Novena Prayer to Saint Joseph Vaz: A blog about a prayer that we should all pray for our family and the future of our country.
Dear St. Joseph Vaz,
we pray for your intercession on behalf of [name].
We pray for a quick recovery from illness and/or injury.
We pray for a safe delivery from the dangers of childbirth.
We pray for strength and courage in times of temptation and trial.
Show us how to live as good Christians. Grant us wisdom and understanding when we are confused or unsure about what to do next in our lives. Help us to be humble, kind, loving and forgiving towards others who may have hurt us in some way. Protect us from being led astray by immoral influences that would cause us harm physically or spiritually. Teach us how to trust in God’s goodness at all times no matter what happens around us!
What is a Novena?
The word novena is taken from “novem,” the Latin word for nine. A novena is made up of nine days of prayer and meditation usually to ask God for special prayer requests or petitions. Novenas are often used to ask specific saints to pray for us. The Saint Jude Novena, for example, is prayed to ask Saint Jude to intercede on behalf of a request that seems especially dire.
Novenas are an ancient tradition that goes back to the days of the Apostles. Jesus told His disciples to pray together after His ascension into heaven, so they went to an upper room along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, (Acts 1:14) and joined constantly in prayer for nine days. These nine days of constant prayer by the Apostles at the direction of Jesus led up to Pentecost. This is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples as “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:1-4). This pattern of 9 days of prayer is the basis the novenas we pray today.
Thus, the novena is an imitation of the Lord’s command to the Apostles when they prayed for 9 days in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
How do I pray a Novena?
If you sign up here, we will send you the announcement for each novena, a reminder, and the daily prayers for the 9 days of the novena. We will also send you an e-mail on the feast day or last day of the novena, as well as share answered prayers with you from other people in the community.
All you need to do is to say the daily prayers with a sincere heart. It is not necessary to pray at the same time every day (although you can), or to fast, or to pray the rosary in addition to the novena; however, you can still do all of these things in addition to praying, but they are not required. If they are, we will tell you in our e-mails.
Novenas should not be seen as magical incantations that guarantee desired results. God controls the universe and we certainly do not control God. He is not a genie in a bottle, but rather He is a loving Father in heaven. This means that whatever good intentions we pray for, we must accept the fact that God knows what’s best for us, whether we understand His divine intention or not. “Thy will be done” is the proper posture of all Christian prayer. Any so-called novena prayer circulating around that contains guaranteed results, and threatening misfortune for those who fail to devote themselves to it is merely a chain-letter; these should be ignored.
Nonetheless, Jesus reminds us in the Gospel to be persistent in prayer and a novena is a great aid in doing just that!
What if I miss a day?
That’s okay, it happens! If you a miss a day, you can do one of a few things…
You can either: 1) skip the day you missed altogether, 2) say two of the daily prayers in one day to catch up, or 3) say the prayer of the day you missed and just be one day behind everybody else.
It’s up to you, and whatever you choose to do is okay. There are no “rules” and there are no “consequences.” God is forgiving and merciful!
Should I have the same intention for all 9 days or should I have a different intention for each day?
You can do either one 🙂 What matters most is how you come to the Lord with that intention — with a sincere heart that is open to God’s will.
O St. Joseph Vaz,
You were a great man of prayer,
and you taught us how to pray.
Please intercede for all those who are not aware of your power in our lives.
Intercede for those who do not know about your intercession and the help available through it.
Intercede for all those who are suffering from any illness or disease and give them comfort and strength to bear their sufferings with patience and courage.
Intercede for those who are especially suffering from lack of faith and hope in God’s mercy and love.
Intercede for all those who are experiencing difficulties in their personal relationships; may they be able to understand the meaning of forgiveness and reconciliation so that they may find peace in their hearts.
Intercede for those who are experiencing emotional problems or feelings of frustration or discouragement; may they find comfort in knowing that God is always with them, even when they feel abandoned by Him.
Help them to understand that God never abandons His children but only wants what is best for them, no matter how difficult it may seem at times…
Dear St. Joseph, model of all virtues, we come to you to ask for your help.
Here we are before you, asking for your intercession in our urgent needs and necessities. We are aware of your love and concern for us, so we know that you will not refuse our request.
St. Joseph, please help us in our present needs. We have faith that you can hear and grant our requests. As we continue our novena prayers to you, please remember us in your daily prayers and bless us with peace, health, joy and abundant love for each other.
Dear St. Joseph, please intercede for me and my family.
Help us to be more faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to grow in the love and service of God, so that we may attain eternal salvation.
Protect me from all evil and graces me with your powerful protection. Help me to be a good example for others as well as a blessing for them.
Help us to be truly happy in this life and finally reach heaven.
Please grant us wisdom, patience and perseverance in our daily lives; give us courage in times of trial; help us overcome temptations and difficulties; enable us always to do what is right; make all things easy for us; grant that we may always have sufficient food and clothing; protect us from all accidents; preserve our health, strength, vigor and youthfulness; keep our minds clear so that we may reason well in all things; make known your will through signs so that we may understand it clearly.
St. Joseph, my dear spouse, I consecrate to you today my heart, my thoughts and my actions. May they be your own and may you always find in me a faithful and loving companion.
Grant that I may love you more than myself, honor you more than anyone else, obey you more than myself, please you in all things, that I may be worthy of your protection, and obtain from your hands the grace of being united with Jesus Christ our Lord forever in heaven. Amen.
Dear St. Joseph Vaz,
You are a saint for all times and for all places. You are a saint who has lived the Gospel to its fullest extent. Your life was marked by love and charity and self-sacrifice. You were always ready to help others in their time of need and distress. Now, I humbly ask you to intercede for me with God so that I can receive His grace and be strengthened by it.
St. Joseph Vaz, please hear my prayer:
1) That I may have true devotion to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who loved us so much that He gave His life for our salvation;
2) That I may receive the Holy Eucharist with reverence and devotion;
3) That my home may be filled with peace, joy and love;
4) That my family may live in harmony with one another;
5) That my family may be blessed with health and prosperity;
6) That I may always be a good example of faithfulness to my husband/wife;
7) That all those whom God has entrusted to me may share in His love through me as their spiritual director (or teacher);
Dear St. Joseph Vaz,
We pray to you for all those who are in need of your help and protection.
You are always ready to hear our prayers, so we come before you now and ask for your assistance on behalf of the following:
Oh, St. Joseph Vaz, you received the grace of God to see Him face to face.
Help me to have the same grace to see Him in His Son Jesus Christ and to be able to love Him always.
St. Joseph Vaz,
May your special intercession be a source of consolation to us and to the whole Church.
Holy family, model of the Christian family, help us to live in peace and harmony with all families in the world.
Dear St. Joseph, obtain for me a pure heart, ready to welcome God’s Holy Spirit.
Dear St. Joseph,
I ask you to pray for me.
You are a role model of all that is good in the world. You were a humble carpenter who became a priest and then a bishop, and then the Patriarch of Lisbon. You were known for your simplicity, your kindness, and your humility—all qualities I need more of in my life.
You have been a protector of families for generations, and I hope that you will continue to be one for me and my family today. Please help me to be a good husband and father so that my wife and children can look up to me as an example of what it means to be a man. Please help me to do right by them so that they know how much they mean to me.
Please pray for me as I go through this rough time at work; please keep me safe from harm while driving in bad weather; please give me strength during stressful situations; please help me get through this uncertain time with grace and dignity