I picked up Father Donald Calloway's book on the consecration to Saint Joseph when it was first published and I went through the preparation and consecration to Saint Joseph soon after. Since then I have found that I have received help from St Joseph in overcoming some of my weaknesses and I also find that my Marian devotion is also increasing further since that time. In this article Fr. Smolenski offers us several accounts of how Saint Joseph has come to the aid of those who ask for his help. In this time of crisis in the Church and the world, there is no better time to consecrate ourselves to him. I recommend picking up a copy of Fr Calloway's 'Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father'. The book is packed with a lot of history concerning devotion to Saint Joseph and you will learn many things you did not know about him!
Published by the National Catholic Register on 19 March 2020
GO TO ST. JOSEPH TO FIGHT CORONAVIRUS
Fr. Stanley Smolenski, SPMA
“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and
will heal their land.” [2 Chronicles 7.14]
St. John Paul II frequently spoke about interpreting the signs of the times. Is the coronavirus such
a sign to our times? The Old Testament is replete with such signs, indications to “Seek his Face”
– to return to their covenant relationship, a call to conversion.
Egypt was given signs in the form of ten plagues for not accepting the messages from Moses.
King David was given a pestilence in punishment for his sin of taking the forbidden census [2
Samuel 24.16-18; 1 Chronicles 21]. The plague stopped when he fulfilled the prophetic
requirement of acquiring the land to build the temple. An angel appeared there sheathing his
sword.
The history of the Church records frequent recourse to penance in times of plagues. During the
Roman plague of 591, Pope St. Gregory the Great led a penitential procession with the image of
Our Lady, which continues to be venerated in St. Mary Major Basilica entitled “Salus Populi
Romani” – the Salvation of the Roman People. He had a vision at Hadrian’s tomb while
approaching the Vatican. It was similar to David’s: an Angel sheathing his sword as a sign of the
end of the plague. A statue of such an Angel is still visible on that site. Pope Francis prayed
recently before this image of Our Lady for relief from the current pandemic.
Our Lady has frequently come to the rescue in such times. During the 1426 plague, she appeared
to a peasant woman in Vincenza, Italy requesting a chapel in her honor for which she would
reward them with the end of the pestilence. As soon as her request was fulfilled, she in turn
fulfilled her promise. The plague quickly ended.
The story of the lady-bug is that during a crop pestilence in medieval times, the people invoked
Our Lady and suddenly small unknown bugs appeared and cleaned up the pestilence, saving the
crop. The bugs were at first called Our Lady’s bugs, now shortened to lady-bugs, a sign of good
fortune.
The spectacular Oberramergau Passion Play in Germany has been taking place every ten years
since 1634 in thanksgiving for the town being spared the plague as was promised. Our Lady is recorded as warning of pestilences. La Salette in France is a famous one. In 1846, she appeared weeping to two teenage cowherders. She spoke to them of an impending punishment in the form of a pestilence that would destroy all the wheat and grapes, causing famine, even children dying in the arms of their parents. The cause was the prevalent neglect of
Sunday Mass and the constant abuse of the Lord’s name. She admonished the people through the
children that they did not take heed of the previous year’s potato loss. But should they repent,
seek the Face of the Lord, the crops would seem to plant themselves.
The Saints come to the rescue as well
For our consolation, the Holy Spirit, through the official teaching of the Church, informs us in
the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2156 that we are assured of the intercession of the saints.
That is verified in the multiple miracles publicly declared by the canonization of the saints as
well as private witnessing.
As we now face the coronavirus contagion, we should follow the wisdom of our faith through the
communion of saints and pray to them. An excellent example of this is St. Teresa of Avila,
Doctor of the Church, who testified that “I do not remember ever having asked for any grace that
he [St. Joseph] has not obtained for me,” And that included healing from a severe ailment.
St. Joseph, the Virginal Father of Jesus and the Virginal Spouse of Mary, has been providentially
brought into the limelight in our times. That is evident by the great interest in consecration to
him, especially through the popular book by Fr. Donald Calloway MIC.
Another monumental witness to St. Joseph’s intercessory power and compassion is the Oratory
of St. Joseph in Montreal, Canada. There for about 30 years, St. Brother Andre Bessette [+1937]
had a healing ministry through St. Joseph’s intercession, This “Miracle Man of Montreal”, as the
Brother was called, used holy oil or a medal of St. Joseph.
Now I must include my own experience of St. Joseph’s responses to requests for his kind help
using St. Joseph holy oil or medal. I asked his aid especially for children and he replied
generously.
There are two such healings of children that I wish to present. A primary grade student in our
parochial school had a lump in her neck that had to be removed by surgery. Her mother had
heard about the healings and asked that her daughter be anointed with St. Joseph’s oil, which we
gladly did. As the little girl was ready to be brought into the operating room, her doctor decided
to check on the lump. He noticed that it was not in the usual place, so he stopped everything until
he got new x-rays to locate it. Since he could not find any trace of it, the doctor told the mother
to dress her and take her home, since there was no need for any surgery.
Perhaps my favorite is that of a two-month old boy who needed surgery on his navel, which was
red, raw, swollen and discharging putrid liquids. His grandmother called one Saturday morning
requesting to have him baptized before the surgery, scheduled for the following Tuesday. We
had the baby baptized that evening and I told them about the healings. They agreed to have the
baby anointed with St. Joseph’s oil. The following morning at 6 a.m. the mother went to take
care of the baby as usual. She rushed to the phone and excitedly told her mother that the baby
had a normal “belly button” – no rawness or liquids – everything healed and normal. They went
for the scheduled pre-operation appointment with the doctor the following day. After examining
the child, the doctor declared that everything was fine and canceled the surgery.
In the Book of Blessings, the Church has provided us with an official prayer for the blessing of
oil in honor of a saint. The oil can be ordinary olive oil available in stores and can be blessed by
a priest or deacon. This is applicable to St. Joseph.
Prayer for the blessing of St. Joseph holy oil:
“God of compassion, mercy and love, in the midst of the pain and suffering of the world, your
Son came among us to heal our infirmities and soothe our wounds. May all who use this oil in
honor of St. Joseph be blessed with health of mind and body. Grant this through Christ, our
Lord. Amen.” [Book of Blessings: 1185e or 1795e, depending on the edition]
Prayer of supplication to St. Joseph:
“O Glorious St. Joseph, whose power can render possible even things which are impossible,
come to my aid in my present trouble and distress. Take under your protection the important and
difficult affairs which I entrust to you, that they may end happily -.[Pause and Petition] – My
beloved Father, all my confidence is in you. Let it not be said that I invoked you in vain; and
since you are able to obtain everything before Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness
equals your power. Amen."
Fr. Stanley Smolenski spma, a canonical Baptistine hermit, is the director of the diocesan Shrine
of Our Lady of Joyful Hope – Our Lady of South Carolina in Kingstree, SC.
[In addition - not published]
In our times, as reported in In Sinu Jesu, on October 10 th 2007, our Lord told a Benedictine
monk, “I never wanted to leave you alone on earth; this is why I always surrounded you with my
saints. I wanted and want still, that you should find in them true friendship, a friendship that is all
pure, a friendship that does not disappoint. Through the saints and by their ceaseless intercession
for you before my Face, you will, at length, come to Me in glory. Do not cease invoking my
saints and teach others to seek from them the help they need in the trials of this life on earth. In
heaven, the saints will all be glad for having helped you make your way to Me in glory.”
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