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 Saint Joseph (c. 1640) byGuido Reni |
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The following areRoman Catholicprayers toSaint Joseph.
Joseph, the silent man of the Gospels, is in the line of the great men of faith of the Old Testament. He is described as a "just man", a righteous man of integrity. He is in the tradition of Abraham who was called by God to "walk before my face and be upright (Gen: 17.1);and of Moses who was told to be "entirely sincere", "entirely faithful" (Deut: 18.13). For centuries his place in the story of Jesus was comparatively unnoticed. Gradually, in Catholic tradition, he was recognised as patron of fathers of families, of bursars and procurators, of manual workers, especially carpenters, and of all who desire a holy death.[1]
The parish in Buenos Aires wherePope Francis grew up is dedicated to San José. Solemnly inaugurated on 19 March 2013, Francis’ pontificate is placed under the protection of Saint Joseph. One of the few things the Pope had sent over from Argentina after his election is a statue he had. It depicts the saint lying down asleep, a reference to the gospel accounts of Saint Joseph receiving the counsel of angelsin several dreams. The Pope slips pieces of paper with prayer requests under the pedestal of the statue, which is just outside his room atSt. Martha's House.[2]
“You know,” said Francis, “you have to be patient with these carpenters: they tell you they’ll have a piece of furniture finished in a couple of weeks and it ends up taking a month even. But they get the job done and they do it well! You just need to be patient…”[2]
The purpose ofPope Leo XIII's 1889 encyclicalQuamquam pluries was to implore divine help by means of prayer, joining to the intercession of Mary that of Saint Joseph. Leo XIII therefore attached to his encyclical a special Prayer to Saint Joseph requesting that it be added to the recitation of the Rosary during the month of October.
The encyclicalQuamquam pluries established the Prayer to Saint Joseph is mandatory to be recited at the end of each holy Rosary recited during the Marian Month of October. The prescription is forever (inLatin:perpetuo idem servetur) and thus it can't be deleted by any subsequent Vatican document. It causes anindulgence of seven years and sevenLents.Moreover, it is recommended, even if not mandatory, in the three days precedingMarch 19, the day in which the Solemnity of St Joseph takes place.[3] This type of indulgences was abolished by'Indulgentiarum Doctrina of 1967. TheEnchiridion Indulgentiarum of 2004 reports the partialindulgence for the faithful of Christ who have piously recited a prayer to "Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary", legitimately approved by an episcopal authority (for example the presentTo you, blessed Joseph).[4]
The Prayer to St Joseph may be said after the customary Salve Regina and concluding prayer. It may also be used to conclude other Marian devotions.[5]
The litany of Saint Joseph was sanctioned byPope Pius X in 1909. After the usual petitions to the Holy Trinity and one to the Blessed Virgin, the litany is composed of twenty-five invocations expressing the virtues and dignities of Joseph.[6]
Furthermore, Pius X composed a Prayer to Saint Joseph the Worker for the sanctification of labor.[7][8]
A very old and beautiful invocation to Saint Joseph is traditionally prayed for nine days before theFeast of Saint Joseph, starting on March 10. It is found in many places,[9][10] and was released in 1950 with theImprimatur of theBishop of Pittsburgh,Hugh C. Boyle. It is used in novenas, according to the text after the prayer, and the prayer text specifically seems to limit it to "spiritual blessings".
Older copies of the prayer, sometimes contain an additional comment that,
However, the year 50 A.D. is a very early date for a published prayer, preceding much of the New Testament, which does not mention very much about the father of Jesus. The statements about the year 50 A.D. and regarding the Pope and Emperor are not supported.
"Dear Guardian of Mary" is a hymn written in honor of Saint Joseph byFrederick William Faber in 1863.[11]
ThePrayer to Saint Joseph is a short prayer bySt. Louis de Montfort intended to be prayed after histhird method of praying the Holy Rosary.[12][13] He instructed it to be prayed three times after thesorrowful mysteries.[14]
Below is the version of the prayer in its originalFrench,[15] and itsEnglish translation. (From theSecret of the Rosary)
Je vous salue Joseph, homme juste,
la Sagesse es avec vous,
vous étes béni sur tous les hommes
et est Jésus, le fruit de Marie votre fidèle épouse.
Saint Joseph, digne père nourricier de Jésus-Christ,
priez pour nous pécheurs,
et nous obtenez de Dieu la divine Sagesse,
maintenant et à l'heure de notre mort. Ainsi soit-il.
Hail Joseph the just,
Wisdom is with you;
blessed are you among all men
and blessed is Jesus, the fruit of Mary, your faithful spouse.
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.
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