Saint Joseph, patron of a happy death

O St Joseph, whose protection is so great

A popular prayer to Saint Joseph, and the truth about the legend that goes with it

O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in thee all my interests and desires.

O Saint Joseph, do assist me by thy powerful intercession, and obtain for me from thy divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ our Lord; so that, having engaged here below thy heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.

O Saint Joseph, I never weary of contemplating thee, and Jesus asleep in thine arms; I dare not approach while he reposes near thy heart. Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me, and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.

Saint Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for me.

Amen.

SourceSaint Joseph, patron of a happy death · A popular prayer to Saint Joseph, and the truth about the legend that goes with it

The history of this prayer

This is one of the most widely spread prayers to Saint Joseph, on holy cards, chain letters and messages. The text itself is lovely and devout: it entrusts all our concerns to Saint Joseph, asks through him for spiritual blessings, and ends with a tender scene, the child Jesus asleep in Joseph's arms, and a plea for a happy death. That is why Saint Joseph is called, at the end, patron of the dying.

The legend that comes with it

The prayer nearly always comes with a note: it was supposedly “found in the fiftieth year of Our Lord”, sent by the Pope “to Emperor Charles” in 1505 when he was going into battle; whoever read it, heard it or carried it would never die a sudden death, nor be drowned, poisoned or burned; said for nine mornings, it would obtain anything, because “it has never been known to fail”.

None of this has any basis. No document connects this prayer with the first century; its language, with Jesus “asleep” in Joseph's arms and Saint Joseph as patron of a happy death, belongs to the piety of recent centuries, and public devotion to Saint Joseph developed much later. In 1505 there was no Emperor Charles: the future Charles V was then five years old and was elected emperor only in 1519. The author of the prayer is unknown.

The automatic promises are not Christian either. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that to attribute the efficacy of prayers to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions they demand, is to fall into superstition (no. 2111). No prayer works as a charm, and none obliges God to grant what we ask.

How to pray it

Prayed with faith, without the promises, it is a good prayer for entrusting to Saint Joseph the needs of family and work and, above all, for asking the grace of a happy death. It suits Wednesdays, the month of March and the novena to Saint Joseph. The English is the text found on holy cards, of unknown authorship.

Frequently asked questions

Was this prayer really found in the year 50?

No. No document connects it with the first century, and the story of its being sent to “Emperor Charles” in 1505 is impossible: Charles V was five years old and became emperor only in 1519.

Is it true that this prayer never fails?

No prayer works automatically. The Catechism calls it superstition to attribute a prayer's efficacy to its mere recitation (no. 2111). Prayed with faith, it is a good prayer to Saint Joseph, without the promises.

May I pray this prayer?

Yes. The text is devout and asks, through Saint Joseph's intercession, for spiritual blessings and a happy death. Simply set aside the legend and the promises.

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