You are invited to consecrate yourself to the Foster Father of the Son of God and our Spiritual Father, St. Joseph. Entrust yourself entirely into his paternal care so that he can help you acquire his virtues and become holy. As men and women consecrated to St. Joseph, we can rely on his intercession in Heaven for us to always be faithful and devout Catholic men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters. 

What is Consecration to St. Joseph?

Welcome to Consecration to St. Joseph!

What does it mean to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph?

What does it mean for a person to be consecrated to St. Joseph? Well, it basically means that you acknowledge that he is your spiritual father, and you want to be like him. To show it, you entrust yourself entirely into his paternal care so that he can help you acquire his virtues and become holy. Total consecration to St. Joseph means you make a formal act of filial entrustment to your spiritual father so that he can take care of your spiritual well-being and lead you to God. The person who consecrates himself to St. Joseph wants to be as close to their spiritual father as possible, to the point of resembling him in virtue and holiness. Saint Joseph, in turn, will give those consecrated to him his undivided attention, protection, and guidance.

If you have already consecrated yourself to the Virgin Mary, can you be consecrated to St. Joseph, as well?

The answer is a resounding “Yes!” God desires that all children be committed to the care of a mother and a father. You are not a member of a single-parent spiritual family. Mary is your spiritual mother, and St. Joseph is your spiritual father. The spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph is extremely important for your spiritual growth. Total consecration to Mary is not diminished by total consecration to St. Joseph. Mary wants you to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! Jesus wants you to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! Everything you have given to Jesus and Mary can also be given to St. Joseph. The hearts of Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph are one.

ACTS OF CONSECRATION TO SAINT JOSEPH

1. Act of Consecration to St. Joseph

   O Glorious Patriarch and Patron of the Church! O Virgin Spouse of the Virgin Mother of God! O Guardian and Virginal Father of the Word Incarnate! In the presence of Jesus and Mary, I choose you this day to be my father, my guardian, and my protector.

   O great St. Joseph, whom God has made the Head of the Holy Family, accept me, I beseech you, though utterly unworthy, to be a member of your “Holy House.” Present me to your Immaculate Spouse; ask her also to adopt me as her child. With her, pray that I may constantly think of Jesus, and serve him faithfully to the end of my life. O Terror of Demons, increase in me virtue, protect me from the evil one, and help me not to offend God in any way.

   O my Spiritual Father, I hereby consecrate myself to you. In faithful imitation of Jesus and Mary, I place myself and all my concerns under your care and protection. To you, after Jesus and Mary, I consecrate my body and soul, with all their faculties, my spiritual growth, my home, and all my affairs and undertakings. Forsake me not, but adopt me as a servant and child of the Holy Family. Watch over me at all times, but especially at the hour of my death. Console and strengthen me with the presence of Jesus and Mary so that, with you, I may praise and adore the Holy Trinity for all eternity. Amen.

2. 1st Act of Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC

   On this day, before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I, ___________________, a repentant sinner, consecrate myself, body, and soul, to you, St. Joseph.

   I turn to you as my spiritual father and place my life and my salvation into your hands. Confident in your goodness, I place myself under you paternal cloak and ask you to protect me from the world, the flesh, and the devil.

   St. Joseph, you are the virginal husband of the Mother of God! Help me to love her with tender affection and filial devotion. Mary is my spiritual mother and the surest, fastest, and easiest way to Jesus. Keep me close to her and, together with her, bring me closer to Jesus.

   Never depart from me, St. Joseph. Nourish me with the Bread of Life, instruct me in the wisdom of the saints, help me to carry my cross, and keep me always in the Catholic Church. When I die, take me to the Kingdom of Heaven to see Jesus and Mary.

   From this day onward, I will never forget you. I will speak of you often, spend time with you in prayer and , with your help, earnestly strive to sin no more. Should I fall, help me to repent and go to Confession. Should I go astray, guide me back to the truth.

   Before heaven and earth, my soul cries out: Praise to the Holy Trinity who has made you prince over all their possessions! Praise to the Virgin Mary who loves you and longs to see you loved! Praise to you, my spiritual father, the great St. Joseph!

   I give you everything, St. Joseph. Take me as your own, I am yours. Amen!

3. 2nd Act of Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC

   I, ____________________, a child of God, take you, St. Joseph, to be my spiritual father. I am confident that Jesus and Mary have led me to you: to know you, to love you, and to be totally consecrated to you.

   Therefore, having come to know and love you, I consecrate myself entirely to you, St. Joseph. I want you in my life; I need you in my life. Take me as your spiritual child, O great St. Joseph! I desire to hold nothing back from your protective fatherhood.

   As the husband of Mary, you provided for my spiritual mother. Thank you for always being faithful to her. Thank you for loving her and giving your entire life for her service.

   As the virginal father of Jesus, you cared for my Lord and protected him from evil men. Thank you for guarding the life of my Savior. Thanks to you, Jesus was able to shed his blood for me on the Cross. Thanks to you, St. Joseph, I have hope of everlasting life in heaven.

   As my spiritual father, I know that you will guide and protect me, too. Please instruct me in the ways of prayer, virtue, and holiness. I want to be like you, St. Joseph. I want to be pure, humble, loving, and merciful.

   Now that I am yours and you are mine, I promise never to forget you. I know that you will never forget me, and this gives me boundless joy! I am loved by St. Joseph! I belong to St. Joseph!

   Praise to the Holy Trinity who has blessed you and raised you to be the greatest saint after Mary. Praise to the Virgin who loves you and wants souls to love you. Praise to you, St. Joseph, my father, my guardian, and my all! Amen!

More Information about Consecration to St. Joseph

Consecration means “to make holy.” Holiness, in turn, refers to the separation of something from the common, worldly, or profane. While all Christians are to be separate from the world (2 Cor. 6:17), consecration also includes the idea of being set aside for sacred use.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
(1 Corinthians 10:31)

Originally having a liturgical priestly significance referring to the dedication of sacred objects (a bishop, a church, an altar, a chalice, or a paten), the term came into popular usage to denote personal devotion in the 17th century (most famously by St. Louis de Montfort). Pope St. John Paul II used various terms for these personal devotions so that the popular idea of consecration could be more easily understood. His preferred term was entrustment.

Entrustment here means to give oneself and life into the care of another. This entrustment is not limited to overtly religious or spiritual things but covers all aspects of our lives. Jesus is Lord of all! So we know we can entrust everything - our relationships, activities, desires, struggles, habits, etc. - to his care. We undertake a consecration to know and experience more fully Jesus’ presence so we can rejoice and be glad in every aspect of life!

What is a Consecration?

Why Consecration to St. Joseph?  When one makes an act of consecration to a saint, it is made ultimately to God through the help of the saint. We know that Joseph was a lowly carpenter, betrothed to Mary, a just man, ever ready to carry out God’s will. Blessed Pius IX declared St. Joseph “Patron of the Catholic Church.” Venerable Pius XII proposed him as “Patron of Workers.” Saint John Paul II called him “Guardian of the Redeemer.” St. Joseph is universally invoked as the “Patron of a Happy Death.” After Mary, the Mother of God, no saint is mentioned more frequently in the papal magisterium than Joseph, her spouse. (Pope Francis, Patris Corde).

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
(Matthew 1:24)

Jesus and Mary entrusted themselves entirely to the care and protection of St. Joseph as the head of the Holy Family. Consecrating oneself to St. Joseph is an act of entrustment to his fatherly care, protection, and guidance. It basically means acknowledging that as Jesus is your spiritual brother, and Mary your mother, Joseph is your spiritual father.

Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.
(Matthew 12:50)

As Fr. Donald Calloway, the author of the St. Joseph consecration, writes, “We need the spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph to help us protect marriage and the family. Marriage and the family have always been under attack, but in modern times, the threats have reached extraordinary heights… To combat and overcome Satan’s deceptions, the Church needs St. Joseph.” (Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, 4)

The goal of this consecration is to imitate St. Joseph’s virtue, example, and closeness with Christ. Of course our goal in all things is to become closer to Jesus! Similar to the way in which many who have drawn closer to Mary are in turn brought closer to Jesus, those who dedicate themselves to St. Joseph will find themselves in a deeper relationship with the Son of God.

What About Mary?

Jesus came into the world through Mary. Thus, we can go through Mary to develop our spiritual brotherhood with Christ. St. Louis Marie de Montfort developed the consecration to Mary, in order to help bring people closer to her son.

As Pope St. John Paul II explained, “Consecrating ourselves to Mary means accepting her help to offer ourselves and the whole of mankind to him who is holy, infinitely holy; it means accepting her help [and] tends essentially to union with Jesus.” (Consecration of modern world, Fatima Mass - May 13, 1982)

“Behold, your mother!”
(John 19:27)

Consecration to St. Joseph, however, does not conflict with (nor take the place of) a total consecration to Mary. As Fr. Calloway points out, we're not children of a one-parent spiritual family! (Consecration, 5)

Just as devotion to one’s father in no way implies less devotion to one’s mother, a total consecration to St. Joseph does not threaten one’s consecration to Mary. Rather, it complements it.

Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.
(Joshua 3:5)

We look forward to coming together as a parish family under the guidance of our spiritual father, St. Joseph in this year dedicated to him! 

Special Indulgences in The Year of St. Joseph

In addition to the consecration, faithful Catholics can gain special indulgences for devotional acts during the 2021 year of St. Joseph. As always, indulgences are either partial or plenary.

Plenary indulgences remit all temporal punishment due to sin (i.e., Purgatory) and must be accompanied by full detachment from sin, sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. The subject must have at least the general intention of acquiring the indulgence and must fulfill the enjoined works in the established time and the proper method. Failing these conditions, an indulgence will be partial (remitting some temporal punishment due to sin).

As reported by Catholic News Agency, according to the decree, there are several ways to receive such indulgences during the year of St. Joseph.[1] These include:

1. Participate in a spiritual retreat for at least one day that includes a meditation on St. Joseph.

2. Pray for St. Joseph’s intercession for the unemployed that they might find dignifying work.

3. Entrust one’s daily work and activity to the protection of St. Joseph the Worker.

4. Follow St. Joseph’s example in performing a corporal work of mercy. These include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the imprisoned, visiting the sick, and burying the dead.

5. Perform one of the spiritual works of mercy, such as comforting the sorrowful, counseling the doubtful, instructing the ignorant, admonishing the sinner, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving injuries, and praying for the living and the dead.

6. Pray the rosary together with one’s family in order that “all Christian families may be stimulated to recreate the same atmosphere of intimate communion, love and prayer that was in the Holy Family.”

7. Engaged couples can also receive an indulgence from praying the rosary together.

8. Meditate for at least 30 minutes on the Lord’s Prayer, because St. Joseph “invites us to rediscover our filial relationship with the Father, to renew fidelity to prayer, to listen and correspond with profound discernment to God’s will.”

9. Pray an approved prayer to St. Joseph on St. Joseph Sunday, the Sunday after Christmas in the Byzantine Catholic tradition.

10. Celebrate the feast of St. Joseph on March 19th with an act of piety in honor of St. Joseph.

11. Pray an approved prayer to St. Joseph on the 19th of any month.

12. Honor Joseph with an act of piety or approved prayer on a Wednesday, the day traditionally dedicated to St. Joseph.

13. Celebrate the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st with an act of piety or prayer.

[1] “The elderly, the sick, and the dying who are unable to leave their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic also have special permission to receive an indulgence by ‘offering with trust in God the pains and discomforts’ of their lives with a prayer to St. Joseph, hope of the sick and patron of a happy death.

The decree noted that in this instance the person must have the intention of fulfilling, as soon as possible, the three usual conditions for an indulgence, as well as a detachment from sin.” (https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/fifteen-ways-to-gain-an-indulgence-in-the-year-of-st-joseph-81304)https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/fifteen-ways-to-gain-an-indulgence-in-the-year-of-st-joseph-81304