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Saint Joseph |
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History:
We do not have a lot of information about Saint Joseph
the Worker, the husband of Mary and the foster father of
Jesus other than what is in scripture. We do
know Joseph the Worker was a carpenter. The Church
proudly pointed out that Jesus was trained by
Joseph in this vocation, thus making Jesus connected
to
the working people. We also
know that he was not rich. When Jesus needed to be
circumcised according to the custom of the time, he
could not afford a lamb necessary for sacrifice, and
offered instead pigeons.
We know
Saint Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When
he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been
betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was as yet
unaware that she was carrying the Son of God.
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He planned to divorce Mary according to
the law but he was concerned for her suffering and
safety. He knew that women accused to adultery could be
stoned to death, so he decided to divorce her quietly
and not expose her to shame or cruelty (Matthew
1:19-25).
We know
Saint Joseph was man of faith, obedient to whatever God
asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel
came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about
the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately took
Mary as his wife.
When the angel came
again to tell Saint Joseph that his family was in danger,
he immediately left everything he owned, and
fled to a strange country with his young wife
and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the
angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew
2:13-23).
Scripture does say that Joseph could trace his ancestors
to King David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew
1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Historians
believe that Joseph died before Jesus entered
public ministry. Joseph is the patron saint of
the dying because it is generally assumed that
he died with Mary and Jesus close to him. Joseph
is also the patron saint of the universal
Church, fathers, carpenters and social justice.
We celebrate
two feast days in honor of St Joseph: March 19
for Joseph the Husband of Mary, and May 1 for
Joseph the Worker. |
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A Novena
In Honor of Saint Joseph
(Feast – March 19)
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GLORIOUS ST. JOSEPH,
Faithful follower of Jesus Christ,
To you I raise my heart and my hands
To implore your powerful intercession.
Obtain for me
From the gentle Heart of Jesus
All the help and graces
Necessary for my spiritual
And temporal welfare,
Particularly the grace of a happy death
And the special favor I now implore
(Mention your request) |
O Guardian of the Word
Incarnate,
I feel animated with confidence
That your prayers in my behalf
Will be graciously heard
Before the throne of God.
O glorious St. Joseph,
Through the love you bear for Jesus Christ, And for the glory of His Name.
Hear my prayers
And obtain my petitions.
(Repeat 7 times) |
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Novena to St. Joseph, Patron of Workers
(Feast – May 1)
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GLORIOUS ST. JOSEPH,
Model of all who are devoted to toil,
Obtain for me the grace to toil
In the spirit of penance,
In order thereby to atone
For my many sins;
To toil conscientiously,
Putting devotion to duty
Before my own inclinations;
To labor with thankfulness and joy,
Deeming it an honor
To employ and to develop by my labor
The gifts I have received from Almighty God;
To work with order,
Peace, moderation and patience,
Without ever shrinking
From weariness and difficulties; |
To work, above all,
With a pure intention
And with detachment from ourselves,
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.
All for Jesus,
All through Mary,
All in imitation of you,
O Patriarch Joseph!
This shall be my motto in life and in death.
Amen. |
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For more, please
read |
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The Life of Saint Joseph
(Paperback)
by Maria Cecilia Baij |
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Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons, and Feasts
(Paperback)
by Leonard Foley (Editor), Pat McCloskey (Editor) |
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availability of
atypical art works. Entries are
generally based on the 1926-38 edition
of Butler's Lives of the Saints, with
the length of each entry varying from
one-half page to several pages. Short
entries giving written insight into the
lives of pious individuals are combined
with depictions rendered by artists such
as Raphael and El Greco. An inexpensive
tribute to art and faith more
appropriate for gift-giving than for
libraries. |
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Apologetics |
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Mary
and the Saints |
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Mass
and the Eucharist |
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Prayers |
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Novenas |
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The Rosary |
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Traditional Prayers:
Discover the origin of your favorite prayer. We might
even have the original Latin version, too. |
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Novenas:
Learn how
to say a novena in honor of your favorite
Saint.
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Archived Articles |
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Prayer Requests |
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Tours and Pilgrimages |
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