What does St. Joseph mean to you?

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March 19 is the feast of St. Joseph (when it not on a Sunday).

How do you involve St. Joseph in your life today?
How has he influenced your life?
Is he a special patron of yours? of your family?
How has St. Joseph made a difference in your life?
 
St. Joseph for me is the perfect human male/father/husband role model. I have tried to model my way of living after his.

He intercedes for me in supporting my family, loving my wife, and in my prior (and hopefully future) work endeavors.

He is a creative, gentle, loving man filled with compassion, wisdom, and an understanding of how things fit together.

He is a patron in my life, my family, and my ministry, Divine Love Ministries.

St. Joseph is a powerful influence in what I do and how I do it and I honor him specially.

Thank you St. Joseph for all your help and prayers.
 
Saint Joseph has had an enormous impact on my life. I prayed to him alot last summer, and my prayers were heard. I prayed to him this year too. He is one of my favorite saints! I also have a holy card with him on it and a prayer on the back. I really think very highly of
him 🙂
 
Saint Joseph has had an enormous impact on my life. I prayed to him alot last summer, and my prayers were heard. I prayed to him this year too. He is one of my favorite saints! I also have a holy card iwth him on it and a prayer on the back. I really think very highly of
him 🙂
 
St. Teresa of Avila thought there was no better teacher of prayer. She is quoted as saying: Whoever wants a master to teach him how to pray, let him take this glorious saint ( Joseph )as guide and he will not go astray. To other saints our Lord has given power to help in one sort of need, but this glorious saint, as I know by experience, helps us in every need. I cannot remember ever having asked him for anything which he did not obtain for me.

St. Joseph Bread

8 c. flour
3 heaping TB shortening
3 eggs room teperature, slightly beaten (plus one more for glazing loaves)
1 1/2 c. H20
1 c. sugar
2 ts salt
1/2 ounce of anise seed covered and soaked overnight in sweet vermouth (don’t need much vermouth)
1 ounce of yeast cake softened in 1/2 c. H20

Heat H20 and shortening together
Cool to luke warm and add sugar and salt
In a LARGE bowl make a well of the flour
Pour in H20, shortening, 3 eggs, yeast and vermouth soak anise (don’t drain off vermouth)
Mix
Knead for 15 minutes
Rub oil over dough, cover till dough doubles
Punch down and let rise again
Divide into 3 portions for 3 loaves
Braid each portion to make 3 seperate loaves
Cover till loaves double
Using palm of hand, gently spread beaten egg over each loaf
Bake in a 350 degree oven, 35-40 minutes

This recipe makes 3 generous loaves! The bread is absolutely delicious!
 
To me, St. Joseph is like the most powerful forgotten Saint there is.
Second highest Saint, and devotion to him has dwindled. But I see this as being turned around lately.

One of the most beautiful novenas I ever prayed was to him.
It was answered before the 6th day.

Powerful Saint. Superb role model for fathers and men.
 
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thistle:
My wife prays St Joseph’s Holy Cloak Novena every day.
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I just looked up the Holy Cloak Novena - how is it meant to be prayed? Are all the prayers listed meant to be said each day or do you choose one prayer from each category for each day or what? :confused:
 
St. Joseph is my Protector. He is the silent wisdom that helps me understand the men in my life. He is the saint I pray to for family peace. He is the saint I am praying to for my home purchase. :gopray2:
 
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LilyM:
I just looked up the Holy Cloak Novena - how is it meant to be prayed? Are all the prayers listed meant to be said each day or do you choose one prayer from each category for each day or what? :confused:
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Good question. I’ll ask my wife later and get back to you.
I actually pray to other saints although I’m looking now at St Joseph.
 
I was encouraged by another CAF member to bring my work-related petition to St. Joseph. I prayed before him after Mass this morning, and began his Novena. I feel loads better already! More confident and brave. 🙂

When my late fiance passed away last year I asked St. Joseph to pray for him and to be there for him in Heaven. I made the connection that St. Joseph was the best husband and father ever, and I know my fiance would have been a great one too. So I thought they would get along well. I know, that probably sounds silly.

But then I realized that my instinct to go to St. Joseph was probably more on target than I knew—because St. Joseph is patron of a happy death! My fiance was very young, and his death was very tragic, of course. He died in a plane crash—but he also died as a pilot doing what he loved! That thought has always given me comfort. I hope I may die a happy death too, and perhaps with St. Joseph’s prayers I shall! 🙂

St. Joseph is everything a man should be, I think! I believe he is an excellent intercessor. I think that once my work situation is squared away, I shall ask him to help me pray that the Lord will bless me with another chance to marry and have a family with a wonderful man!
 
St Joseph and I are tight. I was born in St Joseph’s hospital on St Joseph’s feast day and my middle name is Josephine.
 
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MJE:
St Joseph and I are tight. I was born in St Joseph’s hospital on St Joseph’s feast day and my middle name is Josephine.
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That’s awesome! 😃
 
I always begin novena’s in honor of St. Joseph on his feast days, March 19 and May 1. However lately I have been trying to make our National Holidays more meaningful to myself so I now begin a novena on Labor Day.
 
I love St. Joseph…the protector of the Holy Family, Guardian of Virgins, Terror of Demons, he got to die in the arms of Jesus and Mary…I mean, how amazing is that?

I think of him as very reserved, gentle, strong, and of course, very quiet. And because of his lack of dialogue in Scripture, I associate him with being very calm. I can just imagine him rocking and soothing the child Jesus, and patiently teaching him carpentry. He teaches me a great deal about being obedient.

He is the patron of my diocese.
 
I just saw this thread. OK time for the -B. to B vulnerable.

Warning: Reality Post

My wife really wants a baby. We have not been able to conceive. We have done three rounds of fertility medications over the last 4 years and came to the conclusion that unless there was miraculous intervention having a child most likely wasn’t going to happen. I am now near mid-40’s and the subject of having a child came up again. My wife wanted to try fertility one more time. I really struggled with this. I just didn’t want to have a child. It adversely affected my marriage, my prayer life suffered.

Recently I was praying before a beautiful statue of St. Joseph at my Church. It is larger than life in white marble. Joseph is holding the infant Jesus and looking at him so gently and Jesus is playing with Joseph’s beard. As I looked up at this Icon it came to me:

Tradition tells me that Joseph was an older man when Mary conceived. He wasn’t afraid. I have taken on a new devotion in my Catholic walk to St. Joseph. May his prayers for me in this time be many and efficacious. By his prayers may my fears be quenched. And If we are granted a Child, may he continue to pray for me.

St. Joe for me may very well be a major turning point for the better in my Catholic walk.
 
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b_justb:
I just saw this thread. OK time for the -B. to B vulnerable.

Warning: Reality Post

My wife really wants a baby. We have not been able to conceive. We have done three rounds of fertility medications over the last 4 years and came to the conclusion that unless there was miraculous intervention having a child most likely wasn’t going to happen. I am now near mid-40’s and the subject of having a child came up again. My wife wanted to try fertility one more time. I really struggled with this. I just didn’t want to have a child. It adversely affected my marriage, my prayer life suffered.

Recently I was praying before a beautiful statue of St. Joseph at my Church. It is larger than life in white marble. Joseph is holding the infant Jesus and looking at him so gently and Jesus is playing with Joseph’s beard. As I looked up at this Icon it came to me:

Tradition tells me that Joseph was an older man when Mary conceived. He wasn’t afraid. I have taken on a new devotion in my Catholic walk to St. Joseph. May his prayers for me in this time be many and efficacious. By his prayers may my fears be quenched. And If we are granted a Child, may he continue to pray for me.

St. Joe for me may very well be a major turning point for the better in my Catholic walk.
Click to expand...
I’ve started a novena to St Joseph (what with it being his feast and all) - I’ll mention you and your wife to him :gopray2:
 
I managed to sneak in one St. Joseph hymn at Mass Sunday, “Holy Patron Thee Saluting” before I realized it was moved to
Monday. Nobody complained.

It seems St. Joseph has to be about the most unsung hero there is. He had to live a celebate life, and he raised the greatest human being on the face of the planet. Not just any child, but one who clearly has a mind of His own and goes running off to study and teach in the synagogue without telling them and stuff like that.

When a child is a good child, I look to the parents and believe they must have done something right. I realize that kids can stray quite a bit – for either better or worse actually – from their parents’ teachimgs, but for the most part I’ll stick with the view of my favorite retired priest, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

How could Christ have become what He needed to become without St. Joseph playing his own role perfectly? For getting relatively little Biblical coverage, he is still a hero of mine.

Alan
 
I started this Novena 2 days ago. I did not feel at peace with some of the sayings in it both times I prayed it now, in fact I ended up changing quite a few of the lines as I was praying along.

Let’s take for instance this line:

“O Joseph, most forceful, pray for us”

A search for this in Google quickly shows that it’s not really an official name given by the Church to St. Joseph:

google.com/search?q=%22O+Joseph,+most+forceful,+pray+for+us%22&num=50&hl=en&safe=active&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=vim&filter=0

Another example is:
  • “In fact, not only were you surrounded by the shining splendour of the rays of the Divine Sun, but you were splendidly reflected in the brilliant light of the mystic moon, the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
And this section which I find confusing and am still trying to understand:
  • “O Glorious Patriarch, if the example of the ancient Jacob, who personally went to congratulate his favorite son, who was exalted on the throne of Egypt, served to bring all his progeny there, should not the example of Jesus and Mary, who honored thee with their greatest respect and trust, serve to bring me, thy devoted servant, to present thee with this precious cloak in thy honor.”
There are also the many statements, promises and pledges you make throughout this Novena which you may not be able to make in full Truth, nor may be able to keep (I skipped these or changed them to something I did know was True of myself or that I could try todo)

It also has an alledged statement of St. Theresa that reads “If you really want to believe in it, prove it to yourself by reciting the Novena - and you will be finally convinced.”

A search in Google shows that this statement only seems to be made in this book:

google.com/search?q=%22prove+it+to+yourself+by+reciting+the+Novena%22&num=50&hl=en&safe=active&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=jhR&filter=0

Has this statement ever been verified? Did St. Theresa really say this?

I am thinking of swapping to the Novena offered by EWTN:

ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/joseph.htm

In either case, has anyone else had this experience or am I alone in this?

I would love some reactions as I kinda feel lonely in my opinion on this, yet it seems the most correct thing before God and St. Joseph.

God Bless
 
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