This is part of the Consecration to St. Joseph Set

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DAY 17:  The Catholic Church has devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Did you know there is also a devotion to the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph?  

DAY 17:  Joseph Most Chaste, Pray for Us

Who can ever understand how great he [St. Joseph] had to be in this virtue of virginity who was destined by the Eternal Father to be the guardian, or rather the companion, of Mary’s virginity? — St. Francis de Sales

n the Litany of Loreto, Mary is called “Mother Most Chaste.” In the Litany of St. Joseph, our spiritual father is called “Most Chaste” as well. No other saints can be invoked as the most chaste, just, prudent, courageous, obedient, faithful, or any other virtue. Mary and St. Joseph together share these superlative qualities, in part, because their hearts as husband and wife are one.

“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Lk 12:34). Saint Joseph has three treasures: Jesus, Mary, and you. Nothing consumes the heart of St. Joseph other than these three treasures. The heart of St. Joseph is the heart of a loving father, and you have access to his heart. The Chaste Heart of St. Joseph is your home.

In Catholicism, when we speak of devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, we are essentially referring to devotion to the personhood of Jesus and Mary. We love the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts — and often depict them in art — because we love the persons of Jesus and Mary. While devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is well established in the Church — each having liturgical feast days — devotion to the heart of St. Joseph has not fully developed in the Church. Perhaps there will one day be a liturgical feast honoring St. Joseph’s heart, but only God knows the future. Whether it happens or not, all children desire a father whose heart (person) is strong, protective, and gentle. Saint Joseph has such a heart. He has the heart of a father, a king, a warrior, and a chaste gentleman. His chaste heart beats with love for you.

Saint Joseph will help you have a chaste heart. Lust is the pre-dominant vice at work in the hearts of men today. The world is filled with immoral and lust-filled actions. These actions greatly offend God, ruin families, and cry out to heaven for justice. Did not Our Lady warn St. Jacinta of Fatima that many souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh?

In the battle for purity, everyone needs to go to St. Joseph. If a man — or a woman — struggles with lust, they must go to St. Joseph. If temptations against purity batter your mind, heart, and soul, run to your spiritual father. Cling to St. Joseph! Your spiritual father is capable of increasing the virtue of chastity in your heart and leading you to true, virtuous love of God and neighbor. You will be victorious against lust and triumphant over sin if you take refuge beneath the fatherly cloak of St. Joseph. Prayer is difficult when you are assailed with temptations against purity, but St. Joseph will fight for you if only you invoke his holy name.

Men, in particular, need to imitate the chaste heart of St. Joseph. The world needs men who love their wives as St. Joseph loved Mary. If men reverence their wives as holy temples, families will be renewed, dragons will be slain, and the evils of our age that attack the dignity of the human person will be overcome. The imitation of St. Joseph will spread a revolution of holiness over the earth.

That God may be more favorable to our prayers, and that he may come with bounty and promptitude to the aid of his Church, we judge it of deep utility for the Christian people, continually to invoke with great piety and trust, together with the Virgin-Mother of God, her chaste spouse, the Blessed Joseph. — Pope Leo XIII

Santo Anello

Divine union between Our Lady and the glorious St. Joseph! By means of this union that good of eternal goods, Our Lord himself, belonged to St. Joseph as well as to Our Lady. — St. Francis de Sales

"Santo Anello?” Who is that?

Actually, Santo Anello is not a person. Santo Anello is a thing: the “holy ring” that St. Joseph gave Mary on their wedding day!

Yes, you read that right. The wedding ring that St. Joseph gave to Mary is still in existence today. It is reserved in a special gold and silver reliquary in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Perugia, Italy. Many people who go on pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy, are unaware that only a short distance away from Assisi (14 miles) is the holy ring.

The holy ring has been in Perugia since the 19th century. Prior to its term in Perugia, the ring was housed in various other locations throughout Italy. Until recently, the existence of the ring was not known to many people outside of Perugia. Even many saints did not know about the holy ring.

Thanks to the mystical visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, people around the world now know about the Santo Anello and its exact location. Interestingly, Blessed Anne Catherine herself never saw the ring in person. She only saw the holy ring in her mystical visions, but never knew where the ring was located. Infor-mation about its precise location only came to light after her death.

Here’s how.

It was reported that on July 29 and August 3, 1821, Blessed Anne Catherine received visions concerning the holy ring. Prior to the visions, she had had no idea that the ring St. Joseph had given Mary was still in existence. She said:

[July 29, 1821] I saw the Blessed Virgin’s wedding ring; it is neither of silver nor of gold, nor of any other metal; it is dark in color and iridescent; it is not a thin narrow ring, but rather thick and at least a finger broad. I saw it smooth and yet as if covered with little regular triangles in which were letters. On the inside was a flat surface. The ring is engraved with something. I saw it kept behind many locks in a beautiful church. Devout people about to be married take their wedding rings to touch it.

[August 3, 1821] In the last few days I have seen much of the story of Mary’s wedding ring, but as the result of disturbances and pain I can no longer give a connected account of it. Today I saw a festival in a church in Italy where the wedding ring is to be found. It seemed to me to be hung up in a kind of monstrance which stood above the tabernacle. There was a large altar there, magnificently decorated; one saw deep into it through much silverwork. I saw many rings being held against the monstrance. During the festival I saw Mary and Joseph appearing in their wedding garments on each side of the ring, as if Joseph were placing the ring on the Blessed Virgin’s finger. At the same time, I saw the ring shining and as if in movement.

According to the visions, Blessed Anne Catherine learned that the wedding ring was in a church in Italy, but she never knew what church or town in Italy, and she died without ever finding out. A few years after her death, people began searching for the locations of many of the things that Blessed Anne Catherine reportedly saw in her visions. Incredibly, the ring and its location were discovered! The ring was found in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Perugia, Italy. It was discovered to be housed in a beautiful reliquary resembling a monstrance, exactly as Blessed Anne Catherine had stated. The ring had been there for some time, but almost nobody outside of Italy knew about it. Her description of the ring was true as well. The ring appears iridescent and dark in color, a dark amber or yellow. On occa-sion, if there is a lot of sunlight in the Cathedral, the ring can appear to be milky white.

A fascinating aspect of Blessed Anne Catherine’s reported visions are the dates that she saw the ring. Her visions of the ring occurred on July 29 and August 3. Unbeknownst to her, these dates coincide with the time of year when pilgrims visit the Cathedral in Perugia as they make their way to Assisi for the annual celebration of the Feast of the Holy Angels of the Portiuncula on August 2. The end of July and/or early August see large groups of people venerate the ring in a special way. Married couples, as well as those about to be married, are allowed to touch their wedding rings to the Santo Anello to receive a blessing on their marriage. Blessed Anne Catherine apparently wit-nessed this happening in her visions!

Today, pilgrims from around the world travel to Perugia to see the relic and venerate it. Blessed Pope Pius IX venerated the ring on May 10, 1857, when visiting Perugia; he also celebrated Mass at the Cathedral.

O, what pure love the virgin spouses had for each other! More than Adam and Eve in the early days of their innocence, Joseph and Mary were the delight of the Lord, the ecstasy of angels in the humble home of Nazareth. Nazareth was similar to Eden in the first days of creation: everything was holy, everything was innocent, everything was beautiful! — St. Bartolo Longo

Pray the Litany of St. Joseph:

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

Holy Mary, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Noble Offspring of David,  pray for us.
Light of Patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Guardian of the Redeemer, pray for us.
Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster-Father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Zealous Defender of Christ, pray for us.
Servant of Christ, pray for us.
Minister of Salvation, 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 Courageous,  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 Domestic Life, pray for us.
Guardian of Virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of Families, pray for us.
Support in Difficulties, pray for us.
Comfort of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Hope of the Sick, pray for us.
Patron of Exiles,  pray for us.
Patron of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Patron of the Poor, pray for us.
Patron of the Dying, pray for us.
Terror of Demons,  pray for us.
Protector of the 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 has made him lord of his household,
R. And prince over all his possessions.

Let us pray. O God, who, in your loving providence, chose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most Holy Mother, grant us the favor of having him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our protector. You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

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