In the Catholic Church, the month of March is dedicated to St. Joseph, and we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19. We also look forward to the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, held annually on May 1.
From what we read about St. Joseph in the scriptures, we know a few things for certain:
This humble hero was not often in the spotlight, yet his quiet strength, discernment and faithfulness were clearly displayed through his actions, and the support he provided to his family played a critical role in the Messianic story.
St. Joseph is the patron saint of many things — the Universal Church, fathers, families, orphans, married and single people, expectant mothers, laborers, craftsmen, emigrants and immigrants, travelers, house hunters, the sick and dying, and people facing doubt or hesitation. Today, consider praying for St. Joseph’s intercession, entreating his support in your journey with Christ and asking for his example of humble obedience to be reflected in your life.
Pope Leo XIII composed a beautiful prayer to St. Joseph to add after praying the Rosary. We have also included a few prayers here for your use.
To you, dear Joseph, who so faithfully served and guarded his family, I humbly come, asking for your intercession on behalf of all fathers.
Just as you sought righteousness in your life here on Earth, please give men the grace to pursue God’s will for their lives and families.
Just as you turned your ear to receive guidance from Heaven, please teach them to hear and heed the will of the Holy Spirit.
Just as you protected your most holy Spouse and the Christ Child entrusted to your care, please grant men courage and endurance to strengthen their families.
Help the fathers, O Joseph, to be a blessing to their children. Help them work with devotion, guide with humility and instruct with genuine love.
Grant them wisdom as they make decisions, and bless them as they strive to embody your example of both justice and tender compassion.
Protector of the Holy Family, we plead your protection, both physical and spiritual, over fathers made by blood or loving choice. Help them lead those in their lives with holy truth.
Give them grace this day to embrace Christ as you did and look to him in all their ways.
Amen.
Dear Joseph, humble worker, filled with silent strength, we ask your help this day.
As a carpenter, you toiled, striving diligently to provide for the precious ones in your care.
Day in and day out, you labored quietly to build that which was strong and would endure.
For those who labor today — especially for those who do not see the immediate fruits of their toil — give them grace to continue in the quiet and holy dignity of work.
Encourage weary hearts as they strive to support their families. May they be convinced that their faithfulness is for the glory of God and never in vain.
For those toiling to provide for their loved ones but struggling to make ends meet, help them lift their eyes to heaven even now.
Let them see the merciful provision of God in their lives and turn to give him thanks.
Let the Church surround them, emulating your representation of loving care and support.
Grant these workers strength to seek the Lord and continue in holy obedience, moment by moment, in steadiness and fortitude.
Thank you for your example in our lives.
Amen.
Blessed Joseph, steadfast guardian of the Holy Family, I ask your intercession on behalf of those who suffer lack.
You knew what it was to be rejected, turned away and left out in the cold, along with your most holy Spouse and the Blessed Child she bore.
You knew what it meant to wander far from home, forced to live a migrant life in Egypt.
Just as you protected your family in times of great vulnerability and peril, please watch over the vulnerable ones in our world today and help carry their prayers to Christ.
For those who wander, may they find peace, rest and safety.
For those without a safe place to lay their heads, may they find refuge and shelter from the storms of this life.
For those rejected, may they find comfort and relief in the loving arms of the Church.
Help us see Jesus in the poor we encounter, and help us embrace him as you did.
For all who lack the food to eat, the water to drink and any of life’s essentials, I ask humbly that they would receive God’s merciful provision this day.
Having bent my knee to Christ and pleaded for grace from the Blessed Virgin Mary, I pray also to follow your example of protecting others, even in the midst of my own need.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Amen.
Remember: The Solemnity of St. Joseph is on March 19, and the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker is on May 1. As you prepare your heart for these feast days, please join us in praying for St. Joseph’s intercession on behalf of the world’s poor.
I also ask you to consider following St. Joseph’s example of obedience to God and emulate his concern for the vulnerable. Ask the Lord to give you guidance as you seek opportunities to serve others in need. Perhaps you could honor St. Joseph the Worker, a skilled carpenter, by providing safe, strong shelter for a family in Guatemala. You could also give a nourishing meal or offer many other blessings through Cross Catholic Outreach’s Easter Catalog. What better way to celebrate St. Joseph and honor the Holy Family than by blessing a family that urgently needs your kindness today?
I pray St. Joseph’s intercession for all our friends and supporters. May you be filled with strength and peace as you seek to follow Christ daily.
Donations from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2027, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.
