O, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so prompt, so strong,
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 departed souls - pray for me. Amen
The Litany of St Joseph
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us. (repeat at end of each phrase.)
Saint Joseph,
Renowned son of David,
Light of Patriarchs,
Husband of the Mother of God,
Guardian of the Redeemer,
Pure guardian of the Virgin,
Foster-father of the Son of God,
Zealous defender of Christ,
Servant of Christ,
Minister of Salvation,
Head of the Holy Family,
Joseph most just,
Joseph most pure,
Joseph most prudent,
Joseph most valiant,
Joseph most obedient,
Joseph most faithful,
Mirror of patience,
Lover of poverty,
Model of workers,
Glory of family life,
Guardian of virgins,
Pillar of families,
Support in difficulties,
Comfort of the sorrowing,
Hope of the sick,
Patron of exiles,
Patron of the afflicted,
Patron of the poor,
Patron of the dying,
Terror of demons,
Protector of Holy Church,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. He has made him lord of his household,
R. And prince over all his possessions.
Let us pray. O God, who, in your loving providence, chose Blessed Joseph to be the husband of your most Holy Mother, grant us the favor of having him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our protector. You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give You my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I brethe out my soul in peace with You.
Memorare to St Joseph
Remember, O most chaste husband of the Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who implored your help
and sought your intercession were left unassisted.
Full of confidence in your power I fly unto you and beg your protection.
Despise not O Guardian of the Redeemer my humble supplication,
but in your bounty, hear and answer me. Amen.
Memorare to St Joseph
as prayed by St Faustina's community
Remember, O most pure husband of Mary,
and my dearly beloved guardian, St. Joseph,
that never was it known that anyone who invoked your care
and requested your help was left without consolation.
Inspired with this confidence, I come to you,
and with all the ardor of my spirit I commend myself to you.
Do not reject my prayer, O Foster Father of the Savior,
but graciously receive and answer it. Amen!
Prayer to St Joseph the Worker
written by St. Pope Pius X
O 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,
in a spirit of penance for the remission of my sins,
considering it an honor to employ and develop
by means of labor the gifts received from God,
to work with order, peace, moderation and patience,
without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties,
to work above all with purity of intention and detachment from self,
having always death before my eyes
and the account that 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 through Mary, all after thine example,
O Patriarch, St. Joseph. Such shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph for Employment
Saint Joseph, you were yourself once faced with the responsibility of providing the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary.
Look down with fatherly compassion upon me in my anxiety over my present inability to support my family.
Please help me to find gainful employment very soon, so that this heavy burden of concern will be lifted from my heart and that I am soon able to provide for those whom God has entrusted to my care.
Help us to guard against bitterness and discouragement, so that we may emerge from this trial spiritually enriched and with even greater blessings from God. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph for a Happy Death
O Glorious Saint Joseph, I choose you today for my special patron in life and at the hour of my death.
Preserve and increase in me the spirit of prayer and fervor in the service of God.
Remove far from me every kind of sin; obtain for me that my death may not come upon me unawares,
but that I may have time to confess my sins sacramentally and to bewail them with a most perfect understanding and a most sincere and perfect contrition,
in order that I may breathe forth my soul into the hands of Jesus and Mary. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph for Purity
O Guardian of Virgins and holy Father St. Joseph,
into whose faithful keeping were entrusted Christ Jesus, Innocence itself,
and Mary, Virgin of virgins,
I pray and beseech you by these dear pledges, Jesus and Mary,
that, being preserved from all uncleanness,
I may with spotless mind, pure heart and chaste body ever serve
Jesus and Mary most chastely all the days of my life. Amen.
Prayer for Purity
Mary, Mother most pure, and Joseph, chaste guardian of the Virgin,
to you I entrust the purity of my soul and body.
I beg you to plead with God for me that I may never,
for the remainder of my life, soil my soul by any sin of impurity.
I earnestly wish to be pure in thought,
word and deed in imitation of your own holy purity.
Obtain for me a deep sense of modesty,
which will be reflected in my external conduct.
Protect my eyes, the windows of my soul,
from anything that might dim the luster of a heart that must mirror only Christ-like purity.
And when the "Bread of Angels" becomes my food in Holy Communion,
seal my heart forever against the suggestions of sinful pleasures.
Finally, may I be among the number of those of whom Jesus spoke,
"Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God." Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph after the Rosary
written by Pope Leo XIII
To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy Wife,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.
Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance
which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril,
so now protect God's Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity;
shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid,
we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness,
and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph for Respect for Life
Saint Joseph, you are the chaste and loving husband of the Virgin Mary,
the foster father of Jesus, the protector and provider of the Holy Family and of all families.
We have complete confidence in your loving care for new life and in your fidelity to the family.
We commend our efforts to your prayers and protection.
Help us always to defend the gift of human life that it may grow to the abundance of eternal life
promised and bestowed on us by your son, our brother, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph for the Family and the Home
Saint Joseph, protect our home.
Pour forth from heaven blessings on our family.
Remain in our midst.
Help us to live in love and harmony, in peace and joy.
May the wholesome fear of God strengthen us that virtue
may adorn what we do and our way may lead to heaven.
To you this day I give the key to our dwelling place.
Lock out all things that could do us harm.
Lock my home and my loved ones with me in the hearts of Jesus and Mary.
This I beg of you, that our days may be like your days in the holy home at Nazareth. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph in Thanksgiving for a Newborn Child
O Saint Joseph, you witnessed the miracle of birth,
seeing the infant Jesus born of your most holy wife, the Virgin Mary.
With wonder and awe, you took into your arms the Savior.
With gratitude that only a parent can know,
you glorified God for the birth of his Son, entrusted to your fatherly care.
Like you, Saint Joseph, I too give praise and glory to God for the birth of my child.
This child's life is such a miraculous testimony of God's loving presence.
My heart is filled with grateful joy.
Join me dear Saint Joseph, in offering thanks to God for the gift of my child.
What great trust and confidence God placed in you, Saint Joseph,
by entrusting his only Son into your fatherly care.
This inspires me to entrust the spiritual care and protection
of my newborn child into your competent and loving hands.
Teach, guide, and support me to fulfill well my awesome vocation
to be a worthy parent to this child. Amen.
Prayer of Saint Joseph Marello to St Joseph
O Glorious Saint Joseph, after the Blessed Virgin,
you were the first to hold in your arms the Redeemer.
Be our exemplar in our ministry, which like your own,
is a ministry of intimate relationship with the Divine Word.
May you teach us; may you assist us;
may you make us worthy members of the Holy Family. Amen.
Angelus of Saint Joseph
V. The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.
R. Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary, your wife, into your home.
V. For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
R. And she shall bring forth a son.
V. And you shall call his name Jesus.
R. Because He is the one who is to save his people from their sins.
V. Pray for us, O virgin father of Jesus.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Pour forth we beseech you, O Lord,
your grace into our hearts;
that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son
was made known by the message of an angel,
may by his passion and cross
be brought to the glory of his resurrection.
Through the same Christ our Lord
R. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph for Assistance
O glorious St. Joseph, you were chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus,
the most pure husband of Mary ever Virgin, and the head of the holy family.
You have been chosen by Christ's Vicar as the heavenly patron
and is with great confidence that I implore your powerful assistance for the whole Church on earth.
Protect in a special manner, with true fatherly love,
the Pope and all bishops and priests in communion with the See of Peter.
Be the protector of all who labor for souls amid the trials and tribulations of this life,
and grant that all peoples of the world may follow Christ and the Church He founded.
Dear St. Joseph, accept the offering of myself which I now make to you.
I dedicate myself to your service,
that you may ever be my father, my protector, and my guide in the way of salvation.
Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent love for the spiritual life.
May all my actions, after your example, be directed to the greater glory of God,
in union with the divine Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and your own paternal heart.
Finally, pray for me that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.
Act of Consecration to St. Joseph
O Glorious Patriarch and Patron of the Church! O Virgin Husband of the Virgin Mother of God! O Guardian and Virginal Father of the Word Incarnate! In the presence of Jesus and Mary, I choose you this day to be my father, my guardian, and my protector.
O great St. Joseph, whom God has made the Head of the Holy Family, accept me, I beseech you, though utterly unworthy, to be a member of your "Holy House." Present me to your Immaculate Wife; ask her also to adopt me as her child. With her, pray that I may constantly think of Jesus, and serve him faithfully to the end of my life. O Terror of Demons, increase in me virtue, protect me from the evil one, and help me not to offend God in any way.
O my Spiritual Father, I hereby consecrate myself to you. In faithful imitation of Jesus and Mary, I place myself and all my concerns under your care and protection. To you, after Jesus and Mary, I consecrate my body and soul, with all their faculties, my spiritual growth, my home, and all my affairs and undertakings. Forsake me not, but adopt me as a servant and child of the Holy Family. Watch over me at all times, but especially at the hour of my death. Console and strengthen me with the presence of Jesus and Mary so that, with you, I may praise and adore the Holy Trinity for all eternity. Amen.
Act of Consecration to St. Joseph
written by St. Peter Julian Eymard
I consecrate myself to you, good St. Joseph, as my spiritual father. I choose you to rule my soul and to teach me the interior life, the life hidden away with Jesus, Mary, and yourself.
Above all, I want to imitate the humble silence with which you shrouded Jesus and Mary. For me everything lies in that - self-abnegation like our Lord in his hidden life, making the world forget me by my silence and my practice of virtue.
I consecrate myself to you as my guide and model in all my duties so that I may learn to fulfill them with meekness and humility: with meekness toward my brethren, my neighbor, and all with whom I come in contact; with humility toward myself and simplicity before God.
I choose you, good saint, as my counselor, my confidant, my protector in all my difficulties and trials. I do not ask to be spared crosses and sufferings, but only from self-love which might take away their value by making me vain about them.
I choose you as my protector. Be my father as you were the father of the Holy Family at Nazareth. Be my guide; be my protector. I do not ask for temporal goods, greatness, or power. I ask only that I serve with fidelity and devotedness my divine King.
I shall honor, love, and serve you with Mary, my mother, and never shall I separate her name from yours.
O Jesus, give me Joseph for a father as you have given me Mary as a mother. Fill me with devotion, confidence, and filial love. Listen to my prayer. I know that you will. Already I feel more devout, more full of hope and confidence in good St. Joseph, your foster father and my spiritual father. Amen.
Act of Consecration to St. Joseph
written by St. Alphonsus Liguori
O Holy Patriarch, I rejoice with you at the exalted dignity by which you were deemed worthy to act as father to Jesus, to give him orders and to be obeyed by him whom heaven and earth obey.
O great saint, as you were served by God, I too wish to be taken into your service. I choose you, after Mary, to be my chief advocate and protector.
I promise to honor you every day by some special act of devotion and by placing myself under your daily protection.
By that sweet company which Jesus and Mary gave you in your lifetime, protect me all through life, so that I may never separate myself from my God by losing his grace.
My dear St. Joseph, pray to Jesus for me. Certainly, he can never refuse you anything, as he obeyed all your orders while on earth. Tell him to detach me from all creatures and from myself, to inflame me with his holy love, and then to do with me what he pleases.
By that assistance which Jesus and Mary gave you at death, I beg of you to protect me in a special way at the hour of my death, so that dying assisted by you, in the company of Jesus and Mary, I may go to thank you in paradise and, in your company, to praise my God for all eternity. Amen.
Act of Consecration to St. Joseph
written by St. Bernardine of Siena
O my beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as thy child. Take charge of my salvation; watch over me day and night; preserve me from the occasions of sin; obtain for me purity of body. Through thy intercession with Jesus, grant me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, self-denial, burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and a sweet and tender love for Mary, my mother. Saint Joseph, be with me living, be with me dying, and obtain for me a favorable judgment from Jesus, my merciful Savior. Amen.
Daily Act of Consecration to St. Joseph
My Father and my Guardian, I give myself entirely to you, and to show my devotion to you, I consecrate to you this day my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Wherefore, O good Father, since I am your own, keep me and guard me as your property and possession. Amen.
Daily Act of Consecration to St. Joseph
O dearest St. Joseph, I consecrate myself to your honor and give myself to you, that you may always be my father, my protector, and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me a greater purity of heart and fervent love of the interior life. After your example, may I do all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.
Hail Joseph
written by St. Louis de Montfort
Hail Joseph the just, wisdom is with you; blessed are you among all men and blessed is Jesus, the fruit of Mary, your faithful wife.
Holy Joseph, worthy foster-father of Jesus Christ, pray for us sinners and obtain divine wisdom for us from God, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph
written by Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
O chaste husband of the most pure and most holy of creatures, how happy you must be for having found such favor and grace before the Eternal Father, who gave his Son; before the Son who made you the tutor of his sacred humanity; before the Holy Spirit who entrusted his spouse to you so that you could be like the cherubim who guarded the fruit of life in the garden of Eden. How happy and blessed are they whom you love and whom you take under your protection!
O faithful guardian of the Mother of God, keep those who honor you amid the trials and joys of this life. Lovable tutor of Jesus, help your servants in the dangers and difficulties of their exile; may they feel the effects of your love. Obtain for them devotion to your wife, fidelity to your Son, unfailing respect for the Eternal Father who reigns with the Holy Spirit through endless ages. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph
written by St. Pope John XXIII
O St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus, chaste husband of Mary, you who passed your life in the perfect fulfillment of duty, sustaining the Holy Family of Nazareth with the work of your hands, kindly keep those who with total trust now come to you. You know their aspirations, their miseries, and their hopes. They come to you because they know that you understand and protect them. You, too, have known trial, toil, and weariness. But even in the midst of worries about the material life, your soul was filled with profound peace, and it exulted in unerring joy through intimacy with the Son of God Who was entrusted to you, and with Mary, his most sweet mother. May those whom you protect understand they are not alone in their toil, but show them how to discover Jesus at their side, to receive him with grace, to guard him faithfully, as you have done. And with your prayers obtain that in every family, in every factory, in every workshop, wherever a Christian works, all may be satisfied in charity, in patience, in justice, in seeking righteousness, so that abundant gifts may shower upon them from heaven. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph
written by St. Francis de Sales
Glorious St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary, we beseech you through the Heart of Jesus Christ, grant to us your fatherly protection.
O you whose power reaches all our necessities and who knows how to make possible the most impossible things, open your fatherly eyes to the needs of your children. In the confusion and pain which press upon us, we have recourse to you with confidence.
Deign to take beneath your charitable guidance this important and difficult affair, the cause of our worries, and make that its happy outcome serve for the glory of God and the good of his devoted servants. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph
written by St. John Paul II
St. Joseph, Husband of the Virgin Mother of God, teach us unceasingly all the divine truth and all the human dignity contained in the vocation of spouses and parents!
St. Joseph, obtain from God that we may cooperate, with constancy, with the grace of the great sacrament in which man and woman promise each other love, fidelity, and conjugal integrity till death!
St. Joseph, man of justice, teach us responsible love towards those whom God entrusts to us in a special way: love between spouses and love between parents and those to whom they give life! Teach us responsibility towards every life, from the first moment of its conception to its last instant on this earth. Teach us a great respect for the gift of life. Teach us to adore deeply the Creator, Father, and Giver of life.
St. Joseph, Patron of human work, assist us in all work, in that vocation of man on earth. Teach us to resolve the difficult problems connected with work in the life of each generation, beginning with the young, and in the life of society.
St. Joseph, Protector of the Church, today, on your solemnity, we pray to God with these words: "Almighty God, who chose to entrust the beginnings of our redemption to the loving care of St. Joseph, by his intercession grant that your Church may cooperate faithfully in the fulfillment of the work of salvation." Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph
written by St. Bernardine of Siena
Remember us, St. Joseph, and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of Him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph
written by St. Peter Julian Eymard
O glorious St. Joseph, you who did faithfully obey the law of God, your heart was pierced at the sight of the Precious Blood that was shed by the infant Savior during his circumcision, but the name of Jesus gave you new life and filled you with quiet joy.
By this sorrow and this joy, obtain for us the grace to be freed from all sin during life, and to die rejoicing, with the holy name of Jesus in our hearts and on our lips. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph
written by Blessed Bartolo Longo
Prostrate at your feet, O great saint, I venerate you as the Father of my Lord and my God. You are the Head of the Holy Family, and a cause of joy and delight to the Holy Trinity. What a glory for you to be the Father of a Son who is the Only Begotten of God! What a blessing to know that you are a father to us and that we are your children. Yes, we are your children because we are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, who wanted to be called your Son.
As your children, we have a right to the tenderness and goodness of your paternal heart. Accept us therefore! Take us under your protection! Teach us to love, patience, prudence, kindness, modesty, and purity. Be our refuge and solace in all our pains, in all our needs, both now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph
written by Blessed Bartolo Longo
Saint Joseph, Vicar of the Holy Spirit in fulfilling the duties of your wonderful marriage with Mary, introduce the Holy Spirit to my will in order to ignite it with God's holy love. Present my will to the Most Holy Trinity so that my desires may always be at God's disposal. Offer my heart to God so that He may dwell it in as on a throne of love and mercy. Present the movements of my soul and all the affections of my heart to God so that through your intercession I will always be faithful to the grace and inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St Joseph for a Happy Death
written by St. Alphonsus Liguori
St. Joseph, by that assistance which Jesus and Mary gave you at death, I beg you to protect me in a special way at the hour of my death, so that dying assisted by you, in the company of Jesus and Mary, I may go to thank you in heaven, and in your company sing God's praises for all eternity. Amen.
Praises of St. Joseph
written by St. John Eudes
Hail Joseph, image of God the Father.
Hail Joseph, father of God the Son.
Hail Joseph, temple of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Joseph, beloved of the Most Holy Trinity.
Hail Joseph, most faithful coadjutor of the great counsel.
Hail Joseph, most worthy husband of the Virgin Mary.
Hail Joseph, father of all the faithful.
Hail Joseph, guardian of all those who have embraced holy virginity.
Hail Joseph, faithful observer of holy silence.
Hail Joseph, lover of holy poverty.
Hail Joseph, model of meekness and patience.
Hail Joseph, mirror of humility and obedience.
Blessed art thou above all men.
Blessed thine eyes, which have seen the things which thou hast seen.
Blessed thine ears, which have heard the things which thou hast heard.
Blessed thy hands, which have touched and handled the Incarnate Word.
Blessed thine arms, which have borne him who bears all things.
Blessed thy bosom, on which the Son of God fondly rested.
Blessed thy heart, inflamed with burning love.
Blessed be the Eternal Father, who chose thee.
Blessed be the Son, who loved thee.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, who sanctified thee.
Blessed be Mary, thy wife, who cherished thee as her husband and brother.
Blessed be the angel who served thee as a guardian,
And blessed forever be all who love and bless thee. Amen.
Prayer to St. Joseph, Terror of Demons
Saint Joseph, Terror of Demons, cast your solemn gaze upon the devil and all his minions, and protect us with your mighty staff. You fled through the night to avoid the devil's wicked designs; now with the power of God, smite the demons as they flee from you! Grant special protection, we pray, for children, fathers, families, and the dying. By God's grace, no demon dares approach while you are near, so we beg of you, always be near to us! Amen.
Prayer to the Sleeping St. Joseph
O St. Joseph, you are a man greatly favored by the Most High. The angel of the Lord appeared to you in dreams, while you slept, to warn you and guide you as you cared for the Holy Family. You were both silent and strong, a loyal and courageous protector.
Dear St. Joseph, as you rest in the Lord, confident in his absolute power and goodness, look upon me. Please take my need into your heart, dream of it, and present it to your Son (mention your request).
Help me then, good St. Joseph, to hear the voice of God, to arise, and to act with love. I praise and thank God with joy. Saint Joseph, I love you. Amen.