This is part of the Consecration to St. Joseph Set

Buy your copy of Consecration to St. Joseph

DAY 29: God has healed many people through the intercession of St. Joseph. If you or someone you know is sick, go to St. Joseph!

DAY 29: Hope of the Sick, Pray for Us

As the Church’s Liturgy teaches, he [St. Joseph] “cooperated in the fullness of time in the great mystery of salvation” and is truly a “minister of salvation.” — St. John Paul II

God has healed many people through the intercession of St. Joseph, such as St. Teresa of Avila. She often told people how she was so terribly ill that she considered herself half-dead, but after praying to St. Joseph, she experienced a miraculous cure.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux would have died in infancy were it not for the intercession of St. Joseph. Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, Thérèse’s parents, were very devoted to St. Joseph. They named two of their children after St. Joseph but, sadly, both of the children died in childbirth. When Zélie was again pregnant, she believed the child in her womb was a boy, and she planned to name the child Joseph. After childbirth, however, the baby was discovered to be a girl, and it was decided that her name would be Thérèse.

Shortly after Thérèse was born, she became deathly ill. No one knew the cause of the illness. Her mother, having already experienced the death of several other children, was greatly saddened but resigned to God’s holy will. Fearing that little Thérèse was going to die, Zélie knelt before a statue of St. Joseph in her bedroom and asked the saint to heal her daughter. Miraculously, Thérèse was healed! Thérèse’s mother wrote down an account of what had happened to her little Thérèse. She wrote:

I went up to my room [little Thérèse was on the first floor with a wet nurse], I knelt at the feet of St. Joseph, and I asked him for the grace of healing for the little one, while resigning myself to God’s will. I do not often cry, but I was crying as I prayed. I didn’t know if I should go downstairs. In the end, I decided to go down, and what did I see? The baby was nursing vigorously. She did not let go until 1 p.m. She spit up a bit and fell back as though dead on her wet nurse. There were five of us around her. Everyone was stunned. There was a worker who was crying; I felt my blood run cold. The baby had no visible breath. It did no good for us to lean over to try and discover a sign of life because we could see nothing. But she was so calm, so peaceful, that I thanked God for having her die so gently. Then a quarter of an hour went by, and my little Thérèse opened her eyes and started to smile.

Saint Joseph offers hope in times of sickness. If you or someone you know is sick, go to St. Joseph. Jesus wants you to go to your spiritual father and ask him for help and healing. It’s up to God whether or not a physical healing will be given, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, as St. Zélie did for her little Thérèse.

If you or a loved one receive a healing, don’t forget that you are still going to suffer in life. Saint Thérèse was healed as an infant, but she suffered many other ailments in life, and eventually succumbed to death. Even Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, died again. Thus, whether you experience a physical healing or not, St. Joseph always offers hope for an illness-free life in heaven. Saint Joseph will help you be abandoned to Divine Providence.

Like St. Joseph, let us live each day according to the dispositions of providence, doing whatever God suggests. — St. Joseph Marello

Votive Masses

On Wednesdays do something also for St. Joseph, such as saying the usual prayers, reading some book about him, making some special mortification, in short offering everything to him. — St. Pope John XXIII

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most powerful of all prayers. It is the prayer of Jesus offering his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity to the Heavenly Father for sinful mankind.

A long-standing tradition in the Church has designated each day of the week with a particular theme to be recognized at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

SUNDAY — Resurrection of Jesus
MONDAY — Souls in Purgatory
TUESDAY — Holy Angels
WEDNESDAY — St. Joseph
THURSDAY — Eucharist
FRIDAY — Passion of Jesus
SATURDAY — Our Lady

Why is Wednesday set aside for St. Joseph? Well, Wednesday is the halfway point between Sunday (the day of the Lord) and Saturday (the day set aside to honor Mary). Blessed Anna Maria Taigi was so devoted to St. Joseph that she attended Mass every Wednesday in his honor and fasted on bread and water the entire day.

Have you ever attended Mass on a Wednesday in honor of St. Joseph? It’s a great way to give special honor to St. Joseph at the midpoint of the week. In days of old, all priests celebrated a votive Mass in honor of St. Joseph on Wednesdays (so long as they were not impeded by an obligatory feast, of course). Today, many priests no longer continue this tradition, not out of ill-will, but because they are not aware such a tradition ever existed. It would be wonderful to see more priests return to this practice.

Regardless of whether your pastor celebrates a votive Mass in honor of St. Joseph on a Wednesday or not, your intention can still be to honor St. Joseph at a Wednesday Mass. By going to a Mass on Wednesday in St. Joseph’s honor, you can draw close to your spiritual father and ask him for particular needs and intentions. Saint Joseph is so neglected in the spiritual life that he longs to assist those who pour out their hearts to him.

Saint Joseph also has his own month dedicated to him: March. The Virgin Mary is honored in a special way during the month of May because she is our spiritual mother, and May is the month of flowers. Saint Joseph is honored in a special way during the month of March because he is our spiritual father, and the greatest feast day of St. Joseph is celebrated on March 19: the Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Do you honor St. Joseph in a particular way during the month of March? You should. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant or costly. Simply placing flowers near a statue of St. Joseph in your home or at your parish will suffice. Renewing your consecration to St. Joseph, praying the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary more frequently, or making a pilgrimage to a local shrine dedicated to St. Joseph are all ways that you can remember St. Joseph during his month in a special way. Sicilians have a wonderful tradition called “St. Joseph’s Altar.” Centuries ago, a severe drought occurred in Sicily, and the inhabitants prayed to St. Joseph for help. To everyone’s surprise, it rained, and crops began to grow again. In commemoration of the event, Sicilians annually decorate altars dedicated to St. Joseph with flowers, candles, food, and bread as a way of remembering how St. Joseph helped them. Often, the food that is collected for St. Joseph’s Altar is given to the poor. The Sicilian tradition has found its way into cultures around the world, and is always celebrated on March 19.

Another aspect of devotion to St. Joseph of which many people seem to be unaware is that St. Joseph is not only the Patron of the Dying; he is also a tremendous intercessor for those who have died and are in purgatory. This aspect of St. Joseph’s powerful intercession is an untapped treasure in the Church’s devotional life.

A very holy 19th-century woman named Blessed Mary of Provi-dence offers a powerful witness to how St. Joseph aids the Holy Souls in purgatory. Blessed Mary was given a special charism to help the Holy Souls, and combined her zeal for helping the souls in purgatory with her devotion to St. Joseph. She founded a religious community dedicated to this purpose, the Helpers of the Souls in Purgatory, and placed it under the patronage of St. Joseph.

The monks of St. Joseph Abbey in France recount the story of how St. Joseph helped Blessed Mary found her religious community. They write:

On November 2, 1853, a plan was laid to establish a religious congregation, whose chief aim would be to come to the aid of the poor souls [in purgatory] by work, prayer, and suffering. The saintly Curé of Ars [St. John Vianney], delighted with the idea, gave it his entire support, often sending counsel and advice to the holy foundress who would become Blessed Mary of Providence.

A promise was made to St. Joseph that, if the work took shape, the first statue to be placed in the motherhouse of those consecrating themselves entirely to the relief of the souls in purgatory, would be his. Saint Joseph took good care not to forget this promise. Providence brought about the acquisition of a residence in Paris, and the Sisters took the name of Helpers of the Souls in Purgatory (Auxilatrices des Ames du Purgatoire). As early as the following day, a postman arrived and delivered a statue of the saint, sent by a person who knew nothing of either the pious intention or even the acquisition. Thus St. Joseph was pleased to declare himself the protector of this heroic work, pursuing a hidden ministry in the heart of the great city of Paris.

Just like Blessed Mary of Providence, we need to invoke the holy intercession of St. Joseph for the souls in purgatory. He is an extremely powerful intercessor, one whose aid we, too, will need after we die. Saint Joseph once spoke to the Servant of God Sr. Mary Martha Chambon about this and assured her that all who were devoted to him in life would continue to receive his intercession after death. Saint Joseph told her the following:

If the soul who prayed to me still has debts to pay to the Sovereign Judge, I shall ask for grace on its behalf. 

God listens to St. Joseph’s requests. Nothing is refused to St. Joseph.

Remember to specially honor and invoke St. Joseph on Wednesdays, in the month of March, and when you pray for the souls in purgatory.

He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasure, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and hon-orably introduced into the world. Holy Church in its entirety is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to St. Joseph. — St. Bernardine of Siena

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.

Available until: