LITANY OF ST JOSEPH ANCHOR OF FAMILIES
Lord have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us
Christ have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us
Christ hear us, Christ graciously hear us
God the Father, Author of life, have mercy on us
Jesus the Son, Bread of life, have mercy on us
Holy Spirit, Breath of life, have mercy on us
St Joseph, head of the Holy Family, pray for us
St Joseph, beloved son of God the Father, pray for us
St Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us
Faithful son, pray for us
Obedient son, pray for us
Noble son, pray for us
Virtuous son, pray for us
Pillar of strength, pray for us
Pillar of integrity, pray for us
Pillar of humility, pray for us
Pillar of peace, pray for us
O Glorious Saint Joseph, righteous man; willing guardian of the Holy Family,
Blessed are you among Patriarchs, and Blessed is your adoptive Son Jesus
St Joseph, Anchor of Families, pray for us
St Joseph, devoted spouse of the ever Virgin Mary, pray for us
Attentive spouse, pray for us
Tender spouse, pray for us
Chaste spouse, pray for us
Selfless spouse, pray for us
Pillar of faith, pray for us
Pillar of hope, pray for us
Pillar of unity, pray for us
Pillar of forgiveness, pray for us
O Glorious Saint Joseph, righteous man; willing guardian of the Holy Family,
Blessed are you among Patriarchs, and Blessed is your adoptive Son Jesus
St Joseph, Anchor of Families, pray for us
St Joseph, adoptive father of the Divine Child, pray for us
Generous father, pray for us
Accepting father, pray for us
Honorable father, pray for us
Prudent father, pray for us
Pillar of charity, pray for us
Pillar of truth, pray for us
Pillar of compassion, pray for us
Pillar of protection, pray for us
O Glorious Saint Joseph, righteous man; willing guardian of the Holy Family,
Blessed are you among Patriarchs, and Blessed is your adoptive Son Jesus
St Joseph, Anchor of Families, pray for us
St Joseph Anchor of Families, beloved son of God,
man of faith, pray for us
St Joseph Anchor of Families, devoted spouse of Mary,
man of hope, pray for us
St Joseph Anchor of Families, adoptive father of Jesus,
man of charity, pray for us
O Most Holy Trinity,
In our efforts to follow the Lord more closely
Unite us and anchor us
In our efforts to be fully present to one another
Unite us and anchor us
In our efforts to purify our desires
Unite us and anchor us
In our efforts to practice virtue
Unite us and anchor us
In our efforts to be pure and holy sanctuaries
Unite us and anchor us
In our efforts to forgive until it is complete
Unite us and anchor us
In our efforts to sanctify the domestic church
Unite us and anchor us
Let us pray,
O Most Holy Saint Joseph, by your yes to the plan of God, you were united to Jesus through Mary, mediatrix of all graces. You were called by God our heavenly Father, through the Holy Spirit, to marriage with Mary Immaculate and to the adoptive fatherhood of Jesus Christ her Son. We implore you Saint Joseph, terror of demons, Patron of the Universal Church, and Anchor of Families, to intercede on our behalf and extend your fatherly protection to our own families. Dispel all fear and confusion. Guard us from the evil one, just as you guarded and protected the Most Holy Family. In particular we ask you to defend us from (state intention here). St Joseph, anchor us in this storm so we will be ever united to the Most Holy Trinity just as you are for all eternity.
Guardian Heart of Saint Joseph, pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
ST JOSEPH ANCHOR OF FAMILIES
NOVENA
Pray the following St Joseph Anchor of Families prayer, the Glorious St Joseph Prayer, an optional Seven Sorrows and Joys of St Joseph*, along with the specific meditation for the day.
Saint Joseph Anchor of Families Prayer
O Holy Saint Joseph, adoptive father of Jesus and chaste spouse of Mary, as the Anchor of the Holy Family you provided protection, care, and a firm foundation in which your domestic church was able to thrive. Each member of the Holy Family was free to live out their particular vocation in peace and love due to the firm grounding in righteousness and faith that you lived out each and every day of your life. Today you stand as a witness to all families, to all domestic churches, as the Anchor of Families. In order to survive the storms of life, families must be anchored in faith, hope and charity. Through the role of the righteous father, families will be guided in faithful discernment and inspired to be who they were created to be for each other, as well as for their neighbor.
St Joseph, help us to cherish and lift up fatherhood as a good and necessary presence within the domestic church. All fatherhood is a reflection of our Heavenly Father and it is the father of the family who is charged with pouring into his children their identity as beloved sons and daughters and point us to the love of our Father in Heaven. Where our own fathers have distorted or perverted this reflection of God in any way, help us to seek forgiveness. Where our own fathers have reflected the goodness of God, help us to be grateful for this tremendous gift and to ponder the Heavenly Father’s love for us evermore.
St. Joseph Anchor of Families, you were able to see the perfection of God’s plan for humanity in both your wife, the Immaculate Mary, and your Son, God made man, Jesus Christ. We implore you today to come to the assistance of our family. As the Anchor of Families, strengthen our family in the midst of the storm. Help us to draw closer to one another so that we may deepen our relationship with one another and with the Lord. Lead us in right paths and be our model of fatherhood so that we may run to the shelter of our God in all things.
Glorious St. Joseph prayer
(A companion prayer to the Hail Mary)
O Glorious Saint Joseph, righteous man, willing guardian of the Holy Family, Blessed are you among Patriarchs, and Blessed is your adopted Son Jesus. Holy Joseph, Patron of the universal church, pray for our families now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
DAY 1
SON OF VIRTUE
St Joseph Anchor of Families, you lived your daily life in holiness and truth. As a model of virtue, you were infused with righteousness before you took Mary and Jesus into your home. Your integrity was perfected day in and day out as a part of the Holy Family. St Joseph, help us in our family to realize that virtue is an action and it must be lived out in our own domestic church where we are provided a safe place for virtue to grow in each member. Help us to understand the virtue is better lived out in the world when it is an extension of how we have grown in it within the family.
DAY 2
SON OF FAITH
St Joseph Anchor of Families, you knew the Father’s love for you and truly trusted in His providence. As a man of faith, you allowed the Lord to lead you in all things. Your faith was lived out by you in both word and deed, as you grew in it over time with each new step out in faith. St Joseph, help us in our family to let our faith lead us and to place our trust in the Father, so that we may grow in holiness each and every day.
DAY 3
SON OF OBEDIENCE
St Joseph Anchor of Families, your obedience to the Divine Will was evident in how you immediately did what the Lord asked of you. Without knowing the path ahead, you followed the directions of the Lord’s angels that were sent to you on His behalf. As a humble servant, you remained rightly ordered with God, and always acted out of love for your Creator in loving obedience. St Joseph help us to always remember that obedience is a virtue and when it is practiced in love of the Lord we always grow in holiness.
DAY 4
SPOUSE OF CHASTITY
St. Joseph Anchor of Families, you are the spouse of Mary Immaculate in whom the Spirit of God dwelt. In reverence to the sacredness of the Virgin Mary, you both willingly chose to live chastely, sacrificing worldly desire for the sake of the Kingdom of God. St Joseph help us to keep our home as a model of purity and chastity for our state in life, whether that be married or single. Guard our marriage and our children preserving us all from the stain of impurity, immorality and immodesty.
DAY 5
SPOUSE OF UNITY
St. Joseph Anchor of Families, your guardian heart rests securely in the will of God along with the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in a communion of true unity. Help us as a family to realize that the complementary and cooperative power that we have with one another in God can put legions of demons to flight. Encourage us to look for the gifts each one of us has so that we can build up one another, unifying the family unit, rather than finding and pointing out the faults of one another, which only divides us.
DAY 6
SPOUSE OF CHARITY
St Joseph Anchor of Families, you freely gave your love to God when you said yes to his plan. You presented your adoptive Son Jesus in the temple with Mary Immaculate as a sign of your love for God. In charity, you provided for Mary and Jesus, sacrificing your reputation when you took Mary into your home, and sacrificing your home when you fled to Egypt at the beckoning of an angel. Intercede for us so that we may live this sacrificial charity towards one another, especially in difficult circumstances. May we always be found with softened hearts towards one another, ready to receive the grace of God and to willingly give it away in true charity.
DAY 7
FATHER OF GENEROSITY
Saint Joseph Anchor of Families, your generosity was illuminated when you took Mary Immaculate into your home and agreed to cooperate in the Divine Plan. Your adopted son Jesus was only given to you so that you would freely gift him back to the world, as the Savior of all of humanity. In pure generosity, you freely gave all of who you are, your body, your mind and your soul, to God to use as he sees fit. Likewise, you gave yourself entirely to the service of your wife Mary and your son Jesus Christ while here on earth. St Joseph, help us to follow your example of generous giving to all of those around us helping us to build loving and merciful families and communities.
DAY 8
FATHER OF PROTECTION
Saint Joseph Anchor of Families, you protected the reputation of Mary Immaculate and safeguarded the Divine Child from the murderous intentions of Herod. Never did you thwart the plan of God or try to go out on your own to protect your family. As spiritual guide and head of the Holy Family, you led Mary and Jesus into the protective arms of the Father, trusting in Divine providence. Saint Joseph, you are the terror of demons, intercede for us that our souls may always be protected from the evil one and that our salvation be guarded by your loving care.
DAY 9
FATHER OF PEACE
Saint Joseph Anchor of Families, you are a man of noble patience and pillar of peace. By humbly submitting to the will of the Father you were gifted with what many men before you longed for, the Messiah. You embraced with paternal affection, the true Prince of Peace. As patron of the universal and domestic church, we ask that you intercede on our behalf so that the Peace of Christ may descend upon us and our homes as we embrace the Bread that came down from heaven so that we may obtain eternal life.
SEVEN SORROWS AND JOYS OF ST JOSEPH
Leader: Chaste Lover of Mary, how overwhelmed you were when you thought that you would have to end your betrothal to her. But when the angel of God came to you in a dream, you were filled with awe to realize that Mary would be your wife, and you would be the guardian of the Messiah.
All: Help us Saint Joseph, help our families and all our loved ones to overcome all sadness of heart and develop an absolute trust in God’s goodness.
Leader: Faithful guardian of Jesus, what a failure you thought you were when you could only provide a stable for the birth of the Holy Child. And then what a wonder it was when shepherds came to tell of angel choirs, and wise men came to adore the King of Kings.
All: Through your example and prayers, help us St. Joseph and all we love to become like sinless mangers where the Savior of the world may be received with absolute love and respect.
Leader: Tender-hearted Joseph, you too felt pain when the blood of Jesus was first shed at His circumcision. Yet how proud you were to be the one privileged to give the name Jesus, Savior, to the very Son of God.
All: Pray for us Saint Joseph, that the sacred blood of Christ, poured out for our salvation, may guard our families, so the Divine Name of Jesus may be written in our hearts forever.
Leader: Joseph, loving husband, how bewildered you were when Simeon spoke the words of warning that the hearts of Jesus and Mary would be pierced with sorrows. Yet his prediction that this would lead to the salvation of innumerable souls filled you with consolation.
All: Help us, Saint Joseph, to see with eyes of faith that even the sorrows and pains of those we deeply love can become the pathway to salvation and eternal life.
Leader: Courageous protector of the Holy Family, how terrified you were when you had to make the sudden flight with Jesus and Mary to escape the treachery of King Herod and the cruelty of his soldiers. But when you reached Egypt, what satisfaction you had to know that the Savior of the world had come to replace the pagan idols.
All: Teach us by your example, Saint Joseph, to keep far from the false idols of earthly attractions, so that like you, we may be entirely devoted to the service of Jesus and Mary.
Leader: Ever-obedient Joseph, you trustingly returned to Nazareth at God’s command, in spite of your fear that King Herod’s son might still be a threat to Jesus’ life. Then what fatherly pride you had in seeing Jesus grow in wisdom and grace before God and men under your care.
All: Show us Saint Joseph, how to be free from all useless fear and worry, so we may enjoy the peace of a tranquil conscience, living safely with Jesus and Mary in our hearts.
Leader: Dependable father and husband, how frantic you and Mary were when you had to search for three days to find Jesus. What incredible relief was yours when you found Him safe in the Temple of God.
All: Help us, Saint Joseph, never to lose Jesus through the fault of our own sins. But if we should lose Him, lead us back with unwearied sorrow until we find Him again, so that we, like you, may finally pass from this life, dying safely in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Leader: And Jesus Himself, when he began His work, was about thirty years old being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph.
Leader: Pray for us, holy Joseph.
All: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Leader: Let us pray.
All: O blessed St. Joseph, tender-hearted father, faithful guardian of Jesus, chaste spouse of the Mother of God, I pray and beseech you to offer to God the Father my praise to Him through his divine Son, who died on the cross and rose again to give us sinners new life. Through the holy name of Jesus, pray with us that we may obtain from the eternal Father, the favor we ask . . . (Pause) . . . We have been unfaithful to the unfailing love of God the Father; beg of Jesus mercy for us. Amid the splendors of God’s loving presence, do not forget the sorrows of those who suffer, those who pray, those who weep. By your prayers and those of your most holy spouse, our Blessed Lady, may the love of Jesus answer our call of confident hope. Amen.
Litany and Novena composed by Ashley Blackburn and Susan Skinner
Veil of Veronica 