Alongside the great devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Church treasures a quieter one: devotion to the Most Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph — the pure, faithful, and loving heart of the man God chose to guard His Son and His Mother. Traditionally pictured aflame with love and crowned with a white lily of purity, Joseph’s heart is a model of chastity, humility, and silent trust in God. This novena asks his fatherly intercession for a pure and steadfast heart.
The Novena Prayer to the Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph
Pray this prayer once daily for nine consecutive days:
O most chaste Heart of Saint Joseph, place within my hands the light of God; make my gaze serene and pure; may my feet walk toward those who are most in need; and may my soul remain forever in the Heart of the Heavenly Father. Faithful guardian of Jesus and Mary, obtain for me a heart that is humble, pure, and wholly given to God’s will.
Glorious Saint Joseph, model of all who labor and pattern of every virtue, I commend to your fatherly care this intention… (mention your request). By your chaste and loving heart, intercede for me before the Heart of your foster Son, that I may be granted purity of heart, patience in trial, and the grace of final perseverance. Amen.
Closing Prayer – Memorare to Saint Joseph
Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, my loving protector Saint Joseph, that never was it known that anyone who implored your help and sought your intercession was left unaided. Filled with this confidence, I come before you and fervently commend myself to you. Despise not my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer, but accept them graciously and obtain for me what I ask. Amen.
When to Pray This Novena
This novena may be prayed at any time. It is especially fitting in March, the month of Saint Joseph; on Wednesdays, traditionally dedicated to him; or in the days leading up to his feasts on March 19 (Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary) and May 1 (Saint Joseph the Worker).
About the Devotion
Devotion to the Most Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph honors the interior life of the saint whom the Gospel calls “a just man.” It celebrates his perfect chastity as the virginal husband of Mary, his obedience, and his hidden, faithful love for God and the Holy Family. The white lily that accompanies images of his heart is the ancient symbol of that purity.
The devotion is a private one — it has no public liturgical feast of its own — but it has long been encouraged among the faithful, and in 1876 Pope Pius IX granted indulgences to those who prayed in its honor. In our own time, Pope Francis devoted the apostolic letter Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart,” 2020) to Saint Joseph, marking the 150th anniversary of his proclamation as Patron of the Universal Church.
Related Prayers and Devotions
Novena to St Joseph – Never Known to Fail
The Holy Cloak of St Joseph
Litany of St Joseph
Sources: This is a recognized private Catholic devotion. The traditional invocation to the Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph and the Memorare to Saint Joseph are reproduced here; background from the devotion’s history (the 1876 indulgence of Pope Pius IX) and Pope Francis’s Patris Corde (2020).