love Jesus with all my heart, as you did, and you love
Mary with some of the tenderness and loyalty with which you loved her. 3rd
Day - Man Chosen by the Blessed Trinity
Saint
Joseph, you were the man chosen by God the Father. He selected you to be His
representative on earth, hence He granted you all the graces and blessings
you needed to be His worthy representative. You
were the man chosen by God the Son. Desirous of a worthy foster-father, He
added His own riches and gifts, and above all, His love. The true measure of
your sanctity is to be judged by your imitation of Jesus. You were entirely
consecrated to Jesus, working always near Him, offering Him your virtues,
your work, your sufferings, your very life. Jesus lived in you perfectly so
that you were transformed into Him. In this lies your special glory, and the
keynote of your sanctity. Hence, after Mary, you are the holiest of the saints.
You
were chosen by the Holy Spirit. He is the mutual Love of the Father and the
Son - the heart of the Holy Trinity. In His wisdom He drew forth all
creatures from nothing, guides them to their end in showing them their
destiny and giving them the means to reach it. Every vocation and every
fulfillment of a vocation proceeds from the Holy Spirit. As a foster-father
of Jesus and head of the Holy Family, you had an exalted and most responsible
vocation - to open the way for the redemption of the world and to prepare for
it by the education and guidance of the youth of the God-Man. In this work
you cooperated as the instrument of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the
guide; you obeyed and carried out the works. How perfectly you obeyed the
guidance of the God of Love! The
words of the Old Testament which Pharaoh spoke concerning Joseph of Egypt can
well be applied to you: "Can we find such another man, that is full of the
spirit of God, or a wise man like to him?" (Genesis 41.38) No less is your share in the divine work of God than
was that of Egypt. You now reign with your foster-Son and see reflected in
the mirror of God's Wisdom the Divine Will and what is of benefit to our
souls. Saint Joseph, I thank God for having made you the man
specially chosen by Him. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for
me the grace to imitate your virtues so that I too may be pleasing to the
Heart of God. Help me to give myself entirely to His service and to the
accomplishment of His Holy Will, that one day I may reach heaven and be
eternally united to God as you are. 4th Day - Faithful Servant Saint Joseph, you lived for one purpose - to be the
personal servant of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Your noble birth and
ancestry, the graces and gifts, so generously poured out on you by God - all
this was yours to serve our Lord better. Every thought, word, and action of
yours was a homage to the love and glory of the Incarnate Word. You fulfilled
most faithfully the role of a good and faithful servant who cared for the
House of God. How perfect was your obedience! Your position in the
Holy Family obliged you to command, but besides being the foster-father of
Jesus, you were also His disciple. For almost thirty years, you watched the
God-Man display a simple and prompt obedience, and you grew to love and
practice it very perfectly yourself. Without exception you submitted to God,
to the civil rulers, and to the voice of your conscience. When God sent an angel to tell you to care for Mary,
you obeyed in spite of the mystery which surrounded her motherhood. When you
were told to flee into Egypt under painful conditions, you obeyed without the
slightest word of complaint. When God advised you in a dream to return to
Nazareth, you obeyed. In every situation your obedience was as simple as your
faith, as humble as your heart, as prompt as your love. It neglected nothing;
it took in every command. You had the virtue of perfect devotedness, which marks
a good servant. Every moment of your life was consecrated to the service of
our Lord: sleep, rest, work, pain. Faithful to your duties, you sacrificed
everything unselfishly, even cheerfully. You would have sacrificed even the
happiness of being with Mary. The rest and quiet of Nazareth was sacrificed
at the call of duty. Your entire life was one generous giving, even to the
point of being ready to die in proof of your love for Jesus and Mary. With true
unselfish devotedness you worked without praise or reward. But God wanted you to be in a certain sense a
cooperator in the Redemption of the world. He confided to you the care of
nourishing and defending the Divine Child. He wanted you to be poor and to
suffer because He destined you to be the foster-father of His Son, who came
into the world to save men by His sufferings and death, and you were to share
in His suffering. In all of these important tasks, the Heavenly Father always
found you a faithful servant! Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being
God's faithful servant. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for
me the grace to be a faithful servant of God as you were. Help me to share,
as you did, the perfect obedience of Jesus, who came not to do His Will, but
the Will of His Father, to trust in the Providence of God, knowing that if I
do His Will, He will provide for all my needs of soul and body: to be calm in
my trials and to leave it to our Lord to free me from them when it pleases
Him to do so. And help me to imitate your generosity, for there can be no
greater reward here on earth than the joy and honor of being a faithful
servant of God. 5th Day - Patron of the Church Saint Joseph, God has appointed you patron of the
Catholic Church because you were the head of the Holy Family, the type and
starting-point of the Church. You were the father, protector, guide and
support of the Holy Family. For that reason you belong in a particular way to
the Church, which was the purpose of the Holy Family's existence. I believe that the Church is the family of God on
earth. Its government is represented in priestly authority which consists above
all in its power over the true Body of Christ, really present in the Blessed
Sacrament of the Altar, thus continuing Christ's life in the Church. From
this power, too, comes authority over the Mystical Body of Christ, the
members of the Church - the power to teach and govern souls, to reconcile
them with God, to bless them, and to pray for them. You have a special relationship to the priesthood
because you possessed a wonderful power over our Savior Himself. Your life
and office were of a priestly functions are especially connected with the
Blessed Sacrament. To some extent you were the means of bringing the Redeemer
to us - as it is the priest's function to bring Him to us in the Mass - for
you reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. You were
prefigured by the patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his
people. But how much greater than he were you! Joseph of old gave the
Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. You nourished and with tenderest care
preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal
life in Holy Communion. God has appointed you patron of the Church because the
glorious title of patriarch also falls by special right to you. The
patriarchs were the heads of families of the Chosen People, and theirs was
the honor to prepare for the Savior's incarnation. You belonged to this line
of patriarchs, for you were one of the last descendants of the family of
David and one of the nearest forebears of Christ according to the flesh. As
husband of Mary, the Mother of God, and as the foster-father of the Savior,
you were directly connected with Christ. Your vocation was especially
concerned with the Person of Jesus; your entire activity centered about Him.
You are, therefore, the closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the
New, which took its rise with the Holy Family of Nazareth. Because the New
Testament surpasses the Old in every respect, you are the patriarch of
patriarchs, the most venerable, exalted, and amiable of all the patriarchs. Through Mary, the Church received Christ, and therefore
the Church is indebted to her. But the Church owes her debt of gratitude and
veneration to you also, for you were the chosen one who enabled Christ to
enter into the world according to the laws of order and fitness. It was by
you that the patriarchs and the prophets and the faithful reaped the fruit of
God's promise, Alone among them all, you saw with your won eyes and possessed
the Redeemer promised to the rest of men. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being
the Patron of the Church. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for
me the grace to live always as a worthy member of this Church, so that
through it I may save my soul. Bless the priests, the religious, and the laity
of the Catholic Church, that they may ever grow in God's love and
faithfulness in His service. Protect the Church from the evils of our day and
from the persecution of her enemies. Through your powerful intercession may
the church successfully accomplish its mission in this world - the glory of
God and the salvation of souls! 6th
Day - Patron of Families Saint
Joseph, I venerate you as the gentle head of the Holy Family. The Holy Family
was the scene of your life's work in its origin, in its guidance, in its
protection, in your labor for Jesus and Mary, and even in your death in their
arms. You lived, moved, and acted in the loving company of Jesus and Mary.
The inspired writer describes your life at Nazareth in only a few words: "And (Jesus) went down with them and came to
Nazareth, and was subject to them"
(Luke, 2:51). Yet these words tell of your high vocation here on
earth, and the abundance of graces which filled your soul during those years
spent in Nazareth. Your family life at Nazareth was all radiant with the
light of divine charity. There was an intimate union of heart and mind among
the members of your Holy Family. There could not have been a closer bond than
that uniting you to Jesus, your foster-Son and to Mary, your most loving
wife. Jesus chose to fulfill toward you, His foster-father, all the duties of
a faithful son, showing you every mark of honor and affection due to a
parent. And Mary showed you all the signs of respect and love of a devoted
wife. You responded to this love and veneration of both Jesus and Mary for
you with feelings of deepest love and respect. You had for Jesus a true fatherly
love, enkindled and kept aglow in you heart by the Holy Spirit. And you could
not cease to admire the workings of grace in Mary's soul, and this admiration
caused the holy love which you had consecrated to her on the day of your
wedding you grow stronger every day. God has made you a heavenly patron of family life
because you sanctified yourself as head of the Holy Family and thus by your
beautiful example sanctified family life. How peacefully and happily the Holy
Family rested under the care of your fatherly rule, even in the midst of
trials. You were the protector, counselor, and consolation of the Holy Family
in every need. And just as you were the model of piety, so you gave us by
your zeal, your earnestness and devout trust in God's providence, and
especially by your love, the example of labor according to the Will of God.
You cherished all the experiences common to family life and the sacred
memories of the life, sufferings, and joys in the company of Jesus and Mary.
Therefore the family is dear to you as the work of God, and it is of the
highest importance in your eyes to promote the honor of God and the
well-being of man. In your loving fatherliness and unfailing intercession you
are the patron and intercessor of families, and you deserve a place in every
home. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of living
in the Holy Family and being its head. As a token of your own gratitude to
God, obtain God's blessing upon my own family. Make our home the kingdom of
Jesus and Mary - a kingdom of peace, of joy, and love. I also pray for all Christian families. Your help is
needed in our day when God's enemy has directed his attack against the family
in order to desecrate and destroy it. In the face of these evils, as patron
of families, be pleased to help; and as of old, you arose to save the Child
and His Mother, so today arise to protect the sanctity of the home. Make our
homes sanctuaries of prayer, of love, of patient sacrifice, and of work. May
they be modeled after your own at Nazareth. Remain with us with Jesus and
Mary, so that by your help we may obey the commandments of God and of the
Church, receive the holy sacraments of God and of the Church, live a life of
prayer, foster religious instruction in our homes. Grant that we may be reunited
in God's Kingdom and eternally live in the company of the Holy Family in
heaven. 7th
Day - Patron of Workers Saint
Joseph, you devoted your time at Nazareth to the work of a carpenter. It was
the Will of God that you and your foster-Son should spend your days together
in manual labor. What a beautiful example you set for the working classes! It
was especially for the poor, who compose the greater part of mankind, that
Jesus came upon earth, for in the synagogue of Nazareth He read the words of
Isaiah and referred them to Himself: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He has
anointed Me; to bring good news to the poor He has sent Me" (Luke 4:18). It
was God's Will that you should be occupied with work common to poor people,
that in this way Jesus Himself might enoble it by inheriting it from you, His
foster-father, and by freely embracing it. Thus our Lord teaches us that for
the humbler class of workmen, He has in store His richest graces, provided
they live in content in the place God's Providence has assigned them, and
remain poor in spirit for He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).
The kind of work to which you devoted your time in the
workshop of Nazareth offered you many occasions of practicing humility. You
were privileged to see each day the example of humility which Jesus practiced
- a virtue most pleasing to Him. He chose for His earthly surrounding not the
courts of princes nor the halls of the learned, but a little workshop of
Nazareth. Here you shared for many years the humble and hidden toiling of the
God-Man. What a touching example for the worker of today! While your hands were occupied with manual work, your
mind was turned to God in prayer. From the Divine Master, who worked along
with you, you learned to work in the presence of God in the spirit of prayer,
for as He worked He adored His Father and recommended the welfare of the world
to Him, Jesus also instructed you in the wonderful truths of grace and
virtue, for you were in close contact with Him who said of Himself, "I
am the Way and the Truth and the Life." As you were working at your trade, you were reminded of
the greatness and majesty of God, who, as a most wise Architect, formed this
vast universe with wonderful skill and limitless power. The light of divine faith that filled your mind, did
not grow dim when you saw Jesus working as a carpenter. You firmly believed
that the saintly Youth working beside you was truly God's own Son. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being
able to work side by side with Jesus in the carpenter shop of Nazareth. As a
token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to respect the
dignity of labor and ever to be content with the position in life, however
lowly, in which it may please Divine Providence to place me. Teach me to work
for God and with God in the spirit of humility and prayer, as you did, so
that I may offer my toil in union with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass as
a reparation for my sins, and gain rich merit for heaven. 8th Day - Friend of Suffering Saint Joseph, your share of suffering was very great
because of your close union with the Divine Savior. All the mysteries of His
life were more or less mysteries of suffering. Poverty pressed upon you, and
the cross of labor followed you everywhere. Nor were you spared domestic
crosses, owing to misunderstandings in regard to the holiest and most
cherished of all beings, Jesus and Mary, who were all to you. Keen must have
been the suffering caused by the uncertainty regarding Mary's virginity; by
the bestowal of the name of Jesus, which pointed to future misfortune. Deeply
painful must have been the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the
disappearance of Jesus at the Paschal feast. To these sufferings were surely
added interior sorrow at the sight of the sins of your own people. You bore all this suffering in a truly Christ-like
manner, and in this you are our example. No sound of complaint or impatience
escaped you - you were, indeed, the silent saint! You submitted to all in the
spirit of faith, humility, confidence, and love; and cheerfully bore all in
union with and for the Savior and His Mother, knowing well that true love is
a crucified love. But God never forsook you in your trials. The trials, too,
disappeared and were changed at last into consolation and joy. It seems that God had purposely intended your life to
be filled with suffering as well as consolation to keep before my eyes the
truth that my life on earth is but a succession of joys and sorrows, and that
I must gratefully accept whatever God sends me, and during the time of
consolation prepare for suffering. Teach me to bear my cross in the spirit of
faith, of confidence, and of gratitude toward God. In a happy eternity, I
shall thank God fervently for the sufferings which He deigned to send me
during my pilgrimage on earth, and which after your example I endured with
patience and heartfelt love for Jesus and Mary. You were truly the martyr of the hidden life. This was
God's Will, for the holier a person is, the more he is tried for the love and
glory of God. If suffering is the flowering of God's grace in a soul and the
triumph of the soul's love for God, being the greatest of saints after Mary,
you suffered more than any of the martyrs. Because you have experienced the sufferings of this
valley of tears, you are most kind and sympathetic toward those in need. Down
through the ages souls have turned to you in distress and have always found
you a faithful friend in suffering. You have graciously heard their prayers
in their needs even though it demanded a miracle. Having been so intimately
united with Jesus and Mary in life, your intercession with Them is most
powerful. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able
to suffer for Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain
for me the grace to bear my suffering patiently for love of Jesus and Mary.
Grant that I may unite the sufferings, works and disappointments of life with
the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass, and share like you in Mary's spirit of
sacrifice. 9th
Day - Patron of a Happy Death Saint
Joseph, how fitting it was that at the hour of your death Jesus should stand
at your bedside with Mary, the sweetness and hope of all mankind. You gave
your entire life to the service of Jesus and Mary; at death you enjoyed the
consolation of dying in Their loving arms. You accepted death in the spirit
of loving submission to the Will of God, and this acceptance crowned your
hidden life of virtue. Yours was a merciful judgement, for your foster-Son,
for whom you had cared so lovingly, was your Judge, and Mary was your
advocate. The verdict of the Judge was a word of encouragement to wait for
His coming to Limbo, where He would shower you with the choicest fruits of
the Redemption, and an embrace of grateful affection before you breathed
forth your soul into eternity. You
looked into eternity and to your everlasting reward with confidence. If our
Savior blessed the shepherds, the Magi, Simeon, John the Baptist, and others,
because they greeted His presence with devoted hearts for a brief passing
hour, how much more did He bless you who have sanctified yourself for so many
years in His company and that of His Mother? If Jesus regards every corporal
and spiritual work of mercy, performed in behalf of our fellow men our of
love for Him, as done to Himself, and promises heaven as a reward, what must
have been the extent of His gratitude to you who in the truest sense of the
word have received Him, given Him shelter, clothed, nourished, and consoled
Him at the sacrifice of your strength and rest, and even your life, with a
love which surpassed the love of all fathers. God
really and personally made Himself your debtor. Our Divine Savior paid that
debt of gratitude by granting you many graces in your lifetime, especially
the grace of growing in love, which is the best and most perfect of all
gifts. Thus at the end of your life your heart became filled with love, the
fervor and longing of which your frail body could not resist. Your soul
followed the triumphant impulse of your love and winged its flight from earth
to bear the prophets and patriarchs in Limbo the glad tidings of the advent
of the Redeemer. Saint
Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to die in the arms of
Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the
grace of a happy death. Help me to spend each day in preparation for death.
May I, too, accept death in the spirit of resignation to God's Holy Will, and
die, as you did, in the arms of Jesus, strengthened by Holy Viaticum, and in
the arms of Mary, with her rosary in my hand and her name on my lips! NOVENA
PRAYER Saint
Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and
intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special
confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of
salvation in you, for you are specially powerful with God and will never
abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend
myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your
intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon
me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious
Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble,
charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my
father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the
arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving
Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to
implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of
Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare,
particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:
(Mention
your request). Guardian
of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be
graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. |
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Memorare To St. Joseph: Remember, 0 most pure Spouse of the Virgin Mary, St.
Joseph, my beloved patron, that never hath it been heard that anyone invoked
thy patronage and sought thine aid without being comforted. Inspired by this
confidence, I come to thee and fervently commend myself to thee. Despise not
my petition, dear foster-father of our Redeemer, but accept it graciously.
Amen. |
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St. Joseph, the
husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus, was a carpenter by trade.
Although he lead a humble life, he came from a royal lineage, descended from
David, King of Israel. Joseph was a devoted husband and father
who protected his family through his faith and obedience to God. When an
angel came to warn him that his family was in danger he took them out of
Bethlehem into Egypt where he waited until the angel told him it was safe to
return. St. Joseph is the patron of the dying, the
universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice. Two feast days are celebrated for Joseph: March 19 —
for Joseph, the Husband of Mary and May 1 — for
Joseph the Worker. Saint Joseph was a just man, a tireless worker, the
upright guardian of those entrusted to his care. May he always guard, protect
and enlighten families. Pope John Paul II: REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS Pope John Paul II - Apostolic
Exhortation - On the Person and Mission of Saint Joseph in the Life of Christ
and the Church - 15 August 1989 |
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Prayer to Saint Joseph the Workman
We speak to you, O blessed Joseph, our protector on earth,
as one who knows the value of work and the response of our calling. We
address you through your holy spouse, the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God,
and knowing the fatherly affection with which you embraced Our Lord Jesus,
ask that you may assist us in our needs, and strengthen us in our labors. |
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Novena to Saint Joseph
Oh Saint Joseph whose
protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I
place in you all my interests and desires.
Oh Saint Joseph,
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
Loving of Fathers.
Oh Saint 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.
Saint Joseph, Patron
of departing souls, pray for us.
Amen
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Prayer to Saint Joseph, Patron of Workers
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 labor in thankfulness and joy, for it is an honor to employ and to develop by my labor 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. This shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen. |
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It Is No Secret
The
chimes of time ring out the news, Another
day is through. Someone
slipped and fell. Was
that someone you? You
may have longed for added strength, Your
courage to renew. Do
not be disheartened, For
I have news for you. It
is no secret what God can do. What
He's done for others, He'll do for you. With
arms wide open, He'll pardon you. It
is no secret what God can do. There
is no night for in His light You
never walk alone. Always
feel at home, Wherever
you may go. There
is no power can conquer you While
God is on your side. Take
Him at His promise, Don't
run away and hide. It
is no secret what God can do. What
He's done for others, He'll do for you. With
arms wide open, He'll pardon you. It
is no secret what God can do. |
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Music: It Is
No Secret, sung by Elvis Presley Written by
Stuart Hamblin The music is purely for your listening pleasure
only, without any commercial interest whatsoever or profit of any kind.
Titles have copyright by their respective artists and record companies. Graceland,
Elvis, and Elvis Presley are trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. |
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Please take a minute and sign my guestbook to let me
know you were here.
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Thanks to
for the graphics on this page. |
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