The prayer to St. Joseph that Francis has said for more than 40 years

In a footnote in his new apostolic letter on St. Joseph, Pope Francis notes that for more than 40 years, he has said a special prayer to St. Joseph after morning prayer.

He explains that it is taken from a 19th-century French prayer book of the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary.

“It expresses devotion and trust, and even poses a certain challenge to Saint Joseph,” the Holy Father reflects.

Here is the prayer, as he shares it in the letter:

Glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, whose power makes the impossible possible, come to my aid in these times of anguish and difficulty. Take under your protection the serious and troubling situations that I commend to you, that they may have a happy outcome. My beloved father, all my trust is in you. Let it not be said that I invoked you in vain, and since you can do everything with Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness is as great as your power. Amen.

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