Tag Archives: Feast of St. Joseph

St. Joseph Novena –

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Bronze St. Joseph

Noble Son of the House of David, Pray for Us! © SalveMaterDei.com, 2018

The Doctor of the Church, St. Teresa of Jesus (also known as St. Teresa of Avila) nurtured a profound devotion to St. Joseph – indeed she attributed her miraculous cure from a near-fatal illness to his patronage. In each and every monastery of the Order of Discalced Carmelites that St. Teresa of Jesus established, she shared her immense devotion to the saint who bears the distinction of being the foster-father of Jesus the Christ Child, and also the distinction of being the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Teresa expressly promoted the celebration of the Feast of St. Joseph, which in the Western Church occurs on March 19.  St. Teresa urged the members of her Discalced Carmelite Community to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph with the “highest solemnity,” and is quoted as saying that St. Joseph had never refused her any request on his feast. She would often direct, “Go to Joseph!”

In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church. This strong and silent saint, to whom alone God the Father entrusted the guardianship of the Holy Family, is known under many titles. Having died in the arms of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus, St. Joseph is often invoked as the patron of a good or happy death. The good St. Joseph is well known as the patron of families and of workers or carpenters. In a meaningful way, St. Joseph is also venerated as the preeminent patron of fathers and foster-fathers. In this present age, during which the institutions of marriage and family have been denigrated and the very role of fatherhood is under attack; an age which has deprived so many virtual orphans of the experience of the love of an authentic father, St. Joseph stands as powerful a model and witness as he is an intercessor. St. Joseph, Please pray for us!

Please join me in praying the Novena to St. Joseph; most especially entrusting to him the concerns of all fathers and families, as well as the needs of the Universal Church.

Novena to St. Joseph (often prayed in anticipation of his feast from March 10-19)

Memorare of St. Joseph:

Remember, O most illustrious Patriarch St. Joseph, on the testimony of St. Teresa of Jesus, your devoted client, never has it been heard that anyone who invoked your protection or sought your mediation has not obtained relief. In this confidence I come before you, my loving protector, chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Foster-Father of the Savior and dispenser of the treasures of His Sacred Heart. Despise not my earnest prayer, but graciously hear and obtain my petition. . . . (here, mention your petition).

Let us pray. .  .

O God, Who by Your ineffable Providence, You chose St. Joseph to be the spouse of Your Holy Mother, grant, we beseech You, that he whom we venerate as our protector on Earth may also be our intercessor in Heaven. We ask this though He Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

 

 

The Just Man Shall Blossom Forever Like the Lily. . . .

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St. Joseph, Please Pray for Us! © SalveMaterDei.com, 2012

Happy Feast of St. Joseph! This is one of my favorite feasts. Our beloved Carmelite Mother, St. Teresa of Avila, directed that St. Joseph’s Feast be celebrated with utmost joy of the highest of solemnities. Who am I to argue with the Holy Mother? How awesome of Our Good Lord to offer His foster father’s feast as an oasis in our penitential sojourn through the desert of Lent.

Little is known about the chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin. No direct quotes from Sacred Scripture can be attributed to St. Joseph. He did not make lofty speeches, nor was he a celebrated theologian. Instead, St. Joseph worked hard, sacrificed much, dreamed dreams, and loved deeply. Thus, he is the Patron of the Universal Catholic Church,

Protect them O, Lord! © SalveMaterDei.com, 2012

Today is my little Joseph’s feast. It also happens to be the anniversary of his First Holy Communion. One of my favorite Joseph stories took place when he was the tender age of six. It was the feast of the Holy Family, and we were kneeling in prayer during those precious moments of sacred silence prior to the celebration of Holy Mass. My little Joseph nudged me, and with all earnestness whispered, “Mom, why did God make St. Joseph with cinnamon?” Quizzically, I looked down at his solemn little face, and said, “Sweetie, God most certainly did not make St. Joseph with cinnamon.” To which my indignant little man replied, “I did NOT ask why God made St. Joseph with cinnamon, I asked why God made St. Joseph with Sin – in – him; you know Mom, because He made the Blessed Virgin without Sin-in- Her.” WOW! God is amazing! How magnificent of Him to place such questions with the hearts of mere children. Like St. Joseph, my little Joseph was responding to the love of God with a grace that could have only come from above.

Why is it that so many of us mothers name our sons after St. Joseph? Surely we seek his unparalleled protection for our cherished progeny. Cognizant that God Himself chose St. Joseph to safeguard His Divine Son and the Blessed Virgin, we reason that St. Joseph will likewise shelter our sons from harm.

However, our decision to choose St. Joseph as a patron does not end with our confidence in his powerful protection. Rather, we choose him in part because we hope our sons will emulate his example. We see St. Joseph as the strong, silent man, who would willingly sacrifice his well-earned reputation, to do the right thing. We admire St. Joseph the Worker, and pray our sons will likewise be industrious in the service of the Lord. We stand in awe of St. Joseph’s ability to act on his dreams, and respond to the slightest whisper of God’s Holy Will. We recognize that God Himself trusted St. Joseph to guard the purity of the Blessed Virgin, and pray the Lord will also give our sons the grace to not only remain chaste, but also to guard the purity of those entrusted to them. We see in St. Joseph the model father, who derives his authority from God the Father, and exercises it with gentleness and humility, and can ask no greater gift for our young men as well. In St. Joseph we appreciate a life of service and uncompromised love, and desire that our sons too may be willing to sacrifice all for the Love of God.

Window from Maternity of the Blessed Virgin, Richfield © SalveMaterDei.com, 2012

On this Feast of St. Joseph, honor him by telling a Joseph in your life how much he resembles his Holy Patron, and pray to St. Joseph for his intercession for the blessing this special man needs to live in the Grace of God. Join me in praying this nearly 2,000 year old prayer to the beloved foster father of Our Lord Jesus Christ:

 

Oh 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.

Please, St. Joseph, do assist me with your powerful intercession,

And obtain for me from your Divine Son all possible spiritual blessings.

So that having engaged here below your heavenly power,

I may offer thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.

St. Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you,

and the Child Jesus asleep in your arms.

Press Him in my name.

Kiss his fine head for me,

and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.

St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, I place my petitions in thy tender care.

I consecrate myself and my family to the Holy Heart of St. Joseph. St. Joseph, please pray for us! Happy Feast Day!

Blessings,

Ad Jesus per Mariam,

M.A. J.M.J.