The Solemnity of St. Joseph

O St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my Thanksgiving and Homage to the most Loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine Head for me, and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen

The above is my favorite prayer to St. Joseph. I don't remember whether I learned it as a baby, or when my family moved from the country of my birth to Switzerland, Canada, and eventually the United States. I do remember praying "O St. Joseph..." after each Rosary that my family prayed. Since we prayed the Rosary whenever we drove anywhere and every night, this means that we usually prayed "O St. Joseph..." at least twice a day. I believe that it was through this prayer that my love for St. Joseph grew.

My parents fostered this love for St. Joseph by visiting the Oratory of St. Joseph in Canada, before coming to the United States (perhaps this was when we added the above prayer to our after the Rosary prayers and my love really began). Regardless of when I started loving St. Joseph, I know that he has played an important role in my life. When my mom was ill, I prayed to St. Joseph for her and I honestly believed that she would die on March 19. She died exactly one month prior. When my dad was diagnosed with Cancer, I implored St. Joseph to not let him die until such time as he merits Heaven.

When I got my first car, my uncle gave me a medal of St. Joseph to put on my key ring. He told me that it was to keep me safe. In 2002, that medal fell off of my key chain and I thought that it was lost forever. On November 10, 2003, I learned that the baby in my womb had died. That same day, my eldest daughter came running into our house and said, "Mommy, guess what I found on the street?" I couldn't guess. She showed me my St. Joseph medal that I had lost approximately one year prior. I immediately placed the medal around my neck.

When we moved to our current house, our first parish was St. Joseph and we joined St. Joseph Homeschool Group. I knew that this was where God wanted us to be. Thanks to the name of our homeschool group, I probably have more pictures of St. Joseph than of anyone else saved on our hard drives. My love for Good St. Joseph just keeps growing.

My parents placed our family under St. Joseph's protection and St. Joseph took care of us. He continues to take care of us today!

Dear St. Joseph, please help my husband and all husbands to be more like you!

Dear God, please help my children to love St. Joseph as much as, or more than, I do!

Don't miss Kristen's beautiful post on St. Joseph.