THE WAY OF THE CROSS ➕

The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. Source:Wikipedia

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS are a fourteen-step Catholic

devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day

on Earth as a man. The fourteen devotions, or stations,

focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with

His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a

mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to

station. At each station, the individual recalls and

meditates on a specific event from Christ's last day.

Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to

the next station until all fourteen are complete.

The Stations of the Cross are commonly found in churches

as a series of fourteen small icons or images. They can also

appear in church yards arranged along paths. The stations

are most commonly prayed during Lent on Wednesdays

and Fridays, and especially on Good Friday, the day of the

year upon which the events actually occurred.

INDULGENCES

A Plenary indulgence is grated to the faithful who make the pious

exercise of the Way of the Cross. Those who are impeded can gain the

same indulgence if they spend at least one half an hour in pious

reading and meditation on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus

Christ.

Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, no. 63

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

BY ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

PREPARATORY PRAYERS

Kneeling before the altar, make an Act of Contrition, and form the

intention of gaining the indulgences, whether for yourself or for the souls

in purgatory.

ACT OF CONTRITION

MY GOD, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I

detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most

of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and

deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy

grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

Following the act of contrition say:

MY LORD, JESUS CHRIST, You have made this journey to die

for me with unspeakable love; and I have so many times

ungratefully abandoned You. | But now I love You with all my

heart; and, because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for ever

having offended You. Pardon me, my God, and permit me to

accompany You on this journey. You go to die for love of me;

I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You. My Jesus,

I will live and die always united to You.

Stabat mater dolorósa

juxta Crucem lacrimósa,

dum pendébat Fílius.

At the cross her station keeping

Stood the mournful Mother weeping

Close to Jesus to the last.

THE FIRST STATION

PILATE CONDEMNS JESUS TO DIE

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW JESUS CHRIST, after being scourged and

crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to

die on the cross.

All say:

MY ADORABLE JESUS, it was not Pilate; no, it was my sins

that condemned You to die. I beseech You, by the merits

of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul on its journey to

eternity. I love You, beloved Jesus; I love You more than I love

myself. With all my heart I repent of ever having offended You.

Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

Cuius ánimam geméntem,

contristátam et doléntem

pertransívit gladius

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing

All His bitter anguish bearing

Now at length the sword has passed

THE SECOND STATION

JESUS ACCEPTS HIS CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER JESUS as He walked this road with the cross on His

shoulders, thinking of us, and offering to His Father in our

behalf, the death He was about to suffer.

All say:

MY MOST BELOVED JESUS, I embrace all the sufferings You

have destined for me until death. I beg You, by all You

suffered in carrying Your cross, to help me carry mine with

Your perfect peace and resignation. I love You, Jesus, my love; I

repent of ever having offended You. Never let me separate

myself from You again. Grant that I may love You always; and

then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be …

O quam tristis et afflícta

fuit illa benedícta,

mater Unigéniti!

O, how sad and sore depressed

Was that Mother highly blessed

Of the sole Begotten One

THE THIRD STATION

JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER THE FIRST FALL OF JESUS. Loss of blood from the

scourging and crowing with thorns had so weakened Him

that He could hardly walk; and yet He had to carry that great

load upon His shoulders. As the soldiers struck Him cruelly,

He fell several times under the heavy cross.

All Say:

MY BELOVED JESUS, it was not the weight of the cross but the

weight of my sins which made You suffer so much. By

the merits of this first fall, save me from falling into mortal sin. I

love You, O my Jesus, with all my heart; I am sorry that I have

offended You. May I never offend You again. Grant that I may

love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be …

Quae mœrébat et dolébat,

pia Mater, dum vidébat

nati pœnas ínclyti.

Christ above in torment hangs

She beneath beholds the pangs

THE FOURTH STATION

JESUS MEETS HIS AFFLICTED MOTHER

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW THE SON met his Mother on His way to

Calvary. Jesus and Mary gazed at each other and their

looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which

loved each other so tenderly

All Say:

MY MOST LOVING JESUS, by the pain You suffered in this

meeting grant me the grace of being truly devoted to

Your most holy Mother. And You, my Queen, who was

overwhelmed with sorrow, obtain for me by Your prayers a tender

and a lasting remembrance of the passion of Your divine Son. I love

You, Jesus, my Love, above all things. I repent of ever having

offended You. Never allow me to offend You again. Grant that I may

love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be...

Quis est homo qui non fleret,

matrem Christi si vidéret

in tanto supplício?

Is there one who would not weep,

'whelmed in miseries so deep

Christ's dear Mother to behold.

THE FIFTH STATION

SIMON HELPS JESUS CARRY THE CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW WEAK and weary Jesus was. At each step He was

at the point of expiring. Fearing that He would die on the way

when they wished Him to die the infamous death of the cross, they

forced Simon of Cyrene to help carry the cross after Our Lord.

All Say:

MY BELOVED JESUS I will not refuse the cross as Simon did: I

accept it and embrace it. I accept in particular the death that is

destined for me with all the pains that may accompany it. I unite it

to Your death and I offer it to You. You have died for love of me; I

will die for love of You and to please You. Help me by Your grace. I

love You, Jesus, my Love; I repent of ever having offended You.

Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may love You always;

and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be …

Quis non posset contristári

Christi Matrem contemplári

doléntem cum Fílio?

Can the human heart refrain

From partaking in her pain

In that Mother's pain untold?

THE SIXTH STATION

VERONICA OFFERS HER VEIL TO JESUS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER THE COMPASSION of the holy woman, Veronica.

Seeing Jesus in such distress, His face bathed in sweat and

blood, she presented Him with her veil. Jesus wiped His face,

and left upon the cloth the image of his sacred countenance.

All Say:

MY BELOVED JESUS, Your face was beautiful before You

began this journey; but, now, it no longer appears

beautiful and is disfigured with wounds and blood. Alas, my

soul also was once beautiful when it received Your grace in

Baptism; but I have since disfigured it with my sins. You alone,

my Redeemer, can restore it to its former beauty. Do this by the

merits of Your passion; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Pro peccátis suæ gentis

vidit Iésum in torméntis,

et flagéllis súbditum.

For the sins of His own nation,

She saw Jesus wracked with torment,

All with scourges rent.

THE SEVENTH STATION

JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW the second fall of Jesus under His cross

renews the pain in all the wounds of the head and

members of our afflicted Lord.

All Say:

MY MOST GENTLE JESUS, how many times You have forgiven

me; and how many times I have fallen again and begun

again to offend You! By the merits of this second fall, give me

the grace to persevere in Your love until death. Grant, that in all

my temptations, I may always have recourse to You. I love You,

Jesus, my Love with all my heart; I am sorry that I have

offended You. Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may

love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be …

Vidit suum dulcem Natum

moriéndo desolátum,

dum emísit spíritum.

She beheld her tender Child,

Saw Him hang in desolation,

Till His spirit forth He sent.

THE EIGHTH STATION

JESUS SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW the women wept with compassion seeing

Jesus so distressed and dripping with blood as he walked

along. Jesus said to them, “Weep not so much for me, but rather

for Your children.”

All Say:

MY JESUS, laden with sorrows, I weep for the sins which I have

committed against You because of the punishment I deserve

for them; and, still more, because of the displeasure they have caused

You who have loved me with an infinite love. It is Your love, more

than the fear of hell, which makes me weep for my sins. My Jesus, I

love You more than myself; I am sorry that I have offended You.

Never allow me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You

always; and then do with me as You will. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be …

Eia, Mater, fons amóris

me sentíre vim dolóris

fac, ut tecum lúgeam.

O thou Mother! fount of love!

Touch my spirit from above,

make my heart with thine accord.

THE NINTH STATION

JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW JESUS CHRIST fell for the third time. He was

extremely weak and the cruelty of His executioners was

excessive; they tried to hasten His steps though He hardly had

strength to move.

All Say:

MY OUTRAGED JESUS, by the weakness You suffered in

going to Calvary, give me enough strength to overcome

all human respect and all my evil passions which have led me

to despise Your friendship. I love You, Jesus my Love, with all

my heart; I am sorry for ever having offended You. Never

permit me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You

always; and then do with me as You will. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Fac, ut árdeat cor meum

in amándo Christum Deum

ut sibi compláceam.

Make me feel as thou hast felt;

make my soul to glow and melt

with the love of Christ my Lord.

THE TENTH STATION:

JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW JESUS was violently stripped of His clothes

by His executioners. The inner garments adhered to his

lacerated flesh and the soldiers tore them off so roughly that the

skin came with them. Have pity for your Savior so cruelly

treated and tell Him:

All Say:

MY INNOCENT JESUS, by the torment You suffered in being

stripped of Your garments, help me to strip myself of all

attachment for the things of earth that I may place all my love

in You who are so worthy of my love. I love You, O Jesus, with

all my heart; I am sorry for ever having offended You. Never let

me offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and

then do with me as You will. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be …

Sancta Mater, istud agas,

crucifíxi fige plagas

cordi meo válide.

Holy Mother! pierce me through,

in my heart each wound renew

of my Savior crucified.

THE ELEVENTH STATION

JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER JESUS, thrown down upon the cross, He stretched

out His arms and offered to His eternal Father the sacrifice

of His life for our salvation. They nailed His hands and feet,

and then, raising the cross, left Him to die in anguish.

All Say:

MY DESPISED JESUS, nail my heart to the cross that it may

always remain there to love You and never leave You

again. I love You more than myself; I am sorry for ever having

offended You. Never permit me to offend You again. Grant that

I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be …

Tui Nati vulneráti,

tam dignáti pro me pati,

pœnas mecum dívide.

Let me share with you His pain,

Who for all our sins was slain,

Who for me in torments died.

THE TWELFTH STATION

JESUS DIES UPON THE CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW YOUR JESUS, after three hours of agony on the

cross, is finally overwhelmed with suffering and, abandoning

Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head and dies.

All Say:

MY DYING JESUS, I devoutly kiss the cross on which You

would die for love of me. I deserve, because of my sins, to

die a terrible death; but Your death is my hope. By the merits of

Your death, give me the grace to die embracing Your feet and

burning with love of You. I yield my soul into Your hands. I

love You with my whole heart. I am sorry that I have offended

You. Never let me offend You again. Grant that I may love You

always; and then do with me as You will.

All kneel for a moment and pray three times the Our Father.

Fac me tecum pie flere,

crucifíxo condolére,

donec ego víxero.

Let me mingle tears with thee

Mourning Him who mourned for me,

All the days that I may live.

THE THIRTEENTH STATION

JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW, after Our Lord had died, He was taken

down from the cross by two of His disciples, Joseph and

Nicodemus, and placed in the arms of His afflicted Mother. She

received Him with unutterable tenderness and pressed Him

close to her bosom.

All Say:

MOTHER OF SORROWS, for the love of Your Son, accept me

as Your servant and pray to Him for me, And You, my

Redeemer, since you have died for me, allow me to love You,

for I desire only You and nothing more. I love You, Jesus my

Love, and I am sorry that I have offended You. Never let me

offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then

do with me as You will. Glory be…

Juxta Crucem tecum stare,

et me tibi sociáre

in planctu desídero.

By the cross with you to stay

There with you to weep and pray

Is all I ask of you to give.

THE FOURTEENTH STATION

JESUS IS PLACED IN THE SEPULCHER

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

Priest:

CONSIDER HOW the disciples carried the body of Jesus to its

burial, while His holy Mother went with them and

arranged it in the sepulcher with her own hands. They then

closed the tomb and all departed.

All Say:

OH, MY BURIED JESUS, I kiss the stone that closes You in. But

You gloriously did rise again on the third day. I beg You

by Your resurrection that I may be raised gloriously on the last

day, to be united with You in heaven, to praise You and love

You forever. I love You, Jesus, and I repent of ever having

offended You. Grant that I may love You always; and then do

with me as You will.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be …

Virgo vírginum præclára,

mihi iam non sis amára,

fac me tecum plángere.

Virgin of all virgins blest!

Listen to my fond request:

Let me share your grief divine.

After the stations say the “Our Father”, the “Hail Mary,” and the

“Glory be to the Father,” five times, in honour of the Passion of Jesus

Christ, and once for the intention of the Holy Father.

PRAYER TO JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED

MY GOOD AND DEAR JESUS, I kneel before You, asking You

most earnestly to engrave upon my heart a deep and

lively faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my

sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. As I reflect upon Your

five wounds, and dwell upon them with deep compassion and

grief, I recall, good Jesus, the words the Prophet David

spoke long ago concerning Yourself: “They pierced My hands

and My feet; they have numbered all My bones.''

The faithful who, after receiving Communion, recite this prayer before

a picture of Christ Crucified may gain a plenary indulgence on any

Friday in Lent and a partial indulgence on other days of the year, with

the addition of prayers for the Holy Father's intention.

Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, no. 22

Annunciation Novena (March 16 to 24)

Annunciation Novena

(March 16 to 24)

I greet you,

Ever-blessed Virgin,

Mother of God,

Throne of Grace,

miracle of Almighty Power!

I greet you,

Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity

and Queen of the Universe,

Mother of Mercy

and refuge of sinners!

Most loving Mother,

attracted by your beauty and sweetness,

and by your tender compassion,

I confidently turn to you,

miserable as I am,

and beg of you to obtain for me

from your dear Son

the favor I request in this novena:

(mention your request here).

Obtain for me also,

Queen of heaven,

the most lively contrition for my many sins

and the grace to imitate closely

those virtues which you practiced so faithfully,

especially humility,

purity and obedience.

Above all,

I beg you to be my Mother and Protectress,

to receive me into the number of your devoted children,

and to guide me from your high throne of glory.

Do not reject my petitions,

Mother of Mercy!

Have pity on me,

and do not abandon me during life

or at the moment of my death.

Amen.

THE WAY OF THE CROSS - THE FIRST STATION

 THE FIRST STATION

PILATE CONDEMNS JESUS TO DIE

V. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. (Genuflect)

R. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world. 

Priest:

ONSIDER HOW JESUS CHRIST, after being scourged and 

crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to 

die on the cross.

All say:

Y ADORABLE JESUS, it was not Pilate; no, it was my sins 

that condemned You to die. I beseech You, by the merits 

of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul on its journey to 

eternity. I love You, beloved Jesus; I love You more than I love 

myself. With all my heart I repent of ever having offended You. 

Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Our Father…

Cuius ánimam geméntem,

contristátam et doléntem

pertransívit gladius

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing

All His bitter anguish bearing

Now at length the sword has passed

PRAYER OF TRUST

"Lord, help me bear my sufferings with patience and love."

Prayer of Trust

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I may seem to be lost in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Source:

Prayer of Trust - https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/prayer-of-trust-12762

MEMORARE

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your clemency hear and answer me. Amen.




In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.




Amen.

SAINT OF THE DAY St. John Ogilvie (Feast Day: March 11)

SAINT OF THE DAY

St. John Ogilvie

(Feast Day: March 11)

Pray for us!

Saint John Ogilvie’s Story

John Ogilvie’s noble Scottish family was partly Catholic and partly Presbyterian. His father raised him as a Calvinist, sending him to the continent to be educated. There, John became interested in the popular debates going on between Catholic and Calvinist scholars. Confused by the arguments of Catholic scholars whom he sought out, he turned to Scripture. Two texts particularly struck him: “God wills all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth,” and “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.”

Slowly, John came to see that the Catholic Church could embrace all kinds of people. Among these, he noted, were many martyrs. He decided to become Catholic and was received into the Church at Louvain, Belgium, in 1596 at the age of 17.

John continued his studies, first with the Benedictines, then as a student at the Jesuit College at Olmutz. He joined the Jesuits and for the next 10 years underwent their rigorous intellectual and spiritual training. At his ordination to the priesthood in France in 1610, John met two Jesuits who had just returned from Scotland after suffering arrest and imprisonment. They saw little hope for any successful work there in view of the tightening of the penal laws. But a fire had been lit within John. For the next two and a half years he pleaded to be placed there as a missionary.

Sent by his superiors, he secretly entered Scotland posing as a horse trader or a soldier returning from the wars in Europe. Unable to do significant work among the relatively few Catholics in Scotland, John made his way back to Paris to consult his superiors. Rebuked for having left his assignment in Scotland, he was sent back. He warmed to the task before him and had some success in making converts and in secretly serving Scottish Catholics. But he was soon betrayed, arrested, and brought before the court.

His trial dragged on until he had been without food for 26 hours. He was imprisoned and deprived of sleep. For eight days and nights he was dragged around, prodded with sharp sticks, his hair pulled out. Still, he refused to reveal the names of Catholics or to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the king in spiritual affairs. He underwent a second and third trial but held firm.

At his final trial, he assured his judges: “In all that concerns the king, I will be slavishly obedient; if any attack his temporal power, I will shed my last drop of blood for him. But in the things of spiritual jurisdiction which a king unjustly seizes I cannot and must not obey.”

Condemned to death as a traitor, he was faithful to the end, even when on the scaffold he was offered his freedom and a fine living if he would deny his faith. His courage in prison and in his martyrdom was reported throughout Scotland.

John Ogilvie was canonized in 1976, becoming the first Scottish saint since 1250.

NOVENA TO SAINT JOSEPH

HOLY NOVENA TO SAINT JOSEPH 

(March 10-19) 


ON MARCH 10, BEGIN YOUR NOVENA TO ST. JOSEPH!


Prayers to St. Joseph are believed to be particularly efficacious. Why? Well, if Christ was obedient to St. Joseph, his father, here on earth, why wouldn't he also listen to St. Joseph in heaven?



St. Joseph, Protector of the Holy Church, pray for us!



We know Joseph was a man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back.



Day One: Foster Father of Jesus

Saint Joseph, you were privileged to share in the mystery of the Incarnation as the foster-father of Jesus. Mary alone was directly connected with the fulfillment of the mystery, in that she gave her consent to Christ's conception and allowed the Holy Spirit to form the sacred humanity of Jesus from her blood. You had a part in this mystery in an indirect manner, by fulfilling the condition necessary for the Incarnation - the protection of Mary's virginity before and during your married life with her. You made the virginal marriage possible, and this was a part of God's plan, foreseen, willed, and decreed from all eternity.

In a more direct manner you shared in the support, upbringing, and protection of the Divine Child as His foster-father. For this purpose the Heavenly Father gave you a genuine heart of a father - a heart full of love and self-sacrifice. With the toil of your hands you were obliged to offer protection to the Divine Child, to procure for Him food, clothing, and a home. You were truly the saint of the holy childhood of Jesus - the living created providence which watched over the Christ-Child.

When Herod sought the Child to put Him to death, the Heavenly Father sent an angel but only as a messenger, giving orders for the flight; the rest He left entirely in your hands. It was that fatherly love which was the only refuge that received and protected the Divine Child. Your fatherly love carried Him through the desert into Egypt until all enemies were removed. Then on your arms the Child returned to Nazareth to be nourished and provided for during many years by the labor of your hands. Whatever a human son owes to a human father for all the benefits of his up-bringing and support, Jesus owed to you, because you were to Him a foster-father, teacher, and protector.

You served the Divine Child with a singular love. God gave you a heart filled with heavenly, supernatural love - a love far deeper and more powerful than any natural father's love could be.

You served the Divine Child with great unselfishness, without any regard to self-interest, but not without sacrifices. You did not toil for yourself, but you seemed to be an instrument intended for the benefit of others, to be put aside as soon as it had done its word, for you disappeared from the scene once the childhood of Jesus had passed.

You were the shadow of the Heavenly Father not only as the earthly representative of the authority of the Father, but also by means of your fatherhood - which only appeared to be natural - you were to hide for a while the divinity of Jesus. What a wonderfully sublime and divine vocation was yours - the loving Child which you carried in your arms, and loved and served so faithfully, had God in Heaven as Father and was Himself God!

Yours is a very special rank among the saints of the Kingdom of God, because you were so much a part of the very life of the Word of God made Man. In your house at Nazareth and under your care the redemption of mankind was prepared. What you accomplished, you did for us. You are not only a powerful and great saint in the Kingdom of God, but a benefactor of the whole of Christendom and mankind. Your rank in the Kingdom of God, surpassing far in dignity and honor of all the angels, deserves our very special veneration, love, and gratitude.

Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of having been chosen by God to be the foster-father of His Divine Son. As a token of your own gratitude to God for this your greatest privilege, obtain for me the grace of a very devoted love for Jesus Christ, my God and my Savior. Help me to serve Him with some of the self-sacrificing love and devotion which you had while on this earth with Him. Grant that through your intercession with Jesus, your foster-Son, I may reach the degree of holiness God has destined for me, and save my soul.

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Memorare...


Day Two: Virginal Husband of Mary

Saint Joseph, I honor you as the true husband of Mary. Scripture says: "Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, and of her was born Jesus who is called Christ" (Matt. 1:16). Your marriage to Mary was a sacred contract by which you and Mary gave yourselves to each other. Mary really belonged to you with all she was and had. You had a right to her love and obedience; and no other person so won her esteem, obedience, and love.

You were also the protector and witness of Mary's virginity. By your marriage you gave to each other your virginity, and also the mutual right over it - a right to safeguard the other's virtue. This mutual virginity also belonged to the divine plan of the Incarnation, for God sent His angel to assure you that motherhood and virginity in Mary could be united.

This union of marriage not only brought you into daily familiar association with Mary, the loveliest of God's creatures, but also enabled you to share with her a mutual exchange of spiritual goods. And Mary found her edification in your calm, humble, and deep virtue, purity, and sanctity. What a great honor comes to you from this close union with her whom the Son of God calls Mother and whom He declared the Queen of heaven and earth! Whatever Mary had belonged by right to you also, and this included her Son, even though He had been given to her by God in a wonderful way. Jesus belonged to you as His legal father. Your marriage was the way which God chose to have Jesus introduced into the world, a great divine mystery from which all benefits have come to us.

God the Son confided the guardianship and the support of His Immaculate Mother to your care. Mary's life was that of the Mother of the Savior, who did not come upon earth to enjoy honors and pleasures, but to redeem the world by hard work, suffering, and the cross. You were the faithful companion, support, and comforter of the Mother of Sorrows. How loyal you were to her in poverty, journeying, work, and pain. Your love for Mary was based upon your esteem for her as Mother of God. After God and the Divine Child, you loved no one as much as her. Mary responded to this love. She submitted to your guidance with naturalness and easy grace and childlike confidence. The Holy Spirit Himself was the bond of the great love which united your hearts.

Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the virginal husband of Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to love Jesus with all my heart, as you did, and love Mary with some of the tenderness and loyalty with which you loved her.

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Memorare...



Day Three: Man Chosen By The Blessed Trinity

Saint Joseph, you were the man chosen by God the Father. He selected you to be His representative on earth, hence He granted you all the graces and blessings you needed to be His worthy representative.

You were the man chosen by God the Son. Desirous of a worthy foster-father, He added His own riches and gifts, and above all, His love. The true measure of your sanctity is to be judged by your imitation of Jesus. You were entirely consecrated to Jesus, working always near Him, offering Him your virtues, your work, your sufferings, your very life. Jesus lived in you perfectly so that you were transformed into Him. In this lies your special glory, and the keynote of your sanctity. Hence, after Mary, you are the holiest of the saints.

You were chosen by the Holy Spirit. He is the mutual Love of the Father and the Son - the heart of the Holy Trinity. In His wisdom He draws forth all creatures from nothing, guides them to their end in showing them their destiny and giving them the means to reach it. Every vocation and every fulfillment of a vocation proceeds from the Holy Spirit. As a foster-father of Jesus and head of the Holy Family, you had an exalted and most responsible vocation - to open the way for the redemption of the world and to prepare for it by the education and guidance of the youth of the God-Man. In this work you cooperated as the instrument of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the guide; you obeyed and carried out the works. How perfectly you obeyed the guidance of the God of Love!

The words of the Old Testament which Pharaoh spoke concerning Joseph of Egypt can well be applied to you: "Can we find such another man, that is full of the spirit of God, or a wise man like to him?" (Gen. 41:38). No less is your share in the divine work of God than was that of Egypt. You now reign with your foster-Son and see reflected in the mirror of God's Wisdom the Divine Will and what is of benefit to our souls.

Saint Joseph, I thank God for having made you the man specially chosen by Him. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to imitate your virtues so that I too may be pleasing to the Heart of God. Help me to give myself entirely to His service and to the accomplishment of His Holy Will, that one day I may reach heaven and be eternally united to God as you are.

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Memorare...





Day Four: Faithful Servant

Saint Joseph, you lived for one purpose - to be the personal servant of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Your noble birth and ancestry, the graces and gifts, so generously poured out on you by God - all this was yours to serve our Lord better. Every thought, word, and action of yours was a homage to the love and glory of the Incarnate Word. You fulfilled most faithfully the role of a good and faithful servant who cared for the House of God.

How perfect was your obedience! Your position in the Holy Family obliged you to command, but besides being the foster-father of Jesus, you were also His disciple. For almost thirty years, you watched the God-Man display a simple and prompt obedience, and you grew to love and practice it very perfectly yourself. Without exception you submitted to God, to the civil rulers, and to the voice of your conscience.

When God sent an angel to tell you to care for Mary, you obeyed in spite of the mystery which surrounded her motherhood. When you were told to flee into Egypt under painful conditions, you obeyed without the slightest word of complaint. When God advised you in a dream to return to Nazareth, you obeyed. In every situation your obedience was as simple as your faith, as humble as your heart, as prompt as your love. It neglected nothing; it took in every command.

You had the virtue of perfect devotedness, which marks a good servant. Every moment of your life was consecrated to the service of our Lord: sleep, rest, work, pain. Faithful to your duties, you sacrificed everything unselfishly, even cheerfully. You would have sacrificed even the happiness of being with Mary. The rest and quiet of Nazareth was sacrificed at the call of duty. Your entire life was one generous giving, even to the point of being ready to die in proof of your love for Jesus and Mary. With true unselfish devotedness you worked without praise or reward.

But God wanted you to be in a certain sense a cooperator in the Redemption of the world. He confided to you the care of nourishing and defending the Divine Child. He wanted you to be poor and to suffer because He destined you to be the foster-father of His Son, who came into the world to save men by His sufferings and death, and you were to share in His suffering. In all of these important tasks, the Heavenly Father always found you a faithful servant!

Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being God's faithful servant. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to be a faithful servant of God as you were. Help me to share, as you did, the perfect obedience of Jesus, who came not to do His Will, but the Will of His Father; to trust in the Providence of God, knowing that if I do His Will, He will provide for all my needs of soul and body; to be calm in my trials and to leave it to our Lord to free me from them when it pleases Him to do so. And help me to imitate your generosity, for there can be no greater reward here on earth than the joy and honor of being a faithful servant of God.

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Memorare...





Day Five: Patron of the Church

Saint Joseph, God has appointed you patron of the Catholic Church because you were the head of the Holy Family, the starting-point of the Church. You were the father, protector, guide and support of the Holy Family. For that reason you belong in a particular way to the Church, which was the purpose of the Holy Family's existence.

I believe that the Church is the family of God on earth. Its government is represented in priestly authority which consists above all in its power over the true Body of Christ, really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, thus continuing Christ's life in the Church. From this power, too, comes authority over the Mystical Body of Christ, the members of the Church - the power to teach and govern souls, to reconcile them with God, to bless them, and to pray for them.

You have a special relationship to the priesthood because you possessed a wonderful power over our Savior Himself. Your life and office were of a priestly function and are especially connected with the Blessed Sacrament. To some extent you were the means of bringing the Redeemer to us - as it is the priest's function to bring Him to us in the Mass - for you reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. You were prefigured by the patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. But how much greater than he were you! Joseph of old gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. You nourished, and with the most tender care, preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal life in Holy Communion.

God has appointed you patron of the Church because the glorious title of patriarch also falls by special right to you. The patriarchs were the heads of families of the Chosen People, and theirs was the honor to prepare for the Savior's incarnation. You belonged to this line of patriarchs, for you were one of the last descendants of the family of David and one of the nearest forebears of Christ according to the flesh. As husband of Mary, the Mother of God, and as the foster-father of the Savior, you were directly connected with Christ. Your vocation was especially concerned with the Person of Jesus; your entire activity centered about Him. You are, therefore, the closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, which took its rise with the Holy Family of Nazareth. Because the New Testament surpasses the Old in every respect, you are the patriarch of patriarchs, the most venerable, exalted, and amiable of all the patriarchs.

Through Mary, the Church received Christ, and therefore the Church is indebted to her. But the Church owes her debt of gratitude and veneration to you also, for you were the chosen one who enabled Christ to enter into the world according to the laws of order and fitness. It was by you that the patriarchs and the prophets and the faithful reaped the fruit of God's promise. Alone among them all, you saw with your own eyes and possessed the Redeemer promised to the rest of men.

Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the Patron of the Church. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to live always as a worthy member of this Church, so that through it I may save my soul. Bless the priests, the religious, and the laity of the Catholic Church, that they may ever grow in God's love and faithfulness in His service. Protect the Church from the evils of our day and from the persecution of her enemies. Through your powerful intercession may the church successfully accomplish its mission in this world - the glory of God and the salvation of souls!

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Memorare...




Day Six: Patron of Families

Saint Joseph, I venerate you as the gentle head of the Holy Family. The Holy Family was the scene of your life's work in its origin, in its guidance, in its protection, in your labor for Jesus and Mary, and even in your death in their arms. You lived, moved, and acted in the loving company of Jesus and Mary. The inspired writer describes your life at Nazareth in only a few words: "And (Jesus) went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them" (Luke, 2:51). Yet these words tell of your high vocation here on earth, and the abundance of graces which filled your soul during those years spent in Nazareth.

Your family life at Nazareth was all radiant with the light of divine charity. There was an intimate union of heart and mind among the members of your Holy Family. There could not have been a closer bond than that uniting you to Jesus, your foster-Son and to Mary, your most loving wife. Jesus chose to fulfill toward you, His foster-father, all the duties of a faithful son, showing you every mark of honor and affection due to a parent. And Mary showed you all the signs of respect and love of a devoted wife. You responded to this love and veneration from Jesus and Mary with feelings of deepest love and respect. You had for Jesus a true fatherly love, enkindled and kept aglow in your heart by the Holy Spirit. And you could not cease to admire the workings of grace in Mary's soul, and this admiration caused the holy love which you had consecrated to her on the day of your wedding grow stronger every day.

God has made you a heavenly patron of family life because you sanctified yourself as head of the Holy Family and thus by your beautiful example sanctified family life. How peacefully and happily the Holy Family rested under the care of your fatherly rule, even in the midst of trials. You were the protector, counselor, and consolation of the Holy Family in every need. And just as you were the model of piety, so you gave us by your zeal, your earnestness and devout trust in God's providence, and especially by your love, the example of labor according to the Will of God. You cherished all the experiences common to family life and the sacred memories of the life, sufferings, and joys in the company of Jesus and Mary. Therefore the family is dear to you as the work of God, and it is of the highest importance in your eyes to promote the honor of God and the well-being of man. In your loving fatherliness and unfailing intercession you are the patron and intercessor of families, and you deserve a place in every home.

Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of living in the Holy Family and being its head. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain God's blessing upon my own family. Make our home the kingdom of Jesus and Mary - a kingdom of peace, of joy, and love.

I also pray for all Christian families. Your help is needed in our day when God's enemy has directed his attack against the family in order to desecrate and destroy it. In the face of these evils, as patron of families, be pleased to help; and as of old, you arose to save the Child and His Mother, so today arise to protect the sanctity of the home. Make our homes sanctuaries of prayer, of love, of patient sacrifice, and of work. May they be modeled after your own at Nazareth. Remain with us with Jesus and Mary, so that by your help we may obey the commandments of God and of the Church; receive the holy sacraments of God and of the Church; live a life of prayer; and foster religious instruction in our homes. Grant that we may be reunited in God's Kingdom and eternally live in the company of the Holy Family in heaven.

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Memorare...




Day Seven: Patron of Workers

Saint Joseph, you devoted your time at Nazareth to the work of a carpenter. It was the Will of God that you and your foster-Son should spend your days together in manual labor. What a beautiful example you set for the working classes!

It was especially for the poor, who compose the greater part of mankind, that Jesus came upon earth, for in the synagogue of Nazareth, He read the words of Isaiah and referred them to Himself: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor..." (Luke 4:18). It was God's Will that you should be occupied with work common to poor people, that in this way Jesus Himself might ennoble it by inheriting it from you, His foster-father, and by freely embracing it. Thus our Lord teaches us that for the humbler class of workmen, He has in store His richest graces, provided they live content in the place God's Providence has assigned them, and remain poor in spirit for He said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3).

The kind of work to which you devoted your time in the workshop of Nazareth offered you many occasions of practicing humility. You were privileged to see each day the example of humility which Jesus practiced - a virtue most pleasing to Him. He chose for His earthly surroundings not the courts of princes nor the halls of the learned, but a little workshop of Nazareth. Here you shared for many years the humble and hidden toiling of the God-Man. What a touching example for the worker of today!

While your hands were occupied with manual work, your mind was turned to God in prayer. From the Divine Master, who worked along with you, you learned to work in the presence of God in the spirit of prayer, for as He worked He adored His Father and recommended the welfare of the world to Him, Jesus also instructed you in the wonderful truths of grace and virtue, for you were in close contact with Him who said of Himself, 'I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.'

As you were working at your trade, you were reminded of the greatness and majesty of God, who, as a most wise Architect, formed this vast universe with wonderful skill and limitless power.

The light of divine faith that filled your mind, did not grow dim when you saw Jesus working as a carpenter. You firmly believed that the saintly Youth working beside you was truly God's own Son.

Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to work side by side with Jesus in the carpenter shop of Nazareth. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to respect the dignity of labor and ever to be content with the position in life, however lowly, in which it may please Divine Providence to place me. Teach me to work for God and with God in the spirit of humility and prayer, as you did, so that I may offer my toil in union with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass as a reparation for my sins, and gain rich merit for heaven.

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Memorare...






Day Eight: Friend In Suffering

Saint Joseph, your share of suffering was very great because of your close union with the Divine Savior. All the mysteries of His life were more or less mysteries of suffering. Poverty pressed upon you, and the cross of labor followed you everywhere. Nor were you spared domestic crosses, owing to misunderstandings in regard to the holiest and most cherished of all beings, Jesus and Mary, who were all to you. Keen must have been the suffering caused by the uncertainty regarding Mary's virginity; by the bestowal of the name of Jesus, which pointed to future misfortune. Deeply painful must have been the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the disappearance of Jesus at the Paschal feast. To these sufferings were surely added interior sorrow at the sight of the sins of your own people.

You bore all this suffering in a truly Christ-like manner, and in this you are our example. No sound of complaint or impatience escaped you - you were, indeed, the silent saint! You submitted to all in the spirit of faith, humility, confidence, and love. You cheerfully bore all in union with and for the Savior and His Mother, knowing well that true love is a crucified love. But God never forsook you in your trials. The trials, too, disappeared and were changed at last into consolation and joy.

It seems that God had purposely intended your life to be filled with suffering as well as consolation to keep before my eyes the truth that my life on earth is but a succession of joys and sorrows, and that I must gratefully accept whatever God sends me, and during the time of consolation prepare for suffering. Teach me to bear my cross in the spirit of faith, of confidence, and of gratitude toward God. In a happy eternity, I shall thank God fervently for the sufferings which He deigned to send me during my pilgrimage on earth, and which after your example I endured with patience and heartfelt love for Jesus and Mary.

You were truly the martyr of the hidden life. This was God's Will, for the holier a person is, the more he is tried for the love and glory of God. If suffering is the flowering of God's grace in a soul and the triumph of the soul's love for God, being the greatest of saints after Mary, you suffered more than any of the martyrs.

Because you have experienced the sufferings of this valley of tears, you are most kind and sympathetic toward those in need. Down through the ages souls have turned to you in distress and have always found you a faithful friend in suffering. You have graciously heard their prayers in their needs even though it demanded a miracle. Having been so intimately united with Jesus and Mary in life, your intercession with Them is most powerful.

Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to suffer for Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to bear my suffering patiently for love of Jesus and Mary. Grant that I may unite the sufferings, works and disappointments of life with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass, and share like you in Mary's spirit of sacrifice.

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Memorare...



Day Nine: Patron of a Happy Death

Saint Joseph, how fitting it was that at the hour of your death Jesus should stand at your bedside with Mary, the sweetness and hope of all mankind. You gave your entire life to the service of Jesus and Mary; at death you enjoyed the consolation of dying in Their loving arms. You accepted death in the spirit of loving submission to the Will of God, and this acceptance crowned your hidden life of virtue. Yours was a merciful judgment, for your foster-Son, for whom you had cared so lovingly, was your Judge, and Mary was your advocate. The verdict of the Judge was a word of encouragement to wait for His coming to Limbo, where He would shower you with the choicest fruits of the Redemption, and an embrace of grateful affection before you breathed forth your soul into eternity.

You looked into eternity and to your everlasting reward with confidence. If our Savior blessed the shepherds, the Magi, Simeon, John the Baptist, and others, because they greeted His presence with devoted hearts for a brief passing hour, how much more did He bless you who have sanctified yourself for so many years in His company and that of His Mother? If Jesus regards every corporal and spiritual work of mercy, performed in behalf of our fellow men out of love for Him, as done to Himself, and promises heaven as a reward, what must have been the extent of His gratitude to you who in the truest sense of the word have received Him, given Him shelter, clothed, nourished, and consoled Him at the sacrifice of your strength and rest, and even your life, with a love which surpassed the love of all fathers.

God really and personally made Himself your debtor. Our Divine Savior paid that debt of gratitude by granting you many graces in your lifetime, especially the grace of growing in love, which is the best and most perfect of all gifts. Thus at the end of your life your heart became filled with love, the fervor and longing of which your frail body could not resist. Your soul followed the triumphant impulse of your love and winged its flight from earth to bear the prophets and patriarchs in Limbo the glad tidings of the advent of the Redeemer.

Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to die in the arms of Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace of a happy death. Help me to spend each day in preparation for death. May I, too, accept death in the spirit of resignation to God's Holy Will, and die, as you did, in the arms of Jesus, strengthened by Holy Viaticum, and in the arms of Mary, with her rosary in my hand and her name on my lips!

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.


MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them.

Amen.



Source :
www.ewtn.com

SAINT OF THE DAY St. Dominic Savio Feast Day: March 9

SAINT OF THE DAY 

St. Dominic Savio 

(Feast Day: March 9 )

Pray for us!

Dominic Savio was an Italian student of Saint John Bosco. He was studying to be a priest when he became ill and died at the age of 14, possibly from pleurisy. He was noted for his piety and devotion to the Catholic faith, and was eventually canonized. Wikipedia

Born: April 2, 1842, Chieri, Italy

Died: March 9, 1857, Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Italy

Feast: 6 May (formerly 9 March)

Patronage: choirboys, falsely accused people, juvenile delinquents

Canonized: 12 June 1954, Rome by Pope Pius XII

Major shrine: The Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin (his tomb)

Parents: Carlo Savio, Brigida Gaiato

Saint Dominic Savio’s Story

So many holy persons seem to die young. Among them was Dominic Savio, the patron of choirboys.

Born into a peasant family at Riva, Italy, young Dominic joined Saint John Bosco as a student at the Oratory in Turin at the age of 12. He impressed Don Bosco with his desire to be a priest and to help him in his work with neglected boys. A peacemaker and an organizer, young Dominic founded a group he called the Company of the Immaculate Conception which, besides being devotional, aided John Bosco with the boys and with manual work. All the members save one, Dominic, would, in 1859, join Don Bosco in the beginnings of his Salesian congregation. By that time, Dominic had been called home to heaven.

As a youth, Dominic spent hours rapt in prayer. His raptures he called “my distractions.” Even in play, he said that at times, “It seems heaven is opening just above me. I am afraid I may say or do something that will make the other boys laugh.” Dominic would say, “I can’t do big things. But I want all I do, even the smallest thing, to be for the greater glory of God.”

Dominic’s health, always frail, led to lung problems and he was sent home to recuperate. As was the custom of the day, he was bled in the thought that this would help, but it only worsened his condition. He died on March 9, 1857, after receiving the Last Sacraments. Saint John Bosco himself wrote the account of his life.

Some thought that Dominic was too young to be considered a saint. Saint Pius X declared that just the opposite was true, and went ahead with his cause. Dominic was canonized in 1954. His Liturgical Feast Day is October 9.

PRAYERS

Prayer to St Dominic

O Saint Dominic Savio, a model of purity, piety, penance and apostolic zeal for youth; grant that, through your intercession, we may service God in our ordinary duties with fervent devotion, and attain the grace of holy joy on earth, that we may one day love God forever in Heaven. Amen.

… St Dominic Savio, Pray for Us …

Prayer of Dominic Savio

To the 

Blessed Virgin Mary

O Mary, I give you my heart.

Grant me to be always yours.

Jesus and Mary, be ever my friends;

and, for love of you,

grant me to die a thousand deaths

rather than to have the misfortune

of committing a single mortal sin. Amen.

(By St Dominic Savio)

Prayer for International Women's Day

  

To Blessed Mother Mary and all our beautiful female Saints

Lord, make me an instrument of peace: Bless all women who daily strive to bring peace to their communities, their homes and their hearts. Give them strength to continue to turn swords into plowshares.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love:  We pray for all women who face prejudice, inequality and gender disparities. Help us see and to face the discrimination against women in all the many forms it may take.

Where there is injury, pardon: Comfort all women who suffer from the pain of war, violence, and abuse. Help them to become instruments of their own reconciliation and peace.

Where there is division, unity: Forgive all women and men who let differences breed hate and discrimination. Let your example of valuing all of creation help us to see that we are equal partners in the stewardship of your world.

Where there is darkness, light; where there is untruth, truth: Comfort all women who struggle in the darkness of abuse, poverty, and loneliness. May we stand with them in light to acknowledge their suffering and strive to remove the burdens of shame or embarrassment.

Where there is doubt, true faith: We pray for all women who live in fear of their husbands, fathers, and forces that control their lives. Help them to be empowered to be their true selves through your everlasting love and faith.

Where there is despair, hope: We pray for all women who live in the despair of poverty, violence, trafficking, slavery, and abuse. May the light of your love bring them hope.

Where there is sadness, new joy: Help us to see the strength and goodness in all women and men. Transform our hearts to celebrate the love and grace of all people.

And may we be blessed with the courage of St Clare of Assisi to follow our own path of love for you and all sisters and brothers.

Prayer by Deborah Hirt