Litany of St. Joseph

Devotions

A litany of short invocations honoring St. Joseph under many titles, approved for the whole Church by Pope Pius X in 1909 and expanded by Pope Francis in 2021.

The Litany of St. Joseph is a traditional call-and-response prayer that moves through a series of short titles honoring St. Joseph — as spouse of the Mother of God, guardian of the Redeemer, head of the Holy Family, model of workers, and patron of the dying among others — each answered with a brief petition. Devotional litanies to Joseph circulated for centuries before Pope Pius X formally approved and indulgenced a specific text for the whole Church on March 18, 1909. In 2021, during the Year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis approved seven additional invocations for those who wish to pray the fuller, expanded form. This site links to the full approved text rather than reproducing it.

Quick Facts

Category: St. Joseph — Devotions to St. Joseph
Origin: Devotional litanies to St. Joseph circulated for centuries before Pope Pius X approved and indulgenced a specific text for the universal Church on March 18, 1909
Feast: March 19 (Solemnity of St. Joseph); also commonly prayed on Wednesdays
Church status: One of a small number of litanies the Holy See has formally approved for public use, alongside others such as the Litany of Loreto and the Litany of the Sacred Heart
Private revelation: Not dependent on private revelation

What Is This Devotion?

Like other Catholic litanies, this prayer works through a series of short titles for St. Joseph, each met with a brief response, gathering many facets of his holiness into a single sustained prayer rather than developing one idea at length. The approved text moves through titles describing who Joseph was in relation to Christ and Mary — spouse of the Mother of God, foster father of the Son of God, guardian of the Redeemer — and titles describing the virtues he modeled, such as patience, obedience, and love of poverty, before closing with titles invoking his help for particular needs, including as patron of the dying. This site links to the full approved text on its prayer page rather than reproducing it here.

Origin and History

The earliest litany to St. Joseph known to survive is attributed to the Carmelite Fr. Jerónimo Gracián and was published in Rome in 1597, though it was one of several such texts that circulated with variations over the following three centuries. In 1601, concerned by the number of loosely composed litanies then in private circulation, the Holy See under Pope Clement VIII required that any litany intended for public use first be examined and approved, a rule that left devotion to Joseph without one single universally sanctioned text for some time.

That changed on March 18, 1909, when Pope Pius X formally approved and granted an indulgence to a specific text, submitted by the abbot general of the reformed Cistercians, establishing it as the standard form recommended for public and private use throughout the Church. Over a century later, on May 1, 2021 — the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, during the Year of St. Joseph Pope Francis had proclaimed the previous December in his apostolic letter Patris Corde — the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments announced seven new Latin invocations added to the approved text, honoring Joseph as guardian of the Redeemer, servant of Christ, minister of salvation, support in difficulties, and patron of exiles, of the afflicted, and of the poor, reflecting themes Pope Francis had highlighted in his own writing on Joseph.

Catholic Theology

A litany’s repeated structure is itself a form of teaching: praying through many titles for the same person impresses on the one praying the many facets of a single life of holiness, rather than isolating one virtue. Here, moving through Joseph’s titles as spouse, father, worker, and protector instructs the person praying in the concrete shape his sanctity actually took — quiet obedience, providence for his family, and fidelity carried out without a single recorded word of his own in Scripture — without adding anything beyond what the Church already teaches about him from Scripture and Tradition.

How to Practice It

Pray the litany privately or as a family, especially on Wednesdays, the day of the week traditionally associated with St. Joseph.
Use it during March, the month the Church especially dedicates to St. Joseph, or on his Solemnity on March 19.
Reflect slowly on individual titles rather than moving quickly through the full list, letting one or two phrases become a short prayer for the day.
Pray the fuller, 2021 form when possible, including the seven invocations the Congregation for Divine Worship added during the Year of St. Joseph.

Associated Prayers

When It’s Observed

The litany has no feast of its own; it is commonly prayed on March 19, throughout March generally, and on Wednesdays, but it may be prayed at any time and is not tied to a fixed date on the General Roman Calendar.

Church Status

The Litany of St. Joseph holds a genuinely privileged status: it is one of only a small number of litanies the Holy See has formally approved for public liturgical use, a list that also includes the Litany of the Saints, the Litany of Loreto, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. Its 1909 papal approval and 2021 expansion both came through the ordinary channels of Church governance rather than through any reported vision or private revelation, and it does not rest on private revelation of any kind.

Common Misconceptions

“The Litany of St. Joseph is an ancient text that has never changed.”

It has a layered history rather than a frozen one. The earliest known form dates to 1597, a single standard text was formally approved only in 1909, and Pope Francis approved seven further invocations in 2021. It is a living text within limits the Church itself sets — new invocations require the Holy See’s own approval, unlike a private litany someone might compose for personal use.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the Litany of St. Joseph approved for the whole Church?

Pope Pius X approved and granted an indulgence to the standard text on March 18, 1909, more than three centuries after the earliest known litany to Joseph had circulated privately.

What did Pope Francis add to the litany in 2021?

Seven new invocations, announced on May 1, 2021, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, during the Year of St. Joseph. They honor him under titles including guardian of the Redeemer, support in difficulties, and patron of the poor and of exiles.

Can I write my own private litany to St. Joseph?

For personal, private prayer, composing your own list of invocations to Joseph is not forbidden. For public or liturgical use, however, the Church has required since 1601 that a litany first be examined and approved, which is precisely why this particular text carries formal Church approval and others do not.