By Paul Ashton, Psy.D., D.Min.
Consultant to the VIRTUS^® Programs

Prayer to Saint Joseph for Fathers

Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of Mary, you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty. You supported the holy family of Nazareth with the work of your hands. Kindly protect those who trustingly come to you. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them. You too knew trial, labor and weariness. But amid the worries of material life, your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with God's Son entrusted to you and with Mary, his tender Mother. Assure those you protect that they do not labor alone. Teach them to find Jesus near them and to watch over Him faithfully as you have done. Amen.

—Blessed Pope John XXIII

This beautiful prayer to Saint Joseph directed to Fathers is a great way to honor the men who have loved, guided, and protected us throughout our lives. Let us honor and remember these men, living and deceased, through a reflection of this prayer to Saint Joseph that Good Pope John XXIII bequeathed to us. Please take the time to sing the joyful song of the heroic father in your life. Perhaps you call or write your father and speak words of your appreciation and love. If they have gone to heaven, speak the words in a prayer of thanksgiving. If you were never blessed with the presence of a father figure, or if your father failed you, try to put your feelings into prayerful words telling God all of your needs, wants, and desires. Remember that God, your loving and true Father has always been and will always be present with you and loves you tremendously every moment in every way.

Saint Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of Mary, you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty.

 Silent and strong fathers watch and protect their children. May we never forget their loving care and concern for our well-being.

You supported the holy family of Nazareth with the work of your hands.

Fathers spend endless hours working hard to provide their children and families with their needs. May we learn the value of labor in service of those we love.

Kindly protect those who trustingly come to you. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them.

Even when fathers find it difficult to understand our needs, they are always there for us. May our understanding of the depth of their love for us be increased and may we turn to them for guidance in all of our deliberations.

You too knew trial, labor and weariness.

Good Saint Joseph humbled himself in so many ways, in many ways forever unknown to us. Fathers suffer with us and for us while hiding their own sorrows in silence. Through their example may we always appreciate of the trials of others, and may we never lose sight of the ways in which they love us, known and unknown.

But amid the worries of material life, your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with God's Son entrusted to you and with Mary, his tender Mother.

How many times have fathers put aside the demands and pressures of the world to be fully present to their children and families? May we always be thankful for the love our fathers showed to us, and the way in which they taught us to appreciate joy in small and large ways and even through the crazy things they did for us.

Assure those you protect that they do not labor alone. Teach them to find Jesus near them and to watch over Him faithfully as you have done.

Fathers need to be strong in the face of trials and this requires great inner strength and sometimes brings with it the temptations of loneliness. Fathers have been required to make hard and unpopular decisions, leaving them to face this solitude and all of the difficulties and sacrifices that accompany loneliness. May we be forever mindful of these struggles, sacrifices, and temptations and learn from them that God is ever and always present to us. May we be earnest in our prayers to affirm, appreciate, praise, celebrate, understand, and forgive our fathers and all they did for us. Good Saint Joseph, hear our prayer. Thank you, Thank God, and bless our loving father.

Amen.