The feast of St. Joseph is celebrated on the nineteenth of March, and for this reason the month of March is dedicated to honor, venerate, and pray to this great friend of God. The Church has in various ways encouraged this devotion. Her devout children have taken it up, so that we find the month of March as much dedicated to St. Joseph as the month of May to the Blessed Virgin. Catholics hold St. Joseph in high veneration, and deservedly so, as we will see in the following meditations on his life. They have great confidence in his power before God, they know that he is a great saint, and a great favorite with the Almighty. Many examples of virtue has this loved saint given to us: his love of poverty, his assiduous labors, his resignation to the will of God in the most trying circumstances, are practical virtues, which we may endeavor to acquire for our own spiritual as well as temporal welfare. The affairs of human life are such, that we often find ourselves having to sustain hard trials, in which we need precisely those same virtues which made him a great saint. Let us then enter upon this month with great joy, and continue to honor this saint, that we may love him, and become particularly devoted to him. Let us pray especially for our eternal salvation, in which he is greatly interested being the patron of a happy death, and then we will be sharers, after this life, in the same glory which he enjoys in heaven. Considerations and Prayers for Every Day. First Day. After the adoration of the Lord, and the veneration of the Blessed Virgin, next in order of importance comes the devotion to St. Joseph. Among all the saints of God in heaven, there is none more powerful, none has more claim on our confidence and love. Almighty God encourages us to look up to St. Joseph, for to him were intrusted the greatest treasures that the world ever saw, Jesus and Mary. Our Lord from the first moment recognized St. Joseph as the one who took the place of His heavenly Father, and He obeyed him in all things. Mary respected this saintly man as the head of the family, as her spouse whom God had sent to her for her protection. She, before whom the angels bowed in respect, willingly served St. Joseph in the necessities of this life. The Church of God, the custodian of truth, revelation, and tradition, has encouraged this devotion by many indulgences. St. Francis de Sales said to his confessor on the eve of his death: “Do you not know, venerable father, that I belong to St. Joseph?” St. Teresa called him her father and master. Prayer. Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, be mindful of me, pray for me, watch over me. Guardian of the paradise of the new Adam, provide for my temporal wants. Faithful guardian of the most precious of all treasures, I beseech thee to bring this matter to a happy end, if it be for the glory of God and the good of my soul. Amen. Second Day.