St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us!

"And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household..." -- Luke 12:42 (RSV)

There is a tradition of praying a 30-day novena to St. Joseph before his feast day on March 19. (To say "30-day novena" is a bit of a contradiction in terms since a novena is a nine-day period of prayer, but let's let that go for now. :-)) That 30-day period of prayer would go from today, Feb. 17, through March 18.

I read something this weekend suggesting that, in light of St. Joseph's role as Protector of the Holy Family and Patron of the Universal Church, it would be very timely to pray for the next 30 days for his special intercession for the election of the next pope. That strikes me as a brilliant idea. I'm planning to do it, and I encourage anyone who reads this to do it, too. Even if you see this post long after Feb. 17, just jump on and start praying. Prayer to our Lord through His saints is never wasted!

Almost any prayer or novena to St. Joseph can be adapted to this purpose. There is a traditional 30-day prayer to St. Joseph that you can find on the EWTN Web site. It's beautiful, but somewhat lengthy. A shorter prayer that could be used is the Memorare of St. Joseph:

Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who implored your help and sought your intercession was left unassisted.
Full of confidence in your power I fly unto you and beg your protection.
Despise not O Guardian of the Redeemer my humble supplication, but in your bounty, hear and answer me. Amen.

I'm also quite partial to the Litany of St. Joseph. It's lengthy, too, but it's a wonderful statement of his virtues and the place that the Lord has given him in the Church.

St. Joseph, Protector of the Holy Family and Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us and especially for the election of the next pope!