As a way to celebrate the Year of St. Joseph, we encourage you and your family to make a pilgrimage to the four parishes named for St. Joseph in the Diocese of Grand Island.

Pope Francis proclaims "Year of St. Jospeh"

With the Apostolic Letter “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father has proclaimed a “Year of Saint Joseph” from December 8, 2020, to December 8, 2021.  (Click button below to read)

The official prayer of the Year of St. Joseph—To you, O blessed Joseph (Ad te, beate Ioseph)—was composed by Pope Leo XIII in his 1889 encyclical, Quamquam Pluries. The Holy Father asked that it be added to the end of the Rosary especially during October, the month of the Holy Rosary. This prayer is enriched with a partial indulgence (Source: USCCB).

THE YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH PRAYER

To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our afflictions, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, 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.

DAILY NOVENA PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH

O 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. 

O Saint 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 experienced here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers. 

O Saint Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Hold Him close in my name and kiss His fine head from me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for me. Amen. 

PRAYER BEFORE WORK TO ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER

O Glorious Saint Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in a spirit of penance for the expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations; to work with thankfulness and joy, 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, never shrinking from weariness and trials; to work above all with purity of intention and detachment from self, keeping unceasingly before my eyes death and the account that I must give of time lost, talents unused, good omitted, and vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God. 

All for Jesus, all through Mary, all after thy example, O Patriarch, Saint Joseph. Such shall be my watch-word in life and in death. Amen. (Composed by Pope St. Pius X)

A MORNING OFFERING THROUGH ST. JOSEPH

Receive me, dear and chosen Father, and the offering of every
movement of my body and soul, which I desire to present
through thee to my blessed Lord.

Purify all! Make all a perfect holocaust! May every pulsation
of my heart be a Spiritual Communion, every look and
thought an act of love, every action a sweet sacrifice,
every word an arrow of Divine love, every step
an advance toward Jesus, every visit to Our Lord as
pleasing to God as the errands of Angels, every thought
of thee, dear Saint, an act to remind thee that I am thy child.

I recommend to thee the occasions in which I usually fail,
particularly . . . [Mention these]. Accept each little devotion
of the day, though replete with imperfection, and offer it
to Jesus, Whose mercy will overlook all, since He
regards not so much the gift as the love of the giver.
Amen.

The monthly themes for the Year of St. Joseph are taken
from St. Joseph’s virtues and titles as prayed in the
Litany of St. Joseph.

January – Most Valiant Protector of Church  

St. Joseph had the entire Church under his protection since the Holy Family was the Church. Our Lady is the Mother and Image of the Church, the Holy Spirit the soul of the Church and Christ the Church’s head. To Joseph this treasure was entrusted and by his wit, his obedience and his sacrifice he valiantly defended them.

February – Joseph Most Chaste

Chaste love requires that one wills the good to another without taking the other to oneself as one’s own. To Joseph was entrusted the Divine Child and His fairest Mother. Chaste in body but also in heart, Joseph loved freely which created the interior tranquility of order in the Holy Family.

March – Joseph Most Just

Joseph was first and foremost just unto God, rendering to Him what was His due. Since all things are due to God, Joseph was perfectly religious in prayer, in labor, and in love giving to God, even as an infant, the energy of his whole life.

April – Lover of Poverty

Joseph could count on nothing in this world to be his stay. Neither his trade nor property were employed in his first years as father of the Divine child. He had to abandon all that was his and provide for them in whatever way was possible as they were on pilgrimage to Bethlehem, to Egypt, and finally to Nazareth.

May – Model of Workers

We must not simply intend love, we must labor to fulfill love’s demands. Beneficence, laboring for the good of another, in Joseph’s case was direct labor for God. Working in Adam’s curse by the sweat of his brow was replete with purpose as it was all done to feed, to clothe, to shelter God Himself.

June – Joseph Most Obedient and Head of Holy Family

All authority is borrowed except for the Author himself. One can only be a just head of a family, be it natural or religious, if one is first obedient to the Word himself. Joseph’s perfect obedience rendered him the perfect Head of the Holy Family.  

July – Joseph Most Faithful

Fidelity connotes steadfastness. In the vicissitudes of life, one needs steadfast love, that is, fidelity, when encountering confusion, suffering, and failure. The image of Joseph finding a place in which the Child could be born was his movement in all of life. Failure simply meant one went on in fidelity and found by failure what God had intended for the fruitfulness of His will.  

August – Mirror of Patience

Patience is willingness to suffer. A patient is one who suffers a malady not by choice whereas a patient man is one who suffers volitionally rather than relinquish the vocation given him. Joseph was patient because of his love. He was willing to suffer anything, even the loss of Our Lady and the Divine Child by being the first to die.

September – Joseph Most Prudent

Prudence is the mother of virtues which depends upon the practical wisdom gained by experience matched with an agile mind to make decisions in the here and now. Each time Joseph knew the will of God he acted decisively, swiftly, and accurately. He acted neither rashly nor timidly, but prudently.

October – Terror of Demons

Demons hate humility, suckled as they are on the vice of pride. Joseph’s humility is what terrifies the demons. He is entrusted with power and authority not simply because of his internal strength but because of his complete reliance upon and fidelity to God.

November – Patron of Dying and Solace of the Afflicted

What a blessed death to see God before you die and for God Himself to tell you to go. This was Joseph’s gift from his Son, who would hand his father over to His Father. Thus has Christ entrusted Joseph to have particular intercessory power for all those on the moment of death.

December – Chaste Guardian of Virgins and Pillar of Families

Due to his chastity and vocation, Joseph has further been entrusted to continue his mission of guarding the pure ones of God and of the integrity of the family. This power flows through him now as a reward of his perfect fidelity. All religious and families should have recourse to this most powerful intercessor.

Litany of St. Joseph

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. 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 Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Illustrious son of David, pray for us.
Light of patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Chaste guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Watchful defender of Christ, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.

Joseph most just, pray for us.
Joseph most chaste, pray for us.
Joseph most prudent, pray for us.
Joseph most valiant, pray for us.
Joseph most obedient, pray for us.
Joseph most faithful, pray for us.
Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of workmen, pray for us.
Glory of home life, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of families, pray for us.
Solace of the afflicted, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of the dying, pray for us.
Terror of demons, pray for us.
Protector of Holy Church, pray for us.

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

Let Us Pray
O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, grant, we beseech Thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in Heaven. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

What does it mean to make a consecration to St. Joseph?

Joseph's Way by Devin Schadt - Become the Father You're Called to Be. Society goes by way of the family and the family goes by way of the father. If you want to change the world, change the human father. Joseph's Way: Prayer of Faith is the first release of a two volume series which transmits the biblical vision of fatherhood, its necessity, its glory, and its irreplaceable effect on families and society. Joseph's Way is a tough, bold, game-changing challenge to men of our age to pursue fatherly greatness. By comparing St. Joseph -Light of Patriarchs -with the great patriarchs of old-Abraham and Jacob -Joseph's Way provides fathers with invaluable practical tools and profound spiritual insights to help them become the great father that God has created them to be. In Prayer of Faith: 80 Days to Unlocking Your Power as a Father you will learn: The three foundational characteristics of a great father How to unlock the hidden power that all fathers possess How crises are essential in the making of a man, and how to overcome them St. Joseph's secret weapons of effective fatherhood.

Show us the Father by Devin Schadt - A father’s mission is to be a link between heaven and earth, between God and His children. He does this by becoming the voice of the Father that his children cannot hear, the face of the Father that his children cannot see, and the touch of the Father that his children cannot feel. This is his mission, his challenge, and his call to glory.

Show us the Father contains the battle plan for living out this call, offering seven keys to becoming the father that God has created and destined you to be. It is time for fathers to enter this battle, fully armed, with the bold commitment to sacrifice themselves for their wives, children, and the future of humanity by becoming like St. Joseph, a father on earth like the Father in heaven.



Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway - In the midst of crisis, confusion, and a world at war with the Church, it's time to come home again to our spiritual father, St. Joseph. In this richly researched and lovingly presented program of consecration to St. Joseph, Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, brings to life the wonders, the power, and the ceaseless love of St. Joseph, Universal Patron of the Church and the Terror of Demons.

Meet Your Spiritual Father by Dr. Mark Miravalle - Meet the man who raised the Son of God and discover the role he wants to play in our life. With down-to-earth practical wisdom and sublime insights, Dr. Mark Miravalle lifts the veil that has shrouded this glorious patriarch for centuries, revealing the treasures and benefits of having an intimate relationship with the virginal father of the Son of God. Those who read Meet Your Spiritual Father will find priceless treasures not only in this easy-to-read book but also in having St. Joseph as their spiritual father.





St. Joseph and His World by Mike Aquilina - There are few subjects so challenging to authors as St. Joseph. So says scholar Scott Hahn in his foreword to this book. Yet the pages that follow give not merely glimpses, but vistas, of St. Joseph’s world. Hahn continues: “You’ll learn about Nazareth — and how it was created almost ex nihilo shortly before Joseph’s birth. You’ll learn about religious practice and education in that place and time. You’ll travel to Egypt and encounter the fascinating settlements of Jews in that land. You’ll also find out how a carpenter worked in those days: what tools he used, what items he crafted, where he got his training, and how he got to and from his job sites.” This book provides an imaginative entry into one of the most important lives in all of history — a life too often obscured by later legends.





The Truth About Saint Joseph by Fr. Maurice Meschler, S.J. - 

Joseph is the most hidden of the saints a simple, retiring, and humble man of Nazareth. His exterior life reveals nothing extraordinary or striking. Yet he is exalted by the Church as, next to Mary herself, the greatest of all the saints and even Patron of the Universal Church.  Do you know why?

Apparently, the Church knows more about St. Joseph than most of us do. This remarkable book finally breaks the silence.

Drawing not on private revelations or pious legends, this beautiful and edifying work unearths many truths about St. Joseph hidden in the Gospel, to bring them to light and make use of them in Joseph's honor.

Here you'll encounter surprising details about the life Joseph led on Earth in the most intimate companionship of Christ as well as the role he is playing even today in the life of the Universal Church.




Go To Joseph by Fr. Richard Gilsdorf - A Retreat in a Book Joseph. Every Christian knows the name. We know who he was, but what do we really know about him? For most of us, the answer is, Not much. Now, in these highly intimate, insightful, easy-to-read meditations, the late, noted Scripture scholar Fr. Richard Gilsdorf investigates the New Testament s most mysterious figure. In doing so, he opens up for us the Church s greatest male saint in new and exciting ways, drawing believers ever deeper into the Gospels and thus the person of Jesus Christ. Reading this warm, contemplative book is like going on retreat, making it perfect for personal devotions, study groups, or adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.







St. Joseph Man of Faith by Jacques Gauthier - From the author's Introduction: \Though the role of St. Joseph is limited in the New Testament, his function is not insignificant in the plan of God. He is recalled briefly in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew; the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the visit of the king-astrologers, the flight into Egypt, the Presentation in the Temple, and life in Nazareth. I will focus on these excerpts of the New Testament in order to sketch the most accurate portrait possible of Joseph. I shall also speak of his veneration, which developed slowly throughout history and which has seen a renewal since the 20th century. I will conclude with some prayers that will awaken our contemplative glance on this great Saint, the Patron of the Church and of works, whom we celebrate with solemnity on March 19th.





The Life & Glories of Saint Joseph by Edward Healy Thompson, M.A. - No words of St. Joseph are recorded In Scripture. In fact. little mention is made of him there. Yet. despite these seeming limitations. the Church nonetheless possesses an indescribably rich knowledge of St. Joseph and of his cultus. This book will astound most readers both with its scope and with its profundity. Based mainly on Scripture. but supported also by Tradition and the depositions of saints. it is a carefully reasoned analysis of the entirety of that great saint's role in the history of Salvation and the life of the Church. Includes details about his spiritual life and noble lineage; how he was prefigured in the Old Testament; his relationship to Mary and Jesus; why he has been named by Pope Pius IX "The Patron of the Universal Church;" and so forth. Many beautiful insights.


 

The Chaste Heart of St. Joseph

St. Joseph is known as “the just man” and, as such, was a man of singular virtue. This strength of character, this reign of virtue, extended to all aspects of his life and his person—including his heart. His whole being was oriented to his God. His love was properly ordered, his affections purified. Unlike St. Joseph, we tend to struggle, and oftentimes fail, with matters of the heart. Our culture certainly does not hold the virtue of chastity in high esteem. Therefore, it can seem incredible to us that a man like Joseph was able to rise to the lofty challenge presented to him: to be the “chaste guardian of the Virgin” (and of all virgins) and the foster-father of the Son of God. Such a task requires both remarkable human virtue and unexcelled amounts of God’s grace. St. Joseph had both.

The tradition with regard to the age of St. Joseph varies (the Eastern Church holds that he was an old man, while the West concedes that he may have been much younger), but at the heart of the issue is the fact that it was Joseph’s virtue—not merely old age, lack or virility, or lethargic passions—that safeguarded the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God, and allowed him to guide and protect Mary and Jesus with such strength of pure love.

This should be a great consolation to us who still wander in this vale of tears, striving for holiness. St. Joseph was a great man with a “most chaste heart” but whose love was certainly not cold. For this reason, the Diocese of Charlotte’s logo for the Year of St. Joseph depicts his Most Chaste Heart inflamed with love and adorned with the white lily of purity. The heart of St. Joseph should give us great hope that purity of heart lies within our reach, thanks to the grace of God and the intercession of Joseph-most-chaste!
 

St. Joseph Chaplet

The St. Joseph Chaplet contains fifteen groups of four beads. Each group of four consists of one white bead and three blue beads. A Mystery of the Rosary is contemplated while each group of beads is prayed.

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Here are the fifteen Mysteries: