St Joseph, the just man chosen to guard Jesus and Mary, is the patron of the universal Church and of a happy death. This prayer of Pope Leo XIII places us under his fatherly protection.
The Prayer
To you, O blessed Joseph,
do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.
By that charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God,
and by the fatherly love with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we beseech you and we humbly pray
that you would look graciously upon the inheritance
which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family,
defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
be ever near us, mercifully, from heaven,
and graciously hear and answer our prayers. Amen.
When to Pray This Prayer
On the feasts of St Joseph (March 19 and May 1), in the month of March, in times of need, and for the dying.
About This Prayer
Pope Leo XIII composed this prayer in 1889 and asked that it be added to the Rosary, especially in October. St Joseph is the protector of the Church and the model of fathers.
Related Prayers
New prayers every week. Subscribe to Universal Catholic Media on YouTube to pray along.
Text: prayer To you O blessed Joseph, Pope Leo XIII, 1889 (public domain).