The Solemnity of St. Joseph – who is the patron saint of the universal church, fathers, workers, and the dying – is on March 20th this year!
This feast is a chance to increase your devotion and grow closer to St. Joseph, who is a powerful intercessor. Catholics pray to St. Joseph to buy or sell a house or find a job, but praying to St. Joseph also deepens our relationship with each member of the Holy Family. We condensed two millennia of Church tradition into just two ways that you can grow closer to St. Joseph in your daily routine as we approach the feast day.
Read on for our tips and resources that will help you meditate on the life of St. Joseph and adopt one new prayer to him this year.
Meditating on the life of St. Joseph
St. Joseph was a man of action and a man of few words. While the Gospel doesn’t record a single thing that St. Joseph said, it does record how he obeyed God quickly and without complaint in each moment of trial. By meditating on the silent wisdom and faith of St. Joseph for just a few minutes every day, we can build a strong relationship with him.
Meditation is a form of silent prayer that leads us to an encounter with Jesus. By meditating on the Gospel’s words about the earthly father of Jesus, we get to know the Holy Family better and better. If you have five minutes every morning, perhaps as you sip a coffee, consider reading a short part of Matthew's Gospel; chapters one and two recount St. Joseph’s role in salvation history.
If you’re always running around, you can still contemplate the life of St. Joseph in the middle of the busy world! There are plenty of podcasts and audio meditations on St. Joseph for you. If you want a deep-dive into the life of the greatest male saint who ever lived, then there are also plenty of books like St. Joseph and His World, which offer context for the short chapters of information we have about him in the Bible.
Prayers to St. Joseph
The novena to St. Joseph is legendary – many people believe that St. Joseph helped them sell their house, buy a house, or find a job. The novena, however, is just one of many powerful ways that Christians have to grow closer to St. Joseph in prayer.
A longer series of prayers steeped in tradition, The Seven Sundays of St. Joseph is a devotion practiced on the seven Sundays preceding the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19th. During these days and weeks, Catholics contemplate the seven sorrows and joys in St. Joseph’s life so that we can face our joys and sorrows as he did. Did you miss the Sundays before the feast day? Adapt this tradition to the seven days before or after St. Joseph’s Day!
Praying devotions to St. Joseph are also a common Catholic practice. As the patron of so many people and causes, St. Joseph’s intercession can win the grace of a holy death, purity, holy fatherhood, and certainty for people who are dying. The Handbook of Prayers includes a treasury of devotions to St. Joseph and many other saints. There is a once-off prayer to St. Joseph for a multitude of intentions, so there is certainly one to fit your prayer life.
Ite ad Ioseph – go to Joseph! Maybe you want a new job or peace in your family. Whatever you need, you can be sure that St. Joseph, protector of our Saviour and the Queen of Heaven and Earth, will intercede for you. So, choose one commitment to prayer with St. Joseph as his feast day approaches, meditate on his life while you live your own, and get ready to be amazed at how close you grow to the silent, powerful St. Joseph.
