…"If My people who bear My name, humble themselves and pray and seek My presence and turn from their wicked ways, I Myself will hear from Heaven and forgive their sins…" (2 Chron. 7:14) – "You will see that in prayer you will find more knowledge, more light, more strength, more grace and virtue than you could ever achieve by reading many books, or by great studies. Never consider as wasted the time you spend in prayer. You will discover that in prayer God communicates to you the light, strength and grace you need…" (Sr Lucia dos Santos)
(A novena – a prayer recited every day for nine days – may be made any time of the year, with any approved prayers.)
Great St Francis, well beloved and full of charity, in union with you I reverently adore the Divine Majesty. I give thanks to God for the singular gifts of grace bestowed on you in life and of glory after death, and I beg of you, with all the affection of my heart, by your powerful intercession, obtain for me the grace to live a holy life and die a holy death. I beg you to obtain for me (here mention special spiritual or temporal favours); but if what I ask is not for the glory of God and for my well-being, obtain for me, I beseech you, what will more certainly attain these ends. Amen.
Glorious St Joseph, you are the pattern of all who work. Obtain for me, please, the grace to work conscientiously and put devotion to duty before my selfish inclinations.
Help me to labour in thankfulness and joy, for it is an honour to employ and to develop by my labour the gifts I have received from almighty God.
Grant that I may work in orderliness, peace, moderation and patience without shrinking from weariness and difficulties. I offer my fatigue and perplexities as reparation for sin.
I shall work, above all, with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill-spent, of talents unemployed, of good undone, and of empty pride in success, which is so fatal to the world of God.
For Jesus through Mary, all in imitation of you, good St Joseph. This shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen.
Pompeii was a great and prosperous city in Roman times. It was destroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius. It was far from that in October, 1872, when Bartolo Long was there to attend a property owned by his wife, the Countess of Fusco. The region was described in the official records as “a most dangerous resort of bold and infamous robbers.”
Bartolo Long had been raised and educated as a Catholic, but he had become involved with spiritualism. Weak as he was in his own faith, he was appalled by what he saw at Pompeii. There was only one little chapel and one parish priest for the entire region, yet this was sufficient for the few people who still went to church. Most of the inhabitants had fallen victim to superstition; fear of the evil eye was rampant.
“IF YOU SEEK SALVATION, PROMULGATE THE ROSARY”
On October 9, Bartolo was walking through one of the most desolate parts of the desolate region. His own doubts were assailing him again. Should he give up the faith in which he had been raised? Suddenly he became aware that a voice was speaking to him:
“If you seek salvation, promulgate the Rosary. This is Mary’s own promise.”
Bartolo answered: “If it is true that thou didst promise St Dominic that whosoever should promulgate the Rosary should be saved, then shall I be saved, for I will not leave this valley until I have propagated thy Rosary.”
THE ANGELUS RANG OUT FROM THE DISTANT CHURCH…
The Angelus rang out from the distant church, and Bartolo fell to his knees to confirm his pledge.
Bartolo’s attempts to found a Rosary confraternity met with little success at first, but by 1875 he had made a promising start. In that year the Bishop of Nola was won over. Visiting the little chapel, the Bishop said, “You wish to raise an altar here in honour of the Rosary? I propose we raise not an altar but a church!” Then pointing to a field opposite, he added, “That is where a basilica will be raised for Pompeii!”
PROMOTING THE DAILY RECITATION OF THE ROSARY
Bartolo wished to find a picture that would encourage the peasants in the daily recitation of the Rosary. He told the people that he would have a picture for them by the time they completed a three-day mission. He found a picture of our Lady of the Rosary which he liked, but he was very much disappointed when he learned that the picture did not meet the requirement of Canon Law. Bartolo hurried to Naples to secure another picture. He could find none that cost less than 400 francs, a price which he could not afford. What would he do? He had promised his people a picture.
HE HAD PROMISED HIS PEOPLE A PICTURE
A friend in Naples gave him a picture which he had bought in a secondhand shop for three francs. Bartolo looked at it with a sinking heart. It met the requirements of Canon Law all right, but it violated every aesthetic principle.
“Not only was it worm-eaten,” said Bartolo, “but the face of the Madonna was that of a coarse, rough country woman… a piece of canvas was missing just above her head… her mantle was cracked. Nothing can be said of the hideousness of the other figures. St Dominic looked like a street idiot. To our Lady’s left was a St Rose. This later I had changed into a St Catherine of Siena… I hesitated whether to refuse the gift or to accept. I had promised a picture unconditionally for that evening. I took it.”
I TOOK IT
The picture was too big for Bartolo to carry by hand, so he gave it to a delivery man who made regular trips between Pompeii and Naples. The picture, wrapped in a sheet, was carried to the chapel on top of a load of manure which was to be delivered to a nearby farm. Thus, Our Lady of Pompeii arrived at her chosen shrine. For this picture became the focal point of devotion at the chapel.
Bartolo bought the picture in November, 1875. In January, 1876, it was partially restored in time for the canonical foundation of the Confraternity.
MIRACULOUS CURES
In Naples, meanwhile, Clorinda Lucarelli, a child of twelve, lay at the point of death. She was a victim of epilepsy and had been given up by the doctors. Clorinda’s aunt and guardian heard of the new Rosary Confraternity and promised to help in the building of a new church if the child got well. The girl was restored to complete health on the very day the picture was re-exposed for veneration. Doctors who had examined her previously said that her recovery was not due to any medical treatment.
The relatives of Concetta Vasterilla, who was dying in agony, made a similar promise to Our Lady of Pompeii. She too recovered swiftly and completely.
Father Anthony Varone was cured of a fearful gangrenous malady the same day he put his trust in Our Lady of Pompeii. All his symptoms vanished at once, and the next morning he rose to say Mass.
All of these cures took place in the early months of 1876.
The cornerstone of the new church was laid on May 8 of that year.
Exactly a month later, Madame Giovannina Muta, who lay in the last stages of consumption, appealed to our Lady of Pompeii. As she lay in bed she saw an exact replica of the picture in the chapel, although she had never seen the original. Our Lady gazed upon her and then threw towards her a kind of white ribbon on which was the message: “The Virgin of Pompeii grants your request, Giovannina Muta.” She was cured immediately.
The cures attributed to Our Lady of Pompeii could be extended indefinitely. There is one, however, that deserves special mention.
Fortuna Agrelli, a girl from Naples, had been ill for thirteen months She suffered intense pain. Her father had called in the most celebrated doctors but they had declared her incurable. On February 16, 1884, she and some relatives began a novena of Rosaries. On March 3, our Lady appeared to Fortuna as the Virgin of Pompeii. She was sitting on a high throne, and the Infant Jesus was on her lap. She held a Rosary in her hand. She was accompanied by St Dominic and St Catherine of Siena. The throne was profusely decorated with flowers. The beauty of our Lady was marvellous. She looked at Fortuna with motherly tenderness. “Queen of the Holy Rosary,” Fortuna said, “be gracious to me; restore me to health. I have already prayed to thee in a novena, O Mary, but have not yet experienced the aid. I am so anxious to be cured!” – “Child,” said the Blessed Virgin, “thou hast invoked me by various titles and hast always obtained favours from me. Now, since thou hast called me by the title so pleasing to me, ‘Queen of the Holy Rosary,’ I can no longer refuse the favour thou dost petition; for this name is most precious and dear to me. Make three novenas, and thou shalt obtain all.” – Fortuna obeyed, and she was cured.
Soon after that, our Lady appeared again. This time she said, “Whosoever desires to obtain favours from me should make three novenas of the prayers of the Rosary in petition and three novenas in thanksgiving.”
THE IRRESISTIBLE NOVENA
This was the origin of the devotion of the Rosary Novenas to Our Lady, sometimes called the Irresistible Novena. The devotion calls for five decades of the Rosary each day for 27 days in petition to be followed by five decades a day for 27 days in thanksgiving – 54 days in all. It is a powerful form of prayer; we have our Lady’s word for it.
THE NEW CHURCH AT POMPEII
The new church at Pompeii was completed and then enlarged. In May, 1891, it was consecrated by Cardinal La Valetta, as Papal Legate for Pope Leo XIII. A large orphanage was built beside it and a hospice for pilgrims.
In 1906 Bartolo Long, who lived to see the marvellous results for the Confraternity he had originated, deeded his property at Pompeii to the Holy See. Under the Lateran Treaty of 1929, the church and surrounding property became directly subject to Vatican City State. In 1934, at the command of Pope Pius XI, a new basilica was begun on the spot that had been pointed out by the Bishop 59 years before. The basilica was completed in 1939.
A GREAT CONSOLATION
The picture from the secondhand store is today enshrined in a frame of gold and encrusted with diamonds and gems which hide all but the faces of our Lady, the saints and the Holy Child. Crowds pray before it each day, beseeching our Lady for her graces. Pilgrims were especially fervent in the trying days of World War II and during the troubled years that followed. Our Lady of Pompeii has been a great consolation to the Italians in their troubles.
Pompeii, like the other principal manifestations of our Lady since 1830, seems a forerunner of Fatima. The Rosary is the central devotion of Pompeii, and at Fatima the Blessed Mother came to ask us to “say the Rosary every day.”
The Rosary will be a powerful weapon in restoring the world to Christ.
– From: “The Woman Shall Conquer” by Don Sharkey, Prow Books/Franciscan Marytown Press, Libertyville, IL, 1954
PRAYER TO ST JOSEPH FOR ALL WHO ARE DEVOTED TO LABOUR
Glorious St Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labour, obtain for me the grace to work in a spirit of penance for the expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my inclinations; to work with gratitude and joy, considering it an honour to employ and develop, by means of labour, the gifts received from God; to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, without ever recoiling before weariness or difficulties; to work, above all, with purity of intention and with detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account which I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all, after thy example, O Patriarch Joseph. Such shall be my watchword in life and death. Amen.
O blessed St Joseph, whose life was passed in toil and prayer, obtain for me the grace, I beseech thee, to sanctify my work by purity of intention, by remembrance of God’s presence and by frequent prayer.
Teach me to be contented with my lot, and if temptation comes to me to envy those who are above me or richer than myself, obtain for me the grace to despise it, and, only remembering thy life of humble toil, to desire only to imitate thee in the company of Jesus and Mary. Amen.
Dear St Joseph,
you have shown love and care to the Son of God,
you looked after his mother, Mary,
you worked hard for your family,
you led your family to safety,
you never questioned the will of God,
you dedicated your life to the service of God.
May we also show our dedication to God’s Son,
may we honour Mary, our Holy Mother,
may we work hard for our families and communities and may we
strive for justice and peace in the world.
May we truly believe and trust that God will walk alongside us
and will never abandon us on life’s journey.
May we, like you, St Joseph, show others the way to our heavenly Father
and may we, like the Holy Family, be thankful for the countless graces and blessings, which are bestowed on us daily.
Amen.
“If the Family of Nazareth is an example and model for human families, in the order of salvation and holiness, so too, by analogy, is Jesus’ work at the side of Joseph the carpenter. In our own day, the Church has emphasised this by instituting the liturgical memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker on 1st May.
Human work, and especially manual labour, receive special prominence in the Gospel. Along with the humanity of the Son of God, work too has been taken up in the mystery of the Incarnation, and has also been redeemed in a special way. At the workbench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption.
In the human growth of Jesus “in wisdom, age and grace”, the virtue of industriousness played a notable role, since “work is a human good” which transforms nature” and makes man “in a sense, more human”.
The importance of work in human life demands that its meaning be known and assimilated in order to “help all people to come closer to God, the Creator and Redeemer, to participate in his salvific plan for man and the world, and to deepen…friendship with Christ in their lives, by accepting, through faith, a living participation in his threefold mission as Priest, Prophet, and King”.
What is crucially important here is the sanctification of daily life, a sanctification which each person must acquire according to his or her own state, and one which can be promoted according to a model accessible to all people: “Saint Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies…he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things – it is enough to have the common, simple, and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic.”
– Blessed John Paul II
O glorious St Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, to you we raise our hearts and hands to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the benign Heart of jesus all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly for the grace of a happy death and the special favour we now request (mention your request).
O guardian of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that our prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.
O glorious St Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ and for the glory of his name, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions. Amen.
FIRST DAY:
O great St Joseph, with feelings of unlimited confidence, we beg you to bless this novena that we begin in your honour. “You are never invoked in vain” says the seraphic Theresa of Jesus. Be you then to me what you have been to that spouse of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and graciously hear me as you did her. Amen.
St Joseph, pray for us.
SECOND DAY:
O blessed St Joseph, tender-hearted father, faithful guardian of Jesus, chaste spouse of the Mother of God, we pray and beseech you to offer to God the Father, his divine Son, bathed in blood on the cross for sinners, and through the thrice holy name of Jesus obtain for us of the eternal Father the favour for which we implore your intercession (mention your request).
Amid the splendours of eternity, forget not the sorrows of those who suffer, those who pray, those who weep; stay the almighty arm which smites us, that by your prayers and those of your most holy spouse, the Heart of Jesus may be moved to pity and to pardon. Amen.
St Joseph, pray for us.
THIRD DAY:
Blessed St Joseph, enkindle in our cold hearts a spark of your charity. May God be always the first and only object of our affections. Keep our souls always in sanctifying grace and, if we should be so unhappy as to lose it, give us the strength to recover it immediately by a sincere repentance. Help us to such a love of our God as will always keep us united to him. Amen.
O glorious St Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ and for the glory of his name, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.
FOURTH DAY:
St Joseph, pride of heaven, unfailing hope for our lives, and support of those on earth, graciously accept our prayer of praise. You were appointed spouse of the chaste Virgin by the Creator of the world. He willed that you be called “father” of the Word and serve as agent of our salvation. May the triune God who has bestowed upon you heavenly honours be praised forever. And may he grant us through your merits the joy of a blessed life and a favourable answer to our petition (mention your request). Amen.
St Joseph, pray for us.
FIFTH DAY:
O holy St Joseph, what a lesson your life is for us, ever so eager to appear so anxious to display before the eyes of men the graces that we owe entirely to the liberality of God. In addition to the special favour for which we plead in this novena (mention your request) grant that we may attribute to God the glory of all things, that we may love the humble and hidden life, that we may not desire any other position than the one given to us by Providence and that we may always be a docile instrument in the hands of God. Amen.
St Joseph, pray for us.
SIXTH DAY:
O glorious St Joseph, appointed by the Eternal Father as the guardian and protector of the life of Jesus Christ, the comfort and support of his Holy Mother, and the instrument in his great design for the redemption of mankind; you who had the happiness of living with Jesus and Mary, and of dying in their arms, be moved with the confidence we place in you, and procure for us from the Almighty the particular favour which we humbly ask through your intercession. Amen.
St Joseph, pray for us.
SEVENTH DAY:
O faithful and prudent St Joseph, watch over our weakness and our inexperience; obtain for us that prudence which reminds us of our end, which directs our paths and which protects us from every danger. Pray for us, then, O great Saint, and by your love for Jesus and Mary, and by their love for you, obtain for us the favour we ask in this novena (mention your request). Amen.
St Joseph, pray for us.
EIGHTH DAY:
O blessed Joseph, to whom it was given not only to see and to hear that God whom many kings longed to see and saw not; to hear and heard not; but also to carry him in your arms, to embrace him, to clothe him, and to guard and defend him, come to our assistance and intercede with him to look favourably on our present petition (mention your request). Amen.
St Joseph, pray for us.
NINTH DAY:
O good St Joseph, help us to be like you, gentle to those whose weakness leans on us; help us to give to those who seek our aid, succour that they may journey unafraid. Give us your faith, that we may see the right shining above the victories of might. Give us your hope that we may stand secure, untouched by doubting, steadfast to endure. Give us your love that as the years increase an understanding heart may bring us peace. Give us your purity that the hour of death finds us untouched by evil’s breath. Give us your love of labour that we shirk no lot in life that calls for honest work. Give us your love of poverty so that we live contended, let wealth come or go. Give us your courage that we may be strong; give us your meekness to confess our sins. Give us your patience that we may possess the kingdom of our souls without distress. Help us, dear Saint, to live that when life ends we pass with you to Jesus and his friends.
O glorious St Joseph, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions. Amen.
St Joseph, pray for us.
Glorious St Joseph, you are the pattern of all who work. Obtain for me, please, the grace to work conscientiously and put devotion to duty before my selfish inclinations.
Help me to labour in thankfulness and joy, for it is an honour to employ and to develop by my labour the gifts I have received from almighty God.
Grant that I may work in orderliness, peace, moderation and patience without shrinking from weariness and difficulties. I offer my fatigue and perplexities as reparation for sin.
I shall work, above all, with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill-spent, of talents unemployed, of good undone, and of empty pride in success, which is so fatal to the world of God.
For Jesus through Mary, all in imitation of you, good St Joseph. This shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen.
On 1st May 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St Joseph the Worker – a day dedicated to the dignity of labour and honouring workers throughout the countries of the world. This liturgical feast serves as an incentive to all those involved in the enterprise of labour to devote themselves to the realisation of a social order in keeping with the Gospel.
PRAYER:
O God, Creator of all things,
who laid down for the human race the law of work,
graciously grant
that by the example of Saint Joseph and under his patronage
we may complete the works You set us to do
and attain the rewards You promise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
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