Litany of Saint Joseph: history and the new invocations

The Litany of Saint Joseph

The Litany of Saint Joseph is the official liturgical prayer of the Church in honor of Mary’s husband, Saint Joseph. Approved by the Apostolic See in 1909 during the pontificate of Saint Pius X (cf. *Acta Apostolicae Sedis* 1 [1909] 290-292), it was enriched on May 1, 2021, during the Year of Saint Joseph, with seven new invocations approved by Pope Francis: «*Custos Redemptoris*» (Guardian of the Redeemer), «*Serve Christi*» (Servant of Christ), «*Minister salutis*» (Minister of Salvation), «*Fulcimen in difficultatibus*» (Pillar in Difficulties), «*Patrone exsulum*» (Patron of the Exiled), «*Patrone afflictorum*» (Patron of the Afflicted), and «*Patrone pauperum*» (Patron of the Poor). This article explains the origins of the litany, its structure, the magisterial source of each new invocation, and how to pray it.

Origins and Approval: From Pius IX to Pius X

The litany did not emerge from thin air. It is the fruit of a long development in Josefology within the Church’s teaching in the 19th century. The decisive moment came with the decree *Quemadmodum Deus*, dated December 8, 1870, by which Blessed Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the patron of the Catholic Church. The Latin text is solemn: the Pope «*CATHOLICAE ECCLESIAE PATRONUM solemniter declaravit*» (Holy Congregation for Rites, decree *Quemadmodum Deus*, in *Acta Sanctae Sedis* 6, pp. 193-194). Saint John Paul II recalls this gesture in *Redemptoris Custos*:> In times of trial for the Church, Pius IX, desiring to entrust her to the special protection of Saint Joseph, declared him «*Patron of the Catholic Church*» (John Paul II, *Exhortation Apostolic* *Redemptoris Custos*, n. 28).

Nineteen years later, Leo XIII further solidified this patronage doctrinally with the encyclical Quamquam pluries (August 15, 1889), to which he attached a famous prayer to Saint Joseph. In the encyclical, the Pope teaches that the reasons for Saint Joseph’s patronage “arise primarily from the fact that he is Mary’s husband and Jesus’ legal father” (Leo XIII, Quamquam pluries, §3). From this devotional and magisterial soil emerged, in 1909, the approval of the litany by the Apostolic See, recorded in the first volume of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (1 [1909] 290-292) under Pope Pius X. From that time, the litany became part of the approved liturgical-devotional heritage of the Church, alongside litanies of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, the Sacred Heart, the Most Precious Blood, Our Lady (Laetare), and the saints.

Structure of the Litany

Like all approved litanies, the Litany of Saint Joseph follows a three-part architectural structure. It begins with the Trinitarian supplication (Kyrie, eleison, and invocations to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), passes to the invocation of Saint Mary—a sign that the figure of Joseph is theologically inseparable from his spouse—and then develops a series of specific invocations, to which the people respond, “intercede for us”. It concludes with the Agnus Dei, a verse, and a concluding prayer.

The invocations in the central body can be grouped into three families. First, the biblical-theological titles, which condense Joseph’s identity: David’s descendant, light of the patriarchs (Lumen Patriarcharum), husband of the Mother of God, legal father of the Son of God. Second, the virtues: the just of Matthew 1:19, the chaste, the prudent, the obedient, the faithful. The Gospel calls him “just,” and John Paul II sees in this judgment the key to his silence: “This silence of Joseph has a special eloquence: through such an attitude, one can fully grasp the truth contained in the Gospel’s judgment of him: ‘the just’ (Mt 1:19)” (Redemptoris custos, §17). Third, the patrocinages: model of workers, glory of family life, terror of demons (Terror daemonum), patron of the dying (Patrone morientium), protector of the holy Church (Protector sanctae Ecclesiae). The Catechism recalls this last patronage by exhorting the faithful “to entrust ourselves to St. Joseph, patron of a good death” (CIC 1014).

The Seven New Invocations of 2021

On December 8, 2020, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Pius IX’s decree, Pope Francis issued the apostolic letter Patris corde introducing seven new invocations to be added to the Litany of Saint Joseph.

In the context of the declaration of a Saint Joseph Year extending until December 8, 2021, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, in a letter to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of May 1, 2021, announced the update of the Litany in honor of Saint Joseph, approved in 1909 by the Apostolic See, by adding seven invocations taken from the interventions of Popes who have reflected on various aspects of the figure of the Patron of the Universal Church (Letter of 5/1/2021, § 2). The new invocations were presented to Pope Francis, who approved their inclusion in the Litany of Saint Joseph (ibid., § 3). Here is each invocation with its magisterial source:

1. Redemptoris custos – Guardian of the Redeemer

Taken from the title of Saint John Paul II’s exhortation, Redemptoris custos (1989). The invocation summarizes Joseph’s whole mission: “Called to protect the Redeemer, Joseph responded as the angel of the Lord had commanded, taking his wife” (Mt 1:24). Joseph is the guardian of the mystery in which “he participated, as no other human being except Mary” (ibid.).

2. Serve Christi – Servant of Christ

From a homily of Pope Paul VI on March 19, 1966, cited in both Redemptoris custos (n. 8) and Patris corde (n. 1). Joseph’s service is specific: “God called Joseph to serve directly the Person and mission of Jesus, through the exercise of his paternity” (Redemptoris custos, n. 8).

3. Minister salutis – Minister of Salvation

A phrase by Saint John Chrysostom, collected in Redemptoris custos: “Joseph ‘cooperates in the great mystery of Redemption when the fullness of time has come’ and is truly ‘minister of salvation'” (n. 8). Thus, a fourth-century Father of the Church, through the mediation of a twentieth-century Pope, enters into the prayer of the people of the third millennium.

4. Fulcimen in difficultatibus – Support in Difficulties

From the prologue of Patris corde.Translation:“: ‘Everyone can find in Saint Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, the man of the discreet and hidden daily presence – an intercessor, a refuge and a guide in times of difficulty’ (Francis, *Patris corde*, prologue).”

5-7. Patron of the exiled, the afflicted, and the poor

The last three invocations form a triad taken from *Patris corde*, n. 5, where Francis reflects on the flight to Egypt: ‘I believe that Saint Joseph is truly a special patron for those who have to leave their land because of wars, hatred, persecution, and poverty.’ The carpenter who fled into exile with the Child and His Mother becomes, in the Church’s prayer, the intercessor for migrants, the afflicted, and the poor – in line with Leo XIII, who already presented Joseph as ‘he who ‘spent his life working, and earned by the toil of the craftsman the necessary support for his family’ (*Quamquam pluries*, n. 4).Note the theological criterion for the choice: no invocation was invented. All were *taken from the pontifical magisterium*, from St. John Chrysostom to Francis, passing through Paul VI and John Paul II. The updated litany is, therefore, a small prayerful compendium of Josephology by the Popes.

How and When to Pray the Litany of Saint Joseph

The litany can be prayed communally or individually, sung or recited. A guide (or the praying individual) proclaims each invocation and responds ‘*Pray for us*’. Traditionally privileged moments are *March*, dedicated to Saint Joseph, *Wednesdays*, the day of the week dedicated to him in Catholic piety, the feast of *March 19th*, and the memory of Saint Joseph the Worker on *May 1st* – a date chosen, not by chance, for the publication of the new invocations. It is customary to pray it at the end of the Rosary, in novenas, on the 19th of each month, and as preparation for the *dedication and other prayers to Saint Joseph*.Praying the litany is not accumulating devotional titles: it is traversing, invocation by invocation, the complete theological profile of the saint that *Josephology* studies scientifically. Whoever prays it attentively learns that ‘the greatness of Joseph consists in the fact of being the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus’ (*Patris corde*, n. 1) and asks, in the end, ‘the grace of graces: our conversion’ (*Patris corde*, conclusion). May Saint Joseph, guardian of the Redeemer, servant of Christ, and minister of salvation, be for each pray-er ‘a singular master in the service of Christ’s salvific mission’ (*Redemptoris custos*, n. 32).

Frequently Asked Questions

Quais são as sete novas invocações da ladainha de São José aprovadas em 2021?

São elas: Custos Redemptoris (Guardião do Redentor), Serve Christi (Servo de Cristo), Minister salutis (Ministro da salvação), Fulcimen in difficultatibus (Amparo nas dificuldades), Patrone exsulum (Padroeiro dos exilados), Patrone afflictorum (Padroeiro dos aflitos) e Patrone pauperum (Padroeiro dos pobres). Foram comunicadas pela Congregação para o Culto Divino em carta de 1º de maio de 2021 e aprovadas pelo Papa Francisco durante o Ano de São José.

Quem aprovou a ladainha de São José e quando?

A ladainha de São José foi aprovada pela Sé Apostólica em 1909, no pontificado de São Pio X, conforme registro nos Acta Apostolicae Sedis 1 (1909) 290-292. Em 2021 ela foi atualizada com sete novas invocações, inseridas com aprovação do Papa Francisco.

De onde foram tiradas as novas invocações de 2021?

Todas provêm do magistério pontifício sobre São José: Custos Redemptoris vem da exortação Redemptoris custos de João Paulo II, Serve Christi de uma homilia de Paulo VI de 1966, Minister salutis de São João Crisóstomo citado na Redemptoris custos, e Fulcimen in difficultatibus e a tríade Patrone exsulum, afflictorum, pauperum da carta apostólica Patris corde do Papa Francisco.

O que significa Fulcimen in difficultatibus?

Significa «amparo nas dificuldades». A invocação nasce do prólogo da Patris corde, onde Francisco escreve que todos podem encontrar em São José um intercessor, um amparo e uma guia nos momentos de dificuldade. Invoca-se, portanto, José como sustentáculo do cristão nas provações da vida cotidiana.

Quando se costuma rezar a ladainha de São José?

Tradicionalmente no mês de março (dedicado a São José), às quartas-feiras, na solenidade de 19 de março, na memória de São José Operário em 1º de maio e no dia 19 de cada mês. Pode ser rezada após o terço, em novenas e como preparação para a consagração a São José, respondendo-se «rogai por nós» a cada invocação.

Wish to deepen your knowledge of Josephology?

Locus Mariologicus is preparing a Josefology course – the scientific study of Saint Joseph in Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium. Join the waiting list and be notified when registrations open.

Join the Josefology waiting list