St Joseph Help for Life

by Kathryn J. Hermes

Many people today know about Saint Joseph as a "real estate agent" — plant a statue in the front yard of a house you are trying to sell, and you'll get results fast. Or so the stories go. The other day a woman told a friend of mine, also a Daughter of Saint Paul, that twenty years ago she had urgently needed to sell her house. She had been told by a friend to bury a statue of Saint Joseph in her yard. However, one of our sisters urged her instead to set the statue in a place of honor in the home and to say a novena to the saint asking his intercession. Well, her house did sell, and twenty years later she reports that she has had a strong devotion to Saint Joseph ever since. The statue of Saint Joseph purchased so long ago is still enthroned in her home.

Not simply a handbook on how to sell a house, this book is an essential guide to devotion to Saint Joseph. Others who have discovered the power of his intercession will lead you — through the stories of Joseph's powerful help in their moments of need — to place yourself under the guidance and protection of the head of the Holy Family. And, yes, they have sold their houses. They have found jobs. Bills have been paid when there was no money. Families have been reconciled, and loved ones have had a peaceful death. And the stories go on and on. We trust that you, too, will have your own story.

Genres: Faith

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I became a father, and as I had more children, I found that my devotion to Saint Joseph is continually growing. And this volume though not written specifically for fathers who seek the aide of Saint Joseph, it is an excellent volume for fathers or all who wish to have a deeper devotion to this saint.

The sections in this volume are:
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Who Is Saint Joseph?
Life of Saint Joseph
Devotion to Saint Joseph
Popular Celebrations in Honor of Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph’s Table
Fava Beans
Patron Saint
Why We Can Trust Saint Joseph
Why Joseph?
Go to Joseph!
Joseph Understands Broken Hearts
Joseph Is a Father
Joseph Got Up and Went
Joseph Has Connections
Joseph Lived Through Catastrophes
Joseph Had an Untimely Death
The Powerful Intercession of Saint Joseph
Where Do We Learn About Saint Joseph’s Power?
Prayers to Saint Joseph
For Families and Homes
Prayer for One’s Family
Prayer to Obtain a Special Favor
Prayer When a Spouse Has Had an Affair

Prayer to Ask Saint Joseph to Be One’s Father
Prayer of a Father
Prayer of a Divorced Father
Prayer of a Father for His Children
Prayer to Sell a House or Property
Prayer to Find a New Home
Short Petition to Find a New Home
Ritual for Those Moving to a New Home: Blessing of Memories
For Financial Needs and for Those Seeking Employment
In Times of Financial Stress
For a Family Person Seeking Employment
For a Single Person Seeking Employment
A Worker’s Prayer
Prayer in Time of Need
Prayer in Time of Difficulty
For Those Suffering from Catastrophes
Prayer in Dark Times
Memorare to Saint Joseph
Prayer When Threatened by Natural Disasters
For Spiritual Needs and for the Church
Prayer to Grow in Devotion to Mary
Saint Joseph, Patron of the Church
Prayer for Spiritual Growth
Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving
Te Ioseph
Litany of Saint Joseph
Novena to Saint Joseph
Rosary in Honor of Saint Joseph
A Triduo to Saint Joseph
For a Happy Death
Prayer for a Happy Death
Prayer for the Dying
Afterword: Becoming Like Joseph
Additional Resources

The introduction begins with these words:

“The book in your hands is about Saint Joseph, husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus Christ. If you are leafing through the pages of this book, you probably have a very special intention you are holding in your heart. Perhaps you want to sell a house. Maybe you are accompanying someone who is approaching his or her final hours on earth. You could be looking for a job or starting a business. You may have financial difficulties or be looking for protection for your family. Or perhaps you never knew your father, or your father abandoned or hurt you, and now you are looking for a second father. If so, Saint Joseph is your patron saint. As head of the Holy Family, Saint Joseph experienced many of these things in his own life, as we shall see. He is a powerful intercessor before God for our needs.”

And further we are told:

“In our archives there is a precious book in Italian about Saint Joseph — its binding taped and its pages torn. A woman had purchased the book from a Daughter of Saint Paul in 1933. Forty years later, in 1973, she returned the book to the sisters, stating that her devotion to Saint Joseph was strong and that the saint had provided for her many times when she was greatly in need. Although the book was worn and the pages ripped, she thought someone else might still be able to use it to grow in devotion to Saint Joseph!”

This could become such a book. A book that is used over and over again. Weather prayers are said to Saint Joseph daily, upon occasion, or in time of specific need. There are many wonderful stories and prayers in this volume. Some of the stories in this volume were familiar to me, such as the story from the 1800s of the miraculous staircase of Our Lady of Light Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Or about the oratory in Montreal. Others were new to me like the tradition of Saint Joseph’s Table or the story of the Fava Beans were new to me.

The book is split into three nearly equal parts. The first is information and history. The Second is personal stories of Saint Joseph’s intercession and the final third is a collection of prayers. The book is more than worth the price for any one of those three sections. But when you combine them it becomes a book of incredible worth and value to Catholics.

This is an excellent book, and one I am very thankful I came across.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book when I was shopping for my aunt at the Carmelite store because I find it next to impossible to leave a bookstore or library without a selection. Many people find great comfort in communicating with a hero that they can relate to, and Joseph is one who has near universal appeal. Joseph was no miracle worker. Instead, he excelled at the practical matters of life, such as being a provider, a protector, and a source of love and security for his family and friends, qualities which many of us strive for. He had skills, he had contacts, and he could think outside of the box, handy when he desperately left his home, business, and friends behind to shuffle his family out of the country and away from a murderous despot intent upon killing his son, to start over again in a culture not his own. There is a little history in the book, some prayers, and inspiration. I enjoyed it.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Intercession of the Saints is so new for me, but as my girlfriend was into St.Joseph I figure I would read this book and I’m so glad I did. Very profound, reflecting upon his role, especially the end about becoming like Joseph in trusting God’s providence. Some overly zealous pious descriptions but that often can’t be helped