Let us pray Joseph and the Virgin Mary

On this first of May, Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, patron saint of workers, the Church invites us, in a very special way, to pray to the Virgin Mary. We are told that on this day, “the Catholic Bishops of Canada will consecrate their dioceses or eparchies to Mary, Mother of the Church, asking for her protection during the coronavirus pandemic.

Already on March 19, Feast of Saint Joseph, Pope Francis prayed especially to Saint Joseph to protect the world in this time of crisis. He said, “Tonight we pray together, entrusting ourselves to the intercession of Saint Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family, guardian of all our families. The carpenter of Nazareth also knew precariousness and bitterness, concern for tomorrow; but he knew how to walk in the darkness of certain moments, always letting himself be guided without reserve by the will of God”. He ended his prayer with these words:

This way of joining Mary and Joseph in the same prayer joins an important dimension of the prayer of Saint Brother André. Sister Marie-Anne Leblanc, a religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence and a friend of Brother André, said, “Brother André often recommended devotion to Saint Joseph as a devotion inseparable from that of the Blessed Virgin.

Today, as we pray to the patron saint of workers, we think of the situation of millions of people who are deprived of their jobs for an indefinite period of time; of the thousands of workers, especially in the health field, who give generously, sometimes even at the risk of their own health, to take care of the sick in hospitals, CHSLDs and seniors’ residences. It is with a special thought for all these people that we pray, just as Saint Brother André knew how to do so well, Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary, that these difficult times may open us to better days.

Father Claude Grou, CSC, Rector of the Oratory