This prayer to St. Joseph, “To You, O blessed Joseph” asks the guardian of the Holy Family to also guard us through his prayers from the power of darkness. The Holy Father Pope Francis asked the faithful to add this prayer to the end of the Rosary.
Why Pray a daily Prayer to St. Joseph?
Blessed Pope Pius IX published the encyclical: Quemadmodum Deus, and declared St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church. Blessed Pope Pius IX, who also declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and who prophetically died, “prisoner in the Vatican” was troubled by the attacks against the Church and so he declared Saint Joseph the Patron of the Catholic Church.
He said, “These most troublesome times the Church is beset by enemies on every side, and is weighed down by calamities so heavy that ungodly men assert that the gates of hell have at length prevailed against her.”
We can see the same threats in these present times against the Church and this is why Pope Francis asked for a year of St. Joseph in December 2020, and for the faithful to add “To You, O Blessed Joseph” to the end of our daily rosary.
St. Joseph Prayer:
"To You O Blessed Joseph"
To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our afflictions, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also.
Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.
Amen.
Meditation for the Year of St. Joseph
“Inspired by the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church from the earliest centuries stressed that just as St. Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, that is, the Church.”
About the Saints
Concepción Cabrera de Armida, known as Blessed Conchita
Blessed Concepción Cabrera de Armida, widely known as Blessed Conchita, is a Mexican saint for wives and mothers with a deep devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist.
St. Veronica Giuliani: Stigmatist and Mystic
St. Veronica Giuliani, a stigmatist and mystic, had a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and was known as a victim soul.
Faith in Jesus who is with us Always until the End of Time
Our faith in Jesus’ presence is tied to our belief in the Eucharist. Jesus is made manifest to us in the bread and wine, a meditation by Saint Peter Julian Eymard.
St. Peter Julian Eymard, Saint for the Eucharistic Revival
Saint Peter Julian Eymard, the founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, was deeply transformed by the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
St. Catherine of Siena Sets the World on Fire in the Midst of Plague
St. Catherine of Siena was born at the start of bubonic plague, in Siena, Italy on March 25, 1347. She is an extraordinary mystical saint, stigmatist, leader, and peace maker. St. Catherine was in the Third Order of St. Dominic religious society.
St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church
St. Teresa of Avila is a mystical saint who has had the most profound impact on the world through her writings on the spiritual life. She was graced with many mystical gifts including transverberation.
