Every day you go to work, Saint Joseph walks with you. As the foster father of Jesus and a carpenter by trade, he knew what it meant to labor with his hands, provide for his family, and find holiness in ordinary work. This prayer to Saint Joseph the Worker is for anyone who works, struggles, or seeks dignity and meaning in daily labor.
Who Is Saint Joseph the Worker?
Saint Joseph was a carpenter in Nazareth who supported the Holy Family through his daily work. He taught Jesus his trade, labored in silence, and found dignity in honest effort. In 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1 to offer a Christian vision of the dignity of human work, rooted in God and lived with faith. He is the patron of workers, laborers, and all who seek employment.
When Should You Pray This Prayer?
- When you are looking for a job
- When work feels meaningless or exhausting
- When you need strength to provide for your family
- When you face injustice or difficulty at work
- On May 1, his feast day
- When discerning a career change
- When you feel discouraged or without purpose in your work
Traditional Prayer to Saint Joseph the Worker (Pope Pius X)
This traditional prayer to Saint Joseph has been prayed by the faithful for generations.
O glorious Saint Joseph,
model of all who devote their lives to labor,
obtain for me the grace
to work in the spirit of penance,
in order thereby to atone for my many sins;
to work conscientiously,
setting devotion to duty
in preference to my own whims;
to work with thankfulness and joy,
deeming it an honor to employ and to develop
by my labor the gifts I have received from God;
to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience,
without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties;
to work above all with a pure intention
and with detachment from self,
having always before my eyes
the hour of death
and the accounting which I must then render
of time ill spent,
of talents wasted,
of good omitted,
and of vain complacency in success,
which is so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus,
all through Mary,
all in imitation of you,
O Patriarch Joseph!
This shall be my motto
in life and in death.
Amen.
How to Use This Prayer
Pray this on May 1 for the feast day, or any day you need Saint Joseph’s intercession at work. You can also pray it as a morning offering before beginning your workday — offering your labor to God just as Saint Joseph offered his daily work in silence and faith. If you are seeking employment, pray it for 9 consecutive days as a novena.
Closing Prayer (Official Liturgical Prayer, Pope Pius XII)
God our Father,
creator and ruler of the universe,
in every age
you call man
to develop and use his gifts
for the good of others.
With Saint Joseph
as our example and guide,
help us to do the work you have asked
and come to the rewards you have promised.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Related Prayers
- Prayer to Saint Joseph — a daily prayer for guidance and protection
- Novena to Saint Joseph — a powerful 9-day devotion
- Sleeping Saint Joseph Devotion — entrust your intentions with confidence
