The leaders of the Church were begging for St. Joseph’s help as they faced such troublesome times when, the Holy Father wrote, “the Church is beset by enemies on every side, and is weighed down by calamities so heavy that ungodly men assert[ed] that the gates of hell have at length prevailed against her.” Two Josephs Pope Pius IX was not exaggerating. Armies of Masons were laying siege to the Vatican from the north and south, attempting to trample the Church into dust, not understanding the greatness of the Holy Family. While shepherding the Church through a time of famine, pestilence, and war, Pope Pius IX invoked St. Joseph, as prefigured by Joseph of Egypt: As almighty God appointed Joseph, son of the patriarch Jacob, over all the land of Egypt to save grain for the people, so when the fullness of time had come and He was about to send to earth His only-begotten Son, the Savior of the world, He chose another Joseph, of whom the first had been the type, and He made him the lord and chief of His household and possessions, the guardian of His choicest treasures. … [Joseph] most diligently reared Him whom the faithful were to receive as the bread that came down from heaven whereby they might obtain eternal life. … Joseph of Egypt prefigured a much greater Joseph, St. Joseph, who would bring his Son, the Bread of Heaven, to safety in Egypt. Both Josephs safeguarded bread for the whole world, but St. Joseph protected, not food which perishes, but “the living bread which came down from Heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever” (Jn 6:51). Pharaoh gave Joseph great authority, and God likewise made St. Joseph “lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions” (Ps 105:21). Saint Joseph was made lord of the house of Nazareth and ruler of all God’s treasures, the greatest of these being Jesus and Mary. … Saint Joseph’s Lordship is also based on the fact that the King of the Cosmos was, in a real sense, subject to him. “Jesus Christ our Lord,” Pius IX wrote, “deigned to be reputed in the sight of men as the son of Joseph, and was subject to him.” There, in the humble home of Nazareth, without guard or grand entrance: [Jesus], whom countless kings and prophets had desired to see, Joseph not only saw but conversed with, and embraced in paternal affection, and kissed. He most diligently reared Him whom the faithful were to receive as the bread that came down from heaven whereby they might obtain eternal life. Three Hearts The source of eternal life, which explorers would circumnavigate the globe in search of, the locus of all future pilgrimages, was unvisited, unsought, and unknown in the home of Joseph. Pius IX’s successor, Pope Leo XIII, wrote in his apostolic letter Breve Neminem Fugit, “Those who are of noble birth,” like St. Joseph, “may learn, from this Family of royal blood, how to live simply in times of prosperity, and how to retain their dignity in times of distress.” We consecrate ourselves to the Holy Family in order that we may be consecrated to the three Hearts of the Holy House of Nazareth: the Sacred Heart, the Immaculate Heart, and the Most Chaste Heart. Because of the sublime dignity which God conferred on His most faithful servant, we ask that St. Joseph would intercede for us, too, in times of trouble. Excerpted from 33 Days to the Holy Family: Consecration to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC and Scott L. Smith, Jr. (code B69-HF33D), available on ShopMercy.org or call 1-800-462-7426. We invite you to send us your intentions for the St. Joseph Novena. Visit Marian.org/b69 to have your intentions remembered. Sixth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy June 7-12, 2026 in Vilnius, Lithuania Visit MercyCongress.org Register now! Among the speakers: Fr. Chris Alar, MIC!
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