Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and indulgent father, and compassionate friend of all in sorrow, through that bitter grief with which thy heart was saturated when thou didst behold the sufferings of the Infant Savior, and in prophetic view didst contemplate His most ignominious passion and death, take pity, I beseech thee, on my poverty and necessities; counsel me in my doubts; and console me in all my anxieties.

Thou art the good father and protector of orphans, the advocate of the defenseless, the patron of those who are in need and desolation. Do not disregard the petition of thy poor child; my sins have drawn upon me the just displeasure of my God, and hence I am surrounded with sorrows.

To thee, O amiable guardian of the poor neglected family of Nazareth, do I fly for shelter and protection. Listen, then, I entreat thee, with a fathers solicitude, to the earnest prayer of thy poor supplicant, and obtain for me the objects of my petition.

I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which induced Him to assume our nature, and be born in this world of sorrow.

I ask it by the grief which filled thy heart, when, ignorant of the mystery wrought in thy Immaculate spouse, thou didst fear thou shouldst be separated from her.

I ask it by that weariness, solicitude and suffering which thou didst endure when thou soughtest in vain at the inns of Bethlehem a shelter for the Sacred Virgin and a birthplace for the Infant God, and, when being everywhere refused, thou wert obliged to consent that the Queen of Heaven should give birth to the worlds Redeemer in a humble stable.

I ask it by that most sad, painful duty imposed on thee, when the divine Child being eight days old, thou wert obliged to inflict a painful and humiliating Circumcision.

I ask it by the glory and most sweetest sacred name, Jesus, thou didst impose upon the adorable Infant, by order of the Eternal One.

I ask it by that anguish inflicted on thee by the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother the future victims of Their love and our sins.

I ask it through that sorrow and anguish which filled thy soul when the angel declared to thee that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies, from whose impious designs thou wert obliged to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother into Egypt.

I ask it by all the pains and dangers of that long and perilous journey.

I ask it by all the extreme poverty of the exile endured in Egypt and your anxiety upon returning from Egypt to Nazareth.

I ask it by thy peaceful dwelling in Nazareth, in which so many joys and sorrows were mingled.

I ask it by thy extreme affliction, in being three days deprived, not by your own fault, of the company of the adorable Child.

I ask it by the consolation and joy in finding Him in the temple and by the ineffable consolation imparted to thee in the cottage of Nazareth, with the society of the little Jesus.

I ask it by that wonderful and ineffable joy of the thirty years that you had with Jesus and Mary, subjected to your authority and providence.

I ask it through that dolorous view, continually in thy mind, of all thy Jesus was to suffer.

I ask it by that painful contemplation, which made thee foresee the divine little hands and feet, now so active in serving thee, one day to be pierced with cruel, sharp nails; that head, which rested gently on thy bosom, crowned with sharp thorns; that delicate body, which thou didst tenderly hold in thy mantle and press to thy heart, stripped and extended on a cross.

I ask it by that heroic sacrifice of thy will and best affections, by which thou didst offer up to the Eternal Father your Jesus for the cross and for the death of all our sins and our redemption.

I ask it by that perfect love and conformity with which thou didst receive the divine order to depart from this life, in the loving embrace of Jesus and Mary.

I ask it by that exceeding great joy which filled thy soul when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His Kingdom, and conducted thee also into it with especial honors.

I ask it through your holiest spouse, Mary, and her departure from her sepulchre and glorious Assumption by the Angels, and crowned by the Eternal One, enthroned and seated with God.

O, good Father, I implore and await with confidence by your works, pains and sacrifies on earth, and by your triumphs, glories and joyful blessings in Heaven, with your Son Jesus and your spouse, Holy Mary.


Here, raising your heart to the Most High, you will ask the Saint, with loving care, the grace that you desire.

Obtain for all those who have asked thy prayers all that is useful to them in the designs of God; and finally, my dear protector, be thou with me and all who are dear to me, in our last moments, that we may eternally chant the praises of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Amen .

Pray one Hail Mary (Ave Maria)

O guardian of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that thy prayers in our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.

[Then the following V. and R. are to be said seven times, in honor of the seven joys and sorrows of St. Joseph.]

V. O glorious St. Joseph, through the love thou dost bear to Jesus Christ, and for the glory of His name,
R. Hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.

PRAYER
O glorious St. Joseph, spouse of the immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, and charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine will. Be my guide, father, and model through life, that I may merit to die as thou didst in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
St. Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.

(Indulgence of 5 years on any day.)

The Seven Joys and Sorrows of Saint Joseph

1. The sorrow St. Joseph had by his immense anxiety upon feeling obligated to abandon his holy Spouse. The joy he had when the archangel revealed the sublime mystery of the Incarnation.

2. The sorrow St. Joseph had in seeing the infant Jesus born in abject poverty. The joy he had in hearing the harmony of angel choirs, and beholding the glory of that night.

3. The sorrow St. Joseph had when the Precious Blood of the infant Savior was shed at His circumcision. The joy given with the Name of Jesus by the Most High.

4. The sorrow St. Joseph had at the prophecy of Simeon foretelling the sufferings of Jesus and Mary. The joy given, at the same time, of the prediction of salvation and glorious resurrection of innumerable souls.

5. The sorrow St. Joseph had in his toil to nurture and to serve the Son of the Most High, especially in the flight he made with Him into Egypt. The joy he had in having God Himself always with him, and to see the overthrow of the idols of Egypt.

6. The sorrow St. Joseph had by the fear of Archelaus. The joy he had in returning with Jesus from Egypt to Nazareth, and the reassurance of the angel.

7. The sorrow St. Joseph had when through no fault of his, he lost Jesus, the holy Child, and searched for Him in great anguish for three days. The joy he had when finding Him amidst the doctors in the Temple.