Prayers We All Should Know: The St. Joseph Prayer

As Catholics, we are blessed to share a rich and vibrant prayer heritage that has accumulated over literally thousands of years. Over time, many of these prayers that once were mainstays of our faith have been sadly neglected or just not taught – and as a result, not said – as often as they once were.

Did you know that one such prayer has never been known to fail? The Prayer to St. Joseph is supposedly over 1900 years old, which is an impressive track record of perfection. Let’s delve into this prayer and its importance.
Who was Saint Joseph?

While there are quite a few Saint Josephs out there, the one this prayer is dedicated to is Jesus’s stepfather. Surprisingly, we know very little about the man himself, and much of what we think we know might be fictitious and written centuries after the fact. What we do know about Saint Joseph can be found in the Bible. He was a descendent of the House of David. We can surmise that he was a kind man with a good heart, based on the Biblical fact that when he discovered that his betrothed was already pregnant, he chose not to expose her to public shame and death, but decided to divorce her quietly.

We know that he was obedient. He heeded the voice of an angel who told him that this child was the son of God, which was quite a lot to handle. After Jesus’ birth, he again listened to an angel who warned him about King Herod and led the holy Family to Egypt.  After being told of Herod’s death by (yet another) angelic appearance, he moved his family to Nazareth. The last time he actively appears in the Bible is when Jesus was lost in Jerusalem and he and Mary found him in the temple.
Our tradition says that Joseph was a carpenter, which is unlikely based on the lack of trees in the area. It is more likely that he was a stone mason, and the translation of “carver” evolved into carpenter in later years. We also assume, mainly based on the lack of later Biblical references, that he passed away before Jesus’ public ministry began. Stories that he was a widower and had other children are just that, stories dating from the 2nd and 4th centuries that have no basis in fact.
So we know that Joseph was a kind man, with a good heart, who willingly took on one of the most challenging parenting roles in history. Think about the immense pressure of being an all-too human role model and protector for the very vulnerable infant Jesus who faced existential threats. When you put Joseph’s role into perspective, it’s not too difficult to believe that a prayer to him would never be known to fail.

Origin of the prayer
The accounts of this prayer are some of the foggiest of all of those I have researched. Almost every prayer card says the prayer is over 1900 years old and was found in the 50th year of our lord. While that year is pivotal in Christian history, its connection to that prayer is uncertain. In the year 50, Paul made his second missionary journey to Philippi, Thessaloniki, Veroia, and Athens; Christianity was introduced to Nubia; The Epistle to the Romans is said to have been written; and the Council of Jerusalem is said to have occurred. (Those last two dates are approximate.) There is no record of this prayer during these times other than tradition cited centuries later.

Many variations of the prayer say that it was created in 1505 and sent by the pope to Emperor Charles V of Spain to keep him safe in a time of war. That timeline does not mesh with history, considering that Charles V did not become King of Spain until 1516 and Holy Roman Emperor until 1519. There was a Spanish crusade from 1503-1512, and a Spanish Ottoman War that raged from 1550-1560. The Italian War of 1551-1559 actually saw the Spanish Empire and the Holy Roman Empire unite to make Spain the dominant power in Italy and may very well have been the occasion on which the prayer was sent, but again, that is speculation.  

Other promises associated with the prayer are those who repeat it or who hear it or read it will never die from a sudden death or from being poisoned, nor fall on a battlefield. Almost always, the prayer cards claim that the prayer has never been known to fail. It’s worth noting that no prayer ever fails, sometimes the answer is just not what we are seeking. Some versions instruct people to say it for nine mornings, while others do not mention multiple prayers. Personally, I love saying it as a Novena because it builds a daily reliance on faith.

Regardless of its history, this is a beautiful prayer that makes us reflect on the paternal relationship between Joseph and Jesus and entrusts those who pray it to the protection of the one who cared for God himself on earth. What a powerful and beautiful thought!
 
The Prayer of Saint 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 novena version is frequently followed by saying an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.