Let us go to St. Joseph!

St. Joseph is So Eager to Help

Countless people, whom St. Joseph has already helped in various needs, find their sentiments expressed by St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort when he invites us:

Go to Joseph!

Because:

1. He is the advocate of Divine Providence:
   He will care for your temporal needs and ensure their success.

2. He is the head of the Holy Family and thus also the leader of the entire Christian Church family:
   He will show you your vocation and help you reach a fulfilling state of life.

3. He is a model of the hidden, interior life:
   He will guide and instruct you in spiritual life and perfection.

4. He is the protector of the purity of the Immaculate Virgin Mary:
   He will help you preserve the great treasure of purity.

5. He is the patron of a happy death:
   He will assist you in that anxious hour and obtain for you a blessed end.

6. He is the foster father of Jesus and the spouse of Mary:
   In this capacity, he can obtain all graces for you; for it is not to be supposed, says St. Bernardine of Siena, that Jesus and Mary in heaven would refuse anything to St. Joseph, to whom they both were obedient on earth.

(From the Golden Book, p. 485)

St. Joseph Protects the Church

Loving Saint Joseph, powerful protector of the Church, look upon the great tribulation of the Bride of Jesus Christ and the terrible distress of so many souls.

O come to their aid with Jesus and Mary, the angels, and saints. Confound the plans of the wicked and enkindle the hearts of the faithful with the fire of the Holy Spirit, so that they may confess Jesus freely and openly, fight for the causes of the Kingdom of God, and triumph. Amen. [1]

"Child, tell everyone they should venerate and invoke my spouse Joseph more. He was our protector and cared for my Jesus as a father and for me. He is the special protector of the Holy Church."
(The Mother of God to Mother Vogl – March 6, 1938)

"He is the special protector of priests... just as he protected Me from enemies, so too will priests be protected by him. I do not refuse him any requests. He is invoked far too little for priests."
(Jesus to Mother Vogl – June 4, 1938)

"Oh, if only all priests would properly venerate my spouse, Joseph! He is especially the protector of chastity."
(The Mother of God to Mother Vogl – on Priests' Saturday, 1943)

[1] Imprimatur: Regensburg, 13 March 1977, also footnote 5.

St. Joseph Watches Over Our Families

O Saint Joseph, you have given us such a glorious example as the head of the Holy Family. We thank you for this and venerate you with the Holy Church as the support of families.

Look graciously upon Christian families, which we commend to your special care. Let them be a haven of faith and piety, a home of harmony, peace, and love. Help them to become more and more like the Holy Family, for which you cared so lovingly.

Holy Joseph, pray for us and protect our families. Amen. [2]

"Child, pray earnestly to My dear foster father for holy families, so that holy priests may once again come from them."
(Jesus to Mother Vogl – March 29, 1930)

"My foster and guardian father has the greatest joy when he may present a request to Me. No one will invoke his help in vain. If the person does not receive what he asks for, he will gain a much greater grace through his intercession."
(Jesus to Mother Vogl – March 7, 1938)

[2] Imprimatur: Ordinariat Chur 1995.

St. Joseph Guides to the Right Vocation

Great Saint Joseph, grant me the grace to recognize the state to which Divine Providence has destined me. Do not allow me to be deceived in this crucial decision, upon which my happiness and perhaps my eternal salvation depend.

Help me to be enlightened by the Divine Will, to faithfully follow it, and to walk the path that the Lord has laid out for me, the one that will lead me to eternal bliss. Amen. [3]

The wound of the increasing decay of religious and moral values makes it difficult for many young people to make a clear life decision that is aligned with the will of God. St. Joseph helps us to recognize the life state appointed by God and to follow it faithfully.

To this bold and determined "Yes" to the grace of vocation, God ties the salvation of many souls. St. Joseph is also a powerful intercessor for married couples and religious communities facing concerns about new vocations. [4]

[3] Imprimatur: Monasterii, May 23, 1925, Meis, vic. Eppi, gnlis.

An Example of St. Joseph's Intercession:

In 1833, a young religious man at the Jesuit College in Sion, Switzerland, who was distinguished for talent and virtue, lay dying. His name was Josef Harnisch. When the rector of the college administered the last sacraments to him, his grief was great.

Shortly before, he had lost two other members of his religious community to death. The superior, using his paternal authority, commanded the dying man that as soon as he entered eternal bliss, he should ask his patron saint, Saint Joseph, to send a worthy “replacement” to the order.

The dying man promised it. He died on July 6th. By the fall of that same year, twelve novices had entered the order. Eight of them were named Joseph, and three more named Joseph followed over the course of a year. (Voices from Maria Laach, Vol. 25, p. 509)

Devotion to St. Joseph

Dear Saint Joseph,
I wish to consecrate myself to you. Kindly accept my devotion! I give myself entirely to you. You shall always be my father, my protector, my guide on the path to salvation.

Obtain for me a great purity of heart and a strong inclination to the interior life! May all my actions, like yours, be aimed at the greater glory of God, that I may remain united with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and with you, holy Joseph!

Finally, I ask you to grant me the peace and joy that you experienced at your blessed passing. Amen.
(Pope Leo XIII)

The St. Joseph Rosary

On a regular rosary, the following mysteries are prayed:

1. Jesus, who chose Saint Joseph as the spouse of the purest Virgin Mary.

2. Jesus, who loved Saint Joseph as his foster father.

3. Jesus, who was obedient to Saint Joseph.

4. Jesus, who prayed and worked with Saint Joseph.

5. Jesus, who gave us Saint Joseph as the patron of the Church.

The Litany of St. Joseph

Lord, have mercy on us!
Lord, have mercy on us!
Christ, have mercy on us!
Lord, have mercy on us!
Christ, hear us!
Christ, hear us!
Christ, graciously hear us!

God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us!
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, One God,

Holy Mary,
Saint Joseph,
Illustrious son of David,
Light of the patriarchs,
Spouse of the Mother of God,
Chaste guardian of the Virgin,
Foster-father of the Son of God,
Watchful defender of Christ,
Head of the Holy Family,
Joseph most just,
Joseph most chaste,
Joseph most prudent,
Joseph most valiant,
Joseph most obedient,
Joseph most faithful,
Mirror of patience,
Lover of poverty,
Model of workmen,
Glory of domestic life,
Guardian of virgins,
Pillar of families,
Solace of the afflicted,
Hope of the sick,
Patron of the dying,
Terror of demons,
Protector of Holy Church,

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us!

He made him the lord of His household,
And prince over all His possessions.

Let us pray:

O God, in your ineffable providence you were pleased to choose Saint Joseph to be the spouse of your most holy Mother; grant, we beg you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven, whom on earth we venerate as our Protector:

You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

St. Joseph Accompanies the Dying

Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus Christ and true spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us and the dying of this day/night! Amen. (Prayer for indulgence)

This prayer is recited morning and evening by members of the Brotherhood of St. Joseph.

For further information and enrolment:
St. Trudpert Monastery, D-79244 Münstertal/Black Forest

The Importance of Praying for the Dying

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus once said:
"Jesus wants the salvation of souls to depend on our sacrifices and our love."
And shortly before her death, she said:
"How I realize now that much prayer must be said for the dying."

Through our prayers and sacrifices, we can help to ask for the grace of a happy death for the more than 150,000 people who die every day. We pray in particular for:

• Those who have separated themselves from God through grievous sin.

• All unbelievers and all the unbaptized.

These individuals, who are not in the state of sanctifying grace, can often be granted God's mercy at the last minute. This sublime form of neighborly love, through which we come to the aid of our brothers and sisters in the greatest "danger of life" (eternal life is at stake!), will become an abundant blessing for ourselves.

Prayers for the Dying

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 bring forth my soul in peace with you!
Amen. (Prayer for indulgence)

References

• Ludwig M. Grignion v. Montfort: The Golden Book, 1987, Imprimatur: Friburgi Helv., 27 March 1920, L.E.M.S, adm. dioec.

• Mutter Vogl's weltweite Liebe von A.M. Weigl, Imprimatur: Regensburg, 11 February 1961, F. Baldauf, gen.vic.