Mar. 1, 2022

March 2022

March is the Month the Church Dedicates to St. Joseph

The faithful man shall be much praised, and he that is the guardian of the Lord, shall be glorified.

He appointed him Lord of his house. And chief over all he had.

“Go to Joseph”
(Gen, xli. 55)

In whatever tribulation they shall cry to me, I will hear them; and I will be their protector for ever.

Obtain for us, O Joseph, to lead an innocent life; and may it ever be safe through thy Patronage.

Click here, to view a section dedicated to St. Joseph.

The devotion which our Holy Mother the Church desires us to pay to St. Joseph, is, after the homage rendered to Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother, of all devotions the most just, solid, and reasonable. The influence of this Saint is immense;… that of all the blessed inhabitants of Heaven, none can be found who has so much power with God, save one only exception, his Immaculate Spouse, the ever Blessed Virgin Mother of God. Reason, religion, the authority of our Holy Mother the Church, the testimony of the Saints, and the example of so many holy souls in all ages, since the Incarnation of our Blessed Redeemer, prove, beyond any doubt, the immense influence which the beloved foster-father of Jesus enjoys in heaven. The Eternal Father confided to the care of St. Joseph the two most precious treasures which he possessed on earth; viz., Jesus and Mary. What a sublime honour for St. Joseph! What confidence Almighty God must have placed in him! What influence this unheard of privilege must give him over the heart of God! When a king confides to one of his favourites all that is dearest to him on earth, he certainly bestows an immense honour upon him, and naturally feels disposed to grant this privileged being any favours he may desire for himself or his friends—should he act otherwise, he would be condemned as being insensible to the services rendered to his majesty by his favourite. How much more reasonably, then, may we not expect that in heaven, where our most legitimate affections receive an immense increase of perfection, the slightest desire of this great Patriarch is immediately granted, seeing that he enjoys such power and influence with the Eternal King.

The Church teaches us that the Immaculate Mary has immense power and influence with God; and, therefore, desires all her children to honour her in an especial manner. St. Bernard calls Mary “an all powerful supplicant,” (“omnipotentia supplex.”) If, then, Mary honoured and respected St. Joseph while on earth, as her lord and spouse, whom the Eternal Father had placed over her, humbling herself to render him the most menial services, if St. Joseph was thus honoured by Mary while on earth, is it not most reasonable to expect that, although his influence be not so great as the Queen of Angels, he should, at least, be honoured next to her; and be placed side by side in heaven above all the other saints? Moreover, we know that while on earth the Son of God obeyed St. Joseph; that He honoured him as His father; and served him with His own divine hands. And think you that in heaven St. Joseph has not, so to speak, retained, in the same manner, the influence which he then had over the heart of the Infant God?—and that he could not draw from that ocean of goodness treasures of grace more abundantly than any other saint? To think otherwise is impossible.

In fine, St. Joseph saved the Adorable Son of Mary from the murder of the Innocents, by flying with Him into Egypt; he shared with the Blessed Virgin the cares, love and tenderness with which she watched over His helpless infancy; he laboured day and night to support, clothe, and nourish the Holy Family; and think you that all these services (if [one] may dare to employ such a word when speaking of the Creator) could be forgotten by our Blessed Lord? The thought would be blasphemy. The prayers of St. Joseph are orders for this God, who rewards even a cup of cold water given in His name!

The Church also in her turn, adds her testimony to the great power which St. Joseph possesses in heaven. That church, to which Our Blessed Lord has given a charge to teach us all truth, and to lead us into the path of true piety, enjoins us to be devout to St. Joseph; and does all in her power to excite in us a tender devotion towards him. She has raised numberless magnificent sanctuaries in his honour, and has instituted two solemn festivals, which are kept throughout the Catholic world; so that from east to west, from north to south—in a word, wherever the mysteries of the adopted Son are celebrated, the glory of the foster-father is always duly honoured.

The Church proposes St. Joseph to her children as the model of an interior life, and the patron of a happy death. She would have them consecrate the Wednesday of each week to honour him, and has granted indulgences on his feasts, and to the pious practices performed in his honour.

Even in the first half of the 17th century, there prevailed amidst the devout clients of St. Joseph a presentiment, that the day would come, when the Church, through her Liturgy, would urge the Faithful to have recourse to him as their powerful Protector.

In a book published in the year 1645, we find these almost prophetic words:

”O thou bright sun, thou father of our days! speed thy onward course, and give us that happy day, whereon are to be fulfilled the prophecies of the Saints. They have said, that in the latter ages of the world, the glories of St. Joseph will be brought to light; that God will draw aside the veil, which has hitherto prevented us from seeing the wondrous sanctuary of Joseph's soul; that the Holy Ghost will inspire the Faithful to proclaim the praises of this admirable Saint, and to build Monasteries, Churches and Altars in his honour; that, throughout the entire kingdom of the Church Militant, he shall be considered as the special Protector, for he was the Protector of the very founder of that kingdom, namely, our Lord Jesus Christ; that the Sovereign Pontiffs will, by a secret impulse from heaven, ordain that the Feast of this great Patriarch be solemnly celebrated through the length and breadth of the spiritual domain of St. Peter; that the most learned men of the world will use their talents in studying the divine gifts hidden in St. Joseph, and that they will find in him treasures of grace incomparably more precious and plentiful, than were possessed by every the choicest of the elect of the Old Testament, during the whole four thousand years of its duration.” (La gloire de saint Joseph; par le P. Jean Jacquinot, de la Compagnie de Jesus. Dijon: 1645.)

Let us then, henceforth, have confidence in the Patronage of St. Joseph. He is the Father of the Faithful, and it is God's will, that he, more than any other Saint, should have power to apply to us the blessings of the mystery of the Incarnation,—the great mystery whereof he, after Mary, was the chief earthly minister.

Extracted from: A novena to St. Joseph, to obtain of God, through the intercession of this holy Patriarch, 1871. Imprimatur;
The Liturgical Year – The Paschal Time, Vol. II, Dublin, Edition 1871.

Prayer for the Church and Consecration to St. Joseph.
(300 Days, once a day)

O glorious St Joseph, chosen by God to be the reputed father of Jesus, the most pure spouse of Mary ever Virgin, and the head of the Holy Family, and then elected by the Vicar of Christ to be the heavenly Patron and Protector of the Church founded by Jesus Christ; with the greatest confidence I implore at this time thy powerful aid for the entire Church militant. Protect in a special manner with thy truly paternal love the Supreme Pontiff and all the bishops and priests united to the See of St Peter. Defend all those who labour for souls in the midst of the afflictions and tribulations of this life, and obtain the willing submission of every nation throughout the world to the Church, the necessary means of salvation for all.

O dearest St Joseph, be pleased to accept the consecration which I make to thee of myself. I dedicate myself entirely to thee that thou mayest ever be my father, my protector, and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent love of the interior life. Grant that after thy example all my actions may be directed to the greater glory of God, in union with the divine Heart of Jesus and the immaculate heart of Mary, and with thee. Finally, pray for me that I may be able to share in the peace and joy of thy most holy death. Amen.

Prayer to St Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church.
(100 Days, once a day)

O most powerful Patriarch, St Joseph, Patron of that universal Church which has always invoked thee in anxieties and tribulations; from the lofty seat of thy glory lovingly regard the Catholic world. Let it move thy paternal heart to see the mystical Spouse of Christ and his Vicar weakened by sorrow and persecuted by powerful enemies. We beseech thee, by the most bitter suffering thou didst experience on earth, to wipe away in mercy the tears of the revered Pontiff, to defend and liberate him, and to intercede with the Giver of peace and charity, that every hostile power being overcome and every error being destroyed, the whole Church may serve the God of all blessings in perfect liberty: ut destructis adversitatibus et erroribus universis Ecclesia secura DEO serviat libertate. Amen.

Memorare to St. Joseph.
(300 Days, once a day)

Remember, most pure spouse of Mary ever-Virgin, my loving protector, St Joseph, that never has it been heard that anyone ever invoked thy protection, or besought aid of thee, without being consoled. In this confidence I come before thee, I fervently recommend myself to thee. Despise not my prayer, foster-father of our Redeemer, but do thou in thy pity receive it. Amen.

Source: The Raccolta, 1910 Edition.

Below listed are the feasts falling in March 2022:

March 1: Holy Face of our Lord Jesus Christ (Shrove Tuesday).

(THE HOLY SEASON OF LENT BEGINS)

March 2: ASH WEDNESDAY (Fasting & Abstinence to be observed for 40 days, until Holy Saturday - April 16th, 2022, except Sundays when we don't fast).

March 3: Mass of the Season

March 4: FIRST FRIDAY/The sacred Crown of Thorns (Friday after Ash Wednesday); Commemoration of St. Casimir, Prince of Poland, Confessor; Commemoration of St. Lucius I Pope and Martyr.

March 5: FIRST SATURDAY/Mass of the Season

March 6: I Sunday of Lent, Double of the I Class; Commemoration of Ss. Perpetua and Felicity Martyrs.

March 7: St. Thomas Aquinas Confessor and Doctor of the Church, Double.

March 8: St. John of God Confessor, Double.

March 9: EMBER WEDNESDAY/St. Frances of Rome Widow, Double.

March 10: Commemoration of the Forty Holy Martyrs.

March 11: EMBER FRIDAY/The holy Lance & the Nails of our Lord (Friday after the I Sunday of Lent).

March 12: EMBER SATURDAY/St. Gregory I Pope, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.

March 13: II Sunday of Lent, Double of the I Class.

March 14: Mass of the Season