St. Joseph holds a special place in our hearts at The Little Rose Shop. He, the humble, quiet, strong guardian, spouse, father of the Redeemer and oh yeah, the Terror of Demons, is a beautiful example of fatherhood and holds the virtues we should be praying for our fathers, husbands, priests, bishops and father figures in our life.
Not much is known about St. Joseph but what little we do know speaks volumes.
Firstly, when he finds out that Mary is pregnant with a child that is not his own, he quietly asks for a divorce so as not to humiliate her. Later, in a dream, an angel visits Joseph and asks him to take her as his wife. He then leads pregnant Mary to Bethlehem to be counted among the census and witnesses the birth of Christ in the manger. Shortly thereafter, the wise men visit him again and warn him that Herod is going to kill all of the newborn boys and Joseph takes Mary and the new babe and flees to Egypt, living there as refugees for three years until the death of Herod.
What we don’t know but can certainly assume with great confidence is that Joseph taught Jesus to pray and honor the commandments, work with wood as a carpenter, take care of his spouse Mary with the utmost chastity and love, as well as serve as Christ’s earthly father.
The Litany of St. Joseph beautifully summarizes the gifts and virtues of St. Joseph and what we can pray for our fathers, husbands, priests, bishops and father figures. Join us in praying for these special men in our lives and St. Joseph, pray for us!
Litany of St. Joseph
| Lord, have mercy. | Lord, have mercy. |
| Christ, have mercy. | Christ, have mercy. |
| Lord, have mercy. | Lord, have mercy. |
| Christ, hear us. | Christ, hear us. |
| Christ, graciously hear us. | Christ, graciously hear us. |
| God the Father in heaven, | have mercy on us. |
| God the Son, Redeemer of the world, | have mercy on us. |
| God the Holy Spirit, | have mercy on us. |
| Holy Trinity, one God, | have mercy on us. |
| Holy Mary, | pray for us. |
| Saint Joseph, | pray for us. |
| Illustrious son of David, | pray for us. |
| Light of Patriarchs, | pray for us. |
| Spouse of the Mother of God, | pray for us. |
| Guardian of the Redeemer, | pray for us. |
| Pure Guardian of the Virgin, | pray for us. |
| Provider for the Son of God, | pray for us. |
| Zealous defender of Christ, | pray for us. |
| Servant of Christ, | pray for us. |
| Minister of salvation, | pray for us. |
| Head of the Holy Family, | pray for us. |
| Joseph, most just, | pray for us. |
| Joseph, most chaste, | pray for us. |
| Joseph, most prudent, | pray for us. |
| Joseph, most brave, | pray for us. |
| Joseph, most obedient, | pray for us. |
| Joseph, most loyal, | pray for us. |
| Mirror of patience, | pray for us. |
| Lover of poverty, | pray for us. |
| Model for workers, | pray for us. |
| Glory of family life, | pray for us. |
| Guardian of virgins, | pray for us. |
| Cornerstone of families, | pray for us. |
| Support in difficulties, | pray for us. |
| Comfort of the sorrowing, | pray for us. |
| Hope of the sick, | pray for us. |
| Patron of exiles, | pray for us. |
| Patron of the afflicted, | pray for us. |
| Patron of the poor, | pray for us. |
| Patron of the dying, | pray for us. |
| Terror of demons, | pray for us. |
| Protector of the Holy Church, | pray for us. |
| Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, | spare us, O Lord. |
| Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, | hear us, O Lord. |
| Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, | have mercy on us. |
| He made him master of his house, | and ruler of all his possessions. |
Join The Little Rose Shop in celebrating the Feast of St. Joseph on March 20th (this year March 19th falls on a Sunday so the feast is moved to the next day.)
Check out our blog for ways to celebrate his feast day!
