Holy Father, St. Joseph

Holy Father, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Church and Protector of Priests, pray for us!



Tomorrow is the transferred Solemnity of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, Terror of demons and Protector of Priests. Priestly readers may want to check out the wonderful blog Vultus Christi, where Father Mark has some beautiful prayers to St. Joseph for priests.


Some thoughts of the Saints and Popes on St. Joseph:





"Would that I could persuade all men to have devotion to this glorious Saint; for I know by long experience what blessings he can obtain for us from God. It is now some years since I have always on his feast asked him for something, and I have always received it. Those who practise prayer should have a tremendous devotion to him always."


St. Teresa of Avila





"Saint Joseph is an incomparable example for us. He is the most blessed of saints because of his communion with Christ and Mary in service and love."


Paul VI





"Although it is not defined dogma, we are free to believe that Jesus honoured his adopted father in the same way as he honoured his Blessed Mother. In the same way that Mary was to be assumed into Heaven, Jesus, it is thought, deigned to glorify Joseph on the day of Resurrection. In this way all of the Holy Family - Jesus, Mary and Joseph - who lived together on earth would reign together in Heaven."


St. Bernadine of Siena





"The glorious patriarch had earned a tremendous reward in Heaven for all that he done for the Son, preparing the way for his heavenly mission....How could Jesus deny his gift of eternal bliss to the person whom he had obeyed so faithfully on earth?"


St. Francis de Sales





"St. Joseph can therefore be compared to Our Lady in his great docility to the will of God as revealed to him by an angel."


John Paul the Great





"St. Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies;.....he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things - it is enough to have the common, simple and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic."


Paul VI





"Love St. Joseph a lot. Love him with all your soul, because he, together with Jesus, is the person who has most loved Our Blessed Lady and has been closest to God....He deserves your affection, and it will do you good to get to know him, because he is the Master of the interior life, and has great power before the Lord and before the Mother of God."


St. Josemaria Escriva





His "patronage must be invoked as ever necessary for the Church, not only as a defence against all dangers, but also, and indeed primarily, as an impetus for her renewed commitment to evangelization."


John Paul the Great

"Saint Joseph, protect us always. We pray that your spirit of peace, of interior silence, of work and prayer, of service to the Holy Church, will bring us life and happiness in union with our Most Blessed Mother. So we shall arrive at an abiding love for Jesus, Our Lord."
Blessed John XXIII