Source of Hope: Prayer to Saint Joseph the Worker

The mainstream secular news media will focus at least once a month on the outlook for employment in our country, usually around the release of the “jobs report” by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The results of this report are usually scrutinized and debated vigorously on the cable news outlets, often with an analysis of what trends can be extrapolated for the outlook for job creation in the months ahead.

While I am not dismissing the importance of this job report, I am here to share with the audience a source of hope either for you or for your friends and family who may be searching for work: Saint Joseph. The search for work which allows for the use of our God-given talents to provide with dignity for those who depend on us is central to our purpose as humans. Each one of us has a unique set of skills which God has provided for us to utilize to fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives.

The Roman Catholic Church recognizes Saint Joseph as the Patron of Workers and encourages the faithful to offer prayers to the foster-father of Our Lord Jesus Christ for the purpose of finding suitable work for ourselves or others, or for the blessing of our work to the greater glory of God’s Kingdom here on Earth.

Saint Joseph, as we have learned through Catholic teachings and Scripture, was a carpenter or craftsman, and his work involved Jesus as his apprentice. It is in this role that the Church encourages intercessory prayer for work of all kinds to be directed to the head of the Holy Family. It is through this work that Joseph provided for his family and nurtured and cared for Jesus, the Son of God, and Mary the Mother of Our Savior.

The mainstream news cycle can be devoid of hope at many points, in no way was that more evident than during the economic downturn and prolonged recessionary activity in recent years. The recession crushed the job market leaving millions of Americans without work.

However, our Catholic faith provides a source of hope through those times when the secular world tells us that hope is lost, we can put our faith and trust in God. We can offer prayers for very specific causes including securing gainful employment. Many prayers have been formed and modeled over the years in our Catholic traditions toward this purpose and have been directed to Saint Joseph.

One such prayer was devised by Pope Saint John XXIII, who had a great devotion to Saint Joseph. In his book Saint Joseph, Man Of Faith , Jacques Gauthier explains that Pope Saint John XXIII often thought of Saint Joseph at the beginning and the end of the day. His dedication to the Patron of Workers was demonstrated in this prayer:

O glorious Joseph! Who concealed your incomparable and regal dignity of custodian of Jesus and of the Virgin Mary under the humble appearance of a craftsman and provided for them with your work, protect with loving power your sons, especially entrusted to you.

You know their anxieties and sufferings, because you yourself experienced them at the side of Jesus and of His Mother. Do not allow them, oppressed by so many worries, to forget the purpose for which they were created by God. Do not allow the seeds of distrust to take hold of their immortal souls. Remind all the workers that in the fields, in factories, in mines, and in scientific laboratories, they are not working, rejoicing, or suffering alone, but at their side is Jesus, with Mary, His Mother and ours, to sustain them, to dry the sweat of their brow, giving value to their toil. Teach them to turn work into a very high instrument of sanctification as you did. Amen.

In my own experience, I have friends from my parish that have told me that they will go to church and pray this prayer and others similar to it while standing before the statue of Saint Joseph asking for his heavenly intercession. My own faith journey has always included a strong devotion to Saint Joseph as a source of comfort in a variety of situations. I chose him as my Confirmation Saint, and over the years have confided and sought guidance from Dear Saint Joseph to be a better man, husband, guardian of my family, and to keep me safe in my work or for help in finding work.

The Priests of the Sacred Heart published a prayer book that both my wife and I use daily, within it contains this prayer to Saint Joseph:

God our Father and our Creator, You bestow on us gifts and talents to develop and use in accord with Your will.

Grant to me (substitute another name), through the intercession of St. Joseph the worker, as model and guide, employment and work, that I may, with dignity, provide for those who depend on me for care and support.

Grant me the opportunities to use my energy and my talents and abilities for the good of all, and the glory of Your name.

Grant this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

These prayers to Saint Joseph can make a huge difference in your outlook for employment. I find that it can provide a boost that can only come from the gifts of hope and faith. God has a plan for the lives of each and every person. Saint Joseph is a powerful intercessor before the Throne of God for our temporal needs.

In the event that you, a family member, or a friend are in need of securing work to provide and to serve the Lord through your talents I urge you to seek out Saint Joseph, Patron of Workers. He listens, he cares, and he will help you to discern God’s plans for your employment both now and in the days ahead. May the Lord bless and keep all of you in the Light of His Love.