A collection of prayers dedicated to the glorious St. Joseph for every need and circumstance of life.
Hail, Joseph, son of David and spouse of Mary;
blessed are you among all men,
and blessed is Jesus, the fruit of your spouse's womb.
St. Joseph, foster father of the Son of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Hail, O St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus,
most chaste spouse of Mary;
head of the Holy Family,
protector of Holy Church,
guardian of divine treasures,
defender of virginity,
master of the interior life,
model of silence and humility,
mirror of patience and justice,
support of orphans and widows,
aid of the needy,
hope of the sick,
consoler of the afflicted,
terror of demons,
refuge of sinners,
glory of domestic life,
guardian of purity,
support of families,
solace of the dying,
patron of a happy death,
our advocate before Jesus and Mary,
pray for us! Amen.
Latin hymn traditionally sung at Vespers on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, inserted into the Roman Breviary in 1714 by Pope Clement XI. Attributed to the Spanish Carmelite Juan Escollar, it extols the singular glories of the Patriarch: being the spouse of the Virgin, knowing the mystery of the Incarnation, embracing and sustaining the Word Made Flesh in life, and enjoying God as no other saint among men.
I.
May the heavenly hosts celebrate You,
may all the choirs of Christians praise your name,
Joseph, whose virtues merited
the nuptials of the Virgin.
II.
Amazed and filled with anguish,
upon seeing that your chaste spouse had conceived,
an Angel came from heaven
to reveal to you the secret of God.
III.
You embraced the newborn Lord,
you accompanied Him in flight to Egypt;
when you found Him in the holy city,
you wept for joy.
IV.
Other men only after death
may share in God's glory;
you, more blessed than others, enjoyed in life
to hold Him in your arms.
V.
August Trinity, we beseech You,
through the merits of Joseph,
grant that we may reach heaven,
to bless You in canticles of jubilation. Amen.
I.
Te, Ioseph, celébrent ágmina cǽlitum,
Te cuncti résonent christíadum chori,
Qui clarus méritis, iunctus es ínclitæ,
Casto fœ́dere Vírgini.
II.
Almo cum túmidam gérmine cóniugem
Admírans, dúbio tángeris ánxius,
Afflátu súperi Flámidis Angelus
Concéptum Púerum docet.
III.
Tu natum Dóminum stringis, ad éxteras
Ægýpti prófugum tu séqueris plagas;
Amíssum Sólymis quæris, et ínvenis,
Miscens gáudia flétibus.
IV.
Post mortem réliquos sors pia cónsecrat,
Palmámque eméritos glória súscipit:
Tu vivens, Súperis par, frúeris Deo,
Mira sorte beátior.
V.
Nobis, summa Trias, parce precántibus,
Da Ioseph méritis sídera scándere:
Ut tandem líceat nos tibi pérpetim
Gratum prómere cánticum. Amen.
O glorious St. Joseph, protector of Jesus and Mary, extend also over our family your paternal protection. Guard us from every misfortune, from every spiritual and temporal danger. Watch especially over the purity of our ways and the practice of virtue in our home. Grant that peace, harmony, and Christian joy may always reign among us, so that our home may be a reflection of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Amen.
St. Joseph, you who protected the life of the Child Jesus from the first moment of His conception, defend in our day all children who are in danger. Grant parents the courage to always choose life and protect families going through difficulties. May your intercession strengthen all those who work in defense of human life, from conception to natural death. Amen.
Glorioso São José, modelo dos trabalhadores, que com vossas mãos sustentastes Jesus e Maria, olhai com bondade para mim que vos peço trabalho para ganhar honestamente o pão de cada dia. Vós sabeis quais são as minhas necessidades, as de minha família, e como preciso trabalhar para atendê-las. Alcançai-me, pois, um emprego conveniente e que me permita cumprir meus deveres cristãos e ter tempo para cuidar de minha vida espiritual. São José, modelo e protetor dos trabalhadores, pray for us! Amen.
O St. Joseph, head of the Holy Family, we choose you today as the father, protector, and guide of our family. Defend us in all the struggles of life and grant that we may always follow your example of faith, hope, and charity. May our home be, like that of Nazareth, a dwelling of peace, honest work, and love of God. Protect especially the heads of families in their duties and responsibilities. Help parents in the Christian education of their children and grant mothers the strength and wisdom of Mary. St. Joseph, pray for our family! Amen.
St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, you were chosen by God to be the guardian of the Holy Family. Teach us to be true Christian parents. Give us wisdom to educate our children in the faith, patience to correct them with love, and strength to give them good example. May our authority always be exercised with justice and gentleness, in your image. Protect our children from all dangers of body and soul, and grant that they may grow in wisdom, age, and grace before God and men. Amen.
Ó glorioso São José, pai adotivo de Jesus e verdadeiro esposo de Maria, sede o meu socorro na presente necessidade. Se é para a glória de Deus e bem de minha alma, alcançai-me a graça que vos peço (fazer o pedido). Mas se não convém ao meu bem espiritual, obtende-me o que for mais útil para minha salvação. Lembro-me de que jamais se ouviu dizer que alguém vos invocasse sem ser atendido. Com esta confiança recorro a vós e por vossa poderosa intercessão espero alcançar o que vos peço. São José, esperança dos desesperados, pray for us! Amen.
São José, que tivestes a felicidade de morrer nos braços de Jesus e Maria, alcançai-nos a graça de uma morte santa. Fazei que durante toda a nossa vida nos preparemos bem para esse momento supremo, vivendo sempre em graça de Deus. Quando chegar nossa última hora, vinde em nosso socorro, acompanhado de Jesus e Maria. Defendei-nos então contra os ataques do demônio e alcançai-nos uma morte serena, confiante e santa. São José, padroeiro da boa morte, pray for us! Amen.
Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, O my beloved protector St. Joseph, that it was never heard that anyone invoked your protection and implored your help without being consoled. With this confidence I come before you and fervently commend myself to you. Ah! Do not reject my plea, O foster father of the Savior, but graciously receive it. Amen.
Prayer inspired by the format of the Angelus, meditating on the angel's message to Joseph in a dream (Mt 1:20-21), through which he received the mystery of the Incarnation and was called to be the foster father of the Son of God.
V. The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream,
R. And called him to welcome Mary, his wife.
Behold, she who has conceived by the Holy Spirit
will bring forth a Son,
and you shall call His name Jesus;
for He will save His people from their sins.
V. Upon waking, Joseph took Mary as his wife,
R. And received the Son of God into his home.
Pour out upon us, O Lord, Your grace;
and through the intercession of St. Joseph,
who welcomed in faith the announcement of Your angel,
grant us to welcome Christ into our hearts
and serve Him faithfully until the end.
Through Christ our Lord.
Prayer of veneration honoring St. Joseph for his titles and virtues, recognizing the unique greatness of his mission in the history of salvation.
We venerate you, O glorious St. Joseph,
most chaste spouse of the Immaculate Virgin Mary,
foster father of the Only-Begotten Son of God,
nurturer of the Word Made Flesh,
guardian of the greatest treasure of heaven and earth.
We venerate your unwavering faith,
which believed the word of the angel without hesitation.
We venerate your steadfast hope,
which sustained the Holy Family in tribulations.
We venerate your ardent charity,
which loved Jesus and Mary with the heart of a father and spouse.
Be praised, O just Joseph,
man of silence and prayer,
of honest work and sincere humility.
Intercede for us before the Throne of Grace,
that, imitating your virtues,
we may one day merit to share with you
in eternal glory.
Prayer to St. Joseph asking for the grace of purity of heart and body, invoking his example as guardian of the Blessed Virgin and model of chastity.
O St. Joseph, guardian of the Immaculate Virgin,
you who lived in perfect purity
beside the purest lily of the world,
look with compassion upon our weakness.
Obtain for us from the Lord the precious grace of purity:
purity in thoughts, that the mind
may dwell on things above;
purity in words, that the lips
may speak only what edifies;
purity in deeds, that the body
may be a living temple of the Holy Spirit.
Defend us against the temptations of the flesh,
strengthen those who struggle for continence,
and support those who have fallen, that they may rise
and seek once more the beauty of virtue.
St. Joseph, mirror of purity, pray for us!
Prayer asking the intercession of St. Joseph to attain divine wisdom, referencing how he was guided by God's wisdom through dreams to fulfill his mission.
Glorious St. Joseph, to whom God granted
to hear His voice in the silence of the night
and to act promptly and rightly in every circumstance,
intercede for us before the source of all wisdom.
Obtain for us, through your intercession,
the wisdom that comes from above:
that which discerns good from evil,
which knows how to await God's time,
which acts with prudence in great decisions
and in the small ones of each day.
As you governed the Holy Family
with discernment and gentleness,
guide us also in the governance of our life,
of our families, and of our responsibilities.
May we not follow the standards of the world,
but the eternal wisdom that flows from Christ,
the same whom you sustained with your labor
and taught by your example.
St. Joseph, master of the interior life, pray for us!
This is the celebrated prayer to Glorious St. Joseph, known as the "Memorare of St. Joseph," approved and indulgenced by the Church. It is one of the most ancient and venerated prayers of the Catholic tradition in devotion to the Patriarch.
To you, O blessed St. Joseph, we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy spouse,
we confidently ask for your patronage.
By that charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and by that paternal love with which you loved the Child Jesus,
look, we beseech you, with eyes of kindness
upon the inheritance that Jesus Christ acquired with His blood,
and with your power and help, come to our aid.
Protect, O most provident guardian of the divine Family,
the chosen children of Jesus Christ.
Drive away from us, O most loving Father,
every plague of error and vice.
Assist us propitiously from heaven, O our most powerful protector,
in this struggle with the power of darkness.
And as you once rescued from mortal danger
the Child Jesus, so now defend the holy Church of God
from the snares of the enemy and from every adversity.
Take each one of us always under your protection,
that, following your example and with your help,
we may live holily, die piously,
and obtain eternal happiness in heaven.
Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker, whose feast is celebrated on May 1st, invoking his patronage over all workers and asking for dignified work, just wages, and the sanctification of daily labor.
O St. Joseph the Worker, who with your calloused hands
sustained Jesus and Mary in the home of Nazareth,
look today upon all the workers of the world.
Intercede for those who seek dignified work,
that they may find employment that nourishes the body
and does not stifle the soul.
Support those who work in unjust conditions,
that the dignity of labor may be restored.
Protect the families who depend on each day's toil,
and grant that bread never be lacking on their table.
Teach all who work
to unite their weariness with that of Christ,
who was a carpenter like you
and sanctified with His presence
every honest human labor.
May our hands, as they take up the tools of each day,
remind us of yours,
which sustained the very Son of God.
St. Joseph the Worker, patron of laborers,
pray for us!
Prayer to St. Joseph for the sanctification of priests, who, like Joseph, are called to be spiritual fathers and guardians of the sacred among the people of God.
Glorious St. Joseph, guardian of the Word Made Flesh,
you who were a father without begetting,
and guardian of the most precious treasure of the universe,
look with kindness upon the priests of Jesus Christ.
As you cared for the Body of Christ in Nazareth,
they care for His Eucharistic Body upon the altars.
As you were father and protector of the Holy Family,
they are spiritual fathers of the souls entrusted to their care.
Obtain for them your simple and strong faith,
your perfect chastity,
your humility that seeks no glory,
your silence that contemplates and listens.
Defend them from the temptations of pride and the world.
Strengthen them in hours of trial and solitude.
Enkindle them with love for Jesus and Mary,
that they may be shepherds after the heart of God.
St. Joseph, protector of the Church, pray for all priests!
Prayer to St. Joseph especially for men, asking that he be model and intercessor for every father, husband, worker, and man of faith.
St. Joseph, just and faithful man,
you are the model for every man
who desires to live according to the heart of God.
Teach us to be present and affectionate fathers,
who protect without oppressing,
who teach by example
and love with firmness and tenderness.
Be a model for husbands,
that they may love their wives with fidelity and respect,
recognizing in them the precious gift of God.
Guide sons who still seek their path,
young men who struggle against the temptations of the world,
and men who bear heavy responsibilities
without knowing where to turn.
Teach us fruitful silence,
honest work,
humble prayer,
and the courage to say yes to God
even when the path seems dark.
São José, pai e protetor dos homens, pray for us!
Prayer to St. Joseph, patron of a happy death, for those in their final agony, asking his intercession at the supreme moment of passage to eternity.
St. Joseph, who had the incomparable grace
of expiring in the arms of Jesus and Mary,
be the consoler and protector of all who are dying.
At this moment when (N.) struggles with death,
be present with your mercy.
Drive away the power of the enemy.
Calm all fears and anguish.
Open the heart to trust in the goodness of God.
May Jesus, whom you served on earth,
come to meet the departing soul,
and may Mary, whom you loved with perfect purity,
accompany it in the crossing.
For all who today are in their death agony
in solitude, in pain, or in despair,
you who knew a holy death,
be their guide to eternal life.
São José, patron of a happy death,
pray for the dying!
Prayer devoted to the Heart of St. Joseph, honoring his pure and loving heart that beat in rhythm with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
O Heart of St. Joseph,
heart pure and generous,
which loved God above all things
and neighbor as yourself,
we venerate you and invoke you.
Heart of a father that pulsed with love
while holding the Child Jesus in your arms;
heart of a spouse that loved Mary
with all the beauty of a virginal love;
heart of a servant that obeyed God
in silence and without hesitation.
O Heart of Joseph,
so close to the Heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
receive our prayers and raise them to the Lord.
Set our hearts aflame
with the same fire of your love;
purify them from disordered affections;
and unite them forever
to the Heart of Christ, our Redeemer.
O Heart of St. Joseph,
be our refuge and our peace!
Brief daily prayer to St. Joseph, simple and fervent, suitable to be prayed in the morning or evening as part of daily devotion.
St. Joseph, father and protector,
I entrust this day to you.
Guard my steps,
sanctify my work,
and keep my heart turned toward God.
May your example of silent faith
inspire me in every choice.
May your powerful intercession
support me in every need.
St. Joseph, pray for me!
Brief prayer to St. Joseph to be said before beginning daily work, asking for his blessing and the sanctification of labor.
St. Joseph the Worker,
bless this work that I begin in your name.
May my hands be instruments of good,
may my mind be guided by wisdom,
and may all that I do today
be for the glory of God and the good of my brothers and sisters.
As you worked in Nazareth
alongside the Son of God,
teach me to see in every task
an opportunity for holiness.
St. Joseph, bless my work!