The following prayers are recited on each day of the novena, which is granted an indulgence of 5 years on any day.
O ever blessed and glorious St. Joseph, kind and indulgent Father, compassionate friend of all those in grief and sorrow, through that bitter grief with which thy heart was saturated when thou didst behold the sufferings of the Infant Savior, and in prophetic view didst contemplate His most ignominious Passion and Death; take pity, I beseech thee, on my poverty and necessities; counsel me in my doubts; and console me in all my anxieties.
Thou art the good Father and protector of orphans, the advocate of the defenseless, the patron of those who are in need and desolation. Do not disregard the petition of thy poor child; my sins have drawn upon me the just displeasure of my God, and hence I am surrounded with sorrows.
To thee, O amiable guardian of the poor neglected family of Nazareth, do I fly for shelter and protection. Listen, then, I entreat thee, with a father’s solicitude, to the earnest prayer of thy poor suppliant, and obtain for me the object of my petition.
I ask by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God; which induced Him to assume our nature, and be born in this world of sorrow.
I ask by the grief which filled thy heart, when, ignorant of the mystery wrought in thy Immaculate spouse, thou didst fear thou shouldst be separated from Her.
I ask by that weariness, solicitude and suffering which thou didst endure when thou soughtest in vain at the inns of Bethlehem a shelter for the sacred Virgin and a birthplace for the Infant God; and, when being everywhere refused, thou wert obliged to consent that the Queen of Heaven should give birth to the world’s Redeemer in a wretched stable.
I ask by that most sad and painful duty imposed on thee, when the Divine Child being eight days old, thou wert obliged to inflict a deep wound on His tender Body, and thus be the first to make flow that Precious Blood which was to wash away the sins of the world.
I ask by the sweetness and power of that Sacred Name, Jesus, which thou didst confer on the adorable Infant.
I ask by that mortal anguish inflicted on thee by the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother, the future victims of Their love and our sins.
I ask through that sorrow and anguish which filled thy soul when the angel declared to thee that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies, from whose impious designs thou wert obliged to fly with Him and His Blessed Mother into Egypt.
I ask by all the pains, fatigues and toils of that long and perilous pilgrimage.
I ask by all the sorrows thou didst endure, when in Egypt thou wert not able even by the sweat of thy brow, to procure poor food and clothing for thy most poor family.
I ask by all the grief thou didst feel each time the Divine Child asked for a morsel of bread, and thou hadst it not to give Him.
I ask by all thy solicitude to preserve the sacred Child and the Immaculate Mary during thy second journey when thou wert ordered to return to thy native country.
I ask by thy peaceful dwelling in Nazareth, in which so many joys and sorrows were mingled.
I ask by thy extreme affliction, in being three days deprived of the company of the adorable Child.
I ask by thy joy in finding Him in the temple and by the ineffable consolation imparted to thee in the cottage of Nazareth with the society of the little Jesus.
I ask by that wonderful condescension by which He subjected Himself to thy will.
I ask through that dolorous view, continually in thy mind, of all thy Jesus was to suffer.
I ask by that painful contemplation, which made thee foresee the Divine little Hands and Feet, now so active in serving thee, one day to be pierced with cruel nails; that Head, which rested gently on thy bosom, crowned with sharp thorns; that delicate Body, which thou didst tenderly fold in thy mantle and press to thy heart, stripped and extended on a cross.
I ask by that heroic sacrifice of thy will and best affections, by which thou didst offer up to the Eternal Father the last awful moment, when the Son of God was to expire for our salvation.
I ask by that perfect love and conformity with which thou didst receive the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary.
I ask by that exceeding great joy which filled thy soul when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His Kingdom, and conducted thee also into it with especial honors.
I ask through Our Lady’s glorious Assumption and through that interminable bliss, which thou dost enjoy with Her in the presence of God. O, good Father, I beseech thee, by all thy sufferings, sorrows and joys, to hear me, and to obtain for me ….. (Here name your petitions or reflect on them.)
Obtain for all those who have asked thy prayers all that is useful to them in the designs of God. And finally, my dearest Protector, be thou with me and all who are dear to me, in our last moments, that we may eternally chant the praises of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Amen.
Hail Mary.…
O guardian of the Word Incarnate, I am animated with confidence that thy prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.
[The following V. and R. are to be said seven times, in honor of the seven joys and seven sorrows of St. Joseph.]
V. O glorious St. Joseph, through the love thou dost bear to Jesus Christ, and for the glory of His name,
R. Hear my prayers and obtain my petitions.
Let us pray:
O Glorious St. Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, and charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the Divine Will. Be my guide, father, and model through life, that I may merit to die as thou didst in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
St. Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.
