Protection of St. Joseph During a Contagious Disease

Not many years ago, the following wonderful instance of an answer granted to prayer made a great sensation in the neighborhood of Chambery.

It was the summer of 1861 and both the town itself and the whole country around were in a state of excitement and alarm, on account of a contagious disease which had appeared suddenly among the population, and the number of the victims continued to increase day by day.

The fervent parish priest of the Church of St. Pierre, seeing the danger and anguish of his flock, summoned them to the church, and exhorted them earnestly to place themselves under the special care of Mary and Joseph. He then organized a devotion for the next seven Sundays in honor of St. Joseph. On these Occasions the church was filled to overflowing, and numberless candles were presented at the altar of the Saint.

The compassionate Heart of our divine Lord showed itself merciful to these humble supplications offered to Him through the intervention of His Immaculate Mother and chaste Foster-father . For although the disease raged in the other parts of the town, for full three months longer, not one more fatal case occurred in this parish; and while the bells of the neighboring churches were continually tolling the sad announcement of death, the bells of St. Pierre were only heard from time to time on festival days or sounding the glad news of some baptism or marriage. Devotion to St. Joseph, which already had taken deep root in the heart of these faithful Catholics, became more lively, and in all their affairs they had recourse with unbounded confidence to the intercession of Mary and Joseph.

A Novena to St. Joseph during this pandemic.

Glorious St. Joseph, foster-father and protector of Jesus Christ! To you I raise my heart and my hands to implore your powerful intercession. Please obtain for me from the kind Heart of Jesus the help and the grace of a happy death and the special favor I now implore for the Coronavirus to end.

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel animated with confidence that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.

V. O glorious St. Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ, and for the glory oh His name.
R. Hear my prayers and obtain my petition