Joseph, patron saint of workers,
Blending skill with charity,
Silent carpenter, we praise you!
Joining work with honesty,
You taught Christ with joy to labor
Sharing his nobility.
Joseph, close to Christ and Mary,
Lived with them in poverty,
Shared with them their home and labor,
Worked with noble dignity.
May we seek God's will as you did,
Leader of his family!
Joseph, workman's inspiration,
Man of faith and charity,
Make us honest, humble, faithful.
Strong with Christ's true liberty,
Make our labor and our leisure
Fruitful to eternity
(Bernard C. Mischke, O.S.C. 1966)
In him the Old Testament finds its fitting close. He brought the noble line of patriarchs and prophets to its promised fulfillment. What the divine goodness had offered as a promise to them, he held in his arms. ... Remember us, Saint Joseph, and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask you most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen.
(Sermon by Saint Bernadine of Siena)
