7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph - #1

Al at Is Anybody There writes: Today is the day to begin the 7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph devotion. Although this devotion can be done anytime, one of the more traditional times to start is seven Sundays before the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph, and that is today!

Join me in praying the 7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph as I post each prayer here on the next six Sundays.

O chaste Spouse of Mary most holy, glorious St. Joseph, great was the trouble and anguish of thy heart when thou wert minded to put away privately thine inviolate Spouse, yet thy joy was unspeakable when the surpassing mystery of the Incarnation was made known to thee by the Angel! By this sorrow and this joy, we beseech thee to comfort our souls, both now and in the sorrows of our final hour, with the joy of a good life and a holy death after the pattern of thine own, in the arms of Jesus and Mary. (Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)


Antiphon: And Jesus Himself was beginning about the age of thirty, being (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph.


V: Pray for us, O holy Joseph,


R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


Let Us Pray.


O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, grant we beseech Thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in Heaven. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer taken from fisheaters.com

Seek and ye shall find

It has taken years, 12 to be exact, but the Virtual St. Joseph Altar now comes up first in a Google search for "st. joseph altar."

I've been first for a long time with "virtual" included in the search, but this is brand new and pretty exciting.

Thanks to all who have made the Virtual Altar so popular. Spread the word -- the 2010 Altar opens February 19!

Texas Tavola

Texas Tavola is a wonderful video that was done on a St Joseph Altar as part of a research project. Click through and watch online.

This 34 minute documentary examines the Tavola di San Giuseppe, an important religious event at which a single Sicilian-American family hosts almost 1,000 guests in honor of St. Joseph. Both anthropologically and visually, the event is remarkable to witness, with hundreds of hand-made breads and cakes, elaborate religious rituals, and beautiful prayers spoken in Sicilian dialect with a Texas accent. Our film traces one particular tavola back to three small villages in Western Sicily—Poggioreale, Salaparuta, and Corelone. With rare historic photos and traditional Sicilian music complementing the video footage, it explores the tavola’s deep importance to Sicilian-American communities in East Texas. These communities have often been overlooked as part of the Italian-American experience, but their vibrancy and a sense of Italianità remain strong even after three generations in the Lone Star state.

Thanks to TK for sending this along to me!

Prayer List 2010

3.22.2010 UPDATE: The Prayer List for the 2010 Feast of St. Joseph is now closed. Please include those listed here in your prayers.

This is a place to request prayers for deceased loved ones.

Simply list your deceased family and friends in the comment box below. Please separate names with a comma.  For other general prayer requests, please visit Prayer Requests 2010.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; 

and let perpetual light shine upon them. 

May they rest in peace. 

Amen. 

Prayer Requests 2010

3.22.2010 UPDATE: The Prayer Requests for the 2010 Feast of St. Joseph are now closed. Please keep all of these requests in your prayers.

This is a place for general prayer requests.

Simply submit your prayer request in the comment box below. For prayers for deceased loved ones visit the Prayer List 2010.

Holy St. Joseph, Spouse of Mary,
be mindful of me, pray for me, watch over me.
Guardian of the paradise of the new Adam,
provide for my temporal wants.
Faithful guardian of the most precious of all treasures,
I beseech thee to bring this matter to a happy end,
if it be for the glory of God,
and the good of my soul.
Amen

Get ready for St. Joseph's Day

The 2010 Feast of St. Joseph is right around the corner! Get ready by making your own mini 3d Virtual St. Joseph's Altar. Complete instructions included on the pdf download.

Here are some photos of the 3d Altars made by Vee and her family last year. Thanks, Vee! Be sure to visit Vee's Paper Dali site for a wonderful St. Joseph paper doll and lots more!

Send me a photo of your 3d Altar and I'll post it here on the blog.

St. Joseph & the Battle to End Abortion

Visit Al at Is Anybody There? to find out why he believes St. Joseph needs to be invoked in the battle against abortion. Al is a longtime visitor to the Virtual Altar and his blog features wonderful pro-life commentary.