Joseph, the silent man of the Gospels, is in the line of the great men of faith of the Old Testament. He is described as a "just man", a righteous man of integrity. He is in the tradition of Abraham who was called by God to "walk before my face and be upright ;and of Moses who was told to be "entirely sincere", "entirely faithful". For centuries his place in the story of Jesus was comparatively unnoticed. Gradually, in Catholic tradition, he was recognised as patron of fathers of families, of bursars and procurators, of manual workers, especially carpenters, and of all who desire a holy death. The parish in Buenos Aires where Pope Francis grew up is dedicated to San José. Solemnly inaugurated on 19 March 2013, Francis’ pontificate is placed under the protection of Saint Joseph. One of the few things the Pope had sent over from Argentina after his election is a statue he had. It depicts the saint lying down asleep, a reference to the gospel accounts of Saint Joseph receiving the counsel of angels in several dreams. The Pope slips pieces of paper with prayer requests under the pedestal of the statue, which is just outside his room at St. Martha's House. “You know,” said Francis, “you have to be patient with these carpenters: they tell you they’ll have a piece of furniture finished in a couple of weeks and it ends up taking a month even. But they get the job done and they do it well! You just need to be patient…”
Prayer to Saint Joseph after the rosary
The purpose of Pope Leo XIII's 1889 encyclical Quamquam pluries was to implore divine help by means of prayer, joining to the intercession of Mary that of Saint Joseph. Leo XIII therefore attached to his encyclical a special Prayer to Saint Joseph requesting that it be added to the recitation of the rosary during the month of October. It may be said after the customary Salve Regina and concluding prayer. It may also be used to conclude other Marian devotions.
Litany of Saint Joseph
The litany of Saint Joseph was sanctioned by Pope Pius X in 1909 After the usual petitions to the Holy Trinity and one to the Blessed Virgin, the litany is composed of twenty-five invocations expressing the virtues and dignities of St Joseph.
Traditional Novena
A very old and beautiful invocation to Saint Joseph is traditionally prayed for nine days before the Feast of Saint Joseph, starting on March 10. It is found in many places, and was released in 1950 with the Imprimatur of the Bishop of Pittsburgh, Hugh C. Boyle. It is used in novenas, according to the text after the prayer, and the prayer text specifically seems to limit it to "spiritual blessings". Older copies of the prayer, sometimes contain an additional comment that, However, the year 50 A.D. is a very early date for a published prayer, preceding much of the New Testament, which does not mention very much about the father of Jesus. The statements about the year 50 A.D. and regarding the Pope and Emperor are not supported.
"Dear Guardian of Mary"
"Dear Guardian of Mary" is a hymn written in honor of Saint Joseph by Frederick William Faber in 1863.
