March is the Month of Saint Joseph

What better time than March, the Month of Saint Joseph, to recite the beautiful “Thirty Days Prayer to Saint Joseph?”  What better time than this March?  What better time than today?  This can be the way you honor the Foster-Father of Our Blessed Lord during his month, a Lenten exercise and an opportunity to lift up our intentions at this critical point in time.  This prayer states, “My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness.”  This goes for the whole world.  Sin is the reason why it is all happening and it is now pay-up time.  We all knew something had to break eventually because of the trajectory we were on.  Well, look around.  It’s breaking and time is short. 

There is another more lengthy 30-day devotion called “The Holy Cloak of Saint Joseph.”  Here is the PDF printable of the prayer mentioned above…

THIRTY DAYS PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH ~ PDF Printable

IN HONOR OF THE 30 YEARS SPENT WITH JESUS AND MARY

Saint Joseph’s feast on the 19th is also the date of the Spring Equinox this year.  As preppers, Spring is one of the most exciting times of year!  But often it seems to come too fast, so now is the time to plant your indoor seedlings (if that applies to your climate) and get that garden ready.  If you haven’t gardened before but want to get started, there are so many resources available (try The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which is now offering a free “Beginner’s Guide to Gardening”).  90% of the battle is getting started.  So maybe you could make that a Lenten goal while there are still 4 weeks left of Lent?  Preparing and taking care of your family is certainly a noble endeavor.  It is actually like a Corporal work of Mercy.  And hopefully, at that difficult time in the coming days, you will have so much abundance, that you will be able to help others around you as well.  Saint Isidore the Farmer, whose feast we celebrate on the 22nd, will be proud of you! 

March ends with the solemn Easter Triduum and the 31st is Easter, the Solemnity of Solemnities.  We celebrate the glorious Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only 9 days before the “X Marks the Spot Solar Eclipse” over North America (which some say is a prophetic sign of God’s wrath upon us).  Wow, precisely enough time to pray a novena (and also perform the First Saturdays Devotion on April 6th)!  If you are on our email list or have been following the blog, you already know about our…

Eclipse Pilgrimage of Mercy

This gets even more interesting.  The week of the eclipse is April 7th-13th, Sunday to Saturday.   April 7th is the feast of the Divine Mercy and April 8th, the day of the eclipse, is the Annunciation.  We have added the Chaplet of Divine Mercy from Easter Sunday to April 8th, to the Pilgrimage format.  During the week of the eclipse, the suggestion is to visit a holy Catholic place, such as a shrine, cathedral, etc, and pray the Rosary for mercy.  If this is too difficult, any church will do.  More details to follow.

Here are some notable feasts of March…. 

1st-First Friday of the Sacred Heart

2nd-First Saturday of the Immaculate Heart

3rd-Saint Katherine Drexel, 20th Century Saint

6th-Saints Felicitas & Perpetua, Martyrs

7th-Saint Thomas Aquinas

12th-Pope Saint Gregory the Great

17th-Passion Sunday / Saint Patrick

19th-SAINT JOSEPH

22nd-Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary / Saint Isidore the Farmer

24th-Palm Sunday / Saint Gabriel Archangel

28th-Holy Thursday

29th-GOOD FRIDAY (fast & abstinence)

30th-HOLY SATURDAY / EASTER VIGIL

31st-EASTER SUNDAY 

Traditional Calendar for March 

We discuss both trad and new feasts.

Feast of Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph, Pray For Us!

“Saint Joseph Terror of Demons” by Bernadette Carstensen

From the outset of today’s Tridentine Mass, the praise of the Foster-Father of our Redeemer:

The just shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus: planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God…

Beloved of God and men, whose memory is in benediction. He made him like the Saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies, and with his words he made prodigies to cease. He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave him commandments in the sight of his people, and showed him His glory. He sanctified him in his faith and meekness, and chose him out of all flesh. For He heard him and his voice, and brought him into a cloud. And He gave him commandment before His face, and a law of life and instruction.

“What the Year of St. Joseph Means and How to Gain the Indulgences”

The above article is from Denver Catholic, and lists the 6 ways to obtain the plenary indulgence in this “Year of Saint Joseph.” There are actually 7 ways, if you include the “Consecration to Saint Joseph,” which the article also discusses. Today is the perfect day to perform one of these (you will also be required to meet the usual conditions). Keep these devotions in mind for the remainder of this Month of Saint Joseph, and as a Lenten exercise. Also, keep them in mind on the May 1st Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. What a great family activity as well-it is these things which will make our children love the Holy Catholic Faith and want to hold on to it!

Bernadette Carstensen Illustration

Video Interview

When looking for images for my posts, I always look for something that jumps out among the rest. The image above did just that. I have never seen a depiction of Saint Joseph like this before…the stern expression and the raising of his arm, as if to exclaim, “Vade Retro Satana!”…protecting the innocent Child Jesus.

It is a copyrighted image, so I have just given you a snippet of this remarkable painting. To view the entirety, please see the link above. This image is also incorporated into a separate painting, which is on the same page. Needless to say, the artist, also known as Bernadette Carstensen-Cody, possesses a rare and exquisite talent. She is a young woman from San Francisco-please also view the 12-minute video interview with her, which features many of her other works. The above painting can be purchased at her site for a reasonable fee-what an awesome Fathers Day gift and addition to your home in this “Year of Saint Joseph!”

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Nomen Christi Apostolate Prayer to Saint Joseph*

O Saint Joseph

O Saint Joseph, Guardian of Our Lord and Our Lady, intercede for us before the Divine Majesty. O holy and humble carpenter, pray for God's children in all our great need. We pray this in the Name of the Christ Child, once held in your loving arms. Amen.

Saint Joseph Novena

Glorious St. Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, Foster-Father of Jesus Christ, obtain for me a pure, humble and charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the Divine Will. Be my guide, my father and my model through life, that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving St. Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death and the special grace I now implore: (mention your request). Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I am confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the Throne of God.

Our Father + Hail Mary + Glory Be

(Recite for 9 consecutive days)

* I wrote this prayer several years ago and posted it on this blog. I was going for the “Hail Mary” of Saint Joseph, something that could be easily memorized. The “Name of the Christ Child” is invoked, as this ministry has a special devotion to the Holy Name (Nomen Christi). Please feel free to share this prayer with others.