Saint Joseph, guardian of Jesus
and chaste husband of Mary,
you passed your life
in loving
fulfillment of duty.
You supported the holy family of Nazareth
with the work of your hands.
Kindly protect those
who trustingly come
to you.
You know their aspirations,
their hardships, their hopes.
They look to you because they know
you will understand and protect
them.
You too knew trial,
labor and weariness.
But amid the worries of material life,
your soul was full of deep peace
and sang out
in true joy
through intimacy with
God's Son entrusted to you
and with Mary, his tender Mother.
Assure those you protect
that they
do not labor alone.
Teach them to find Jesus near them
and to watch over Him faithfully
Walk a Little Slower
Walk a little slower, Daddy,
Said a little child so small.
I’m following in your footsteps.
And I don’t want
to fall.
Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they are hard to see.
So, walk a little slower, Daddy.
For you are leading me.
Someday
when I’m all grown up.
You’re what I want to be;
Then I’ll have a little child,
Who’ll want to follow me.
And I would want to lead just
right,
And know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you.
A Father’s Day Blessing
Loving God and Father,
On this day when we honor our fathers,
our first and best models and
our earliest
spiritual guides,
we ask Your choicest blessings upon them.
Thank You for all the times
they have nurtured and supported us
in
our growing up.
Thank You for all the times
they stood by us and loved us
when we felt rejected and alone.
May St. Joseph, loving
father of Jesus,
be their model and guide their hardships,
and their hopes for the future.
May they find your beloved Son, Jesus,
always beside them,
guiding them to holiness and happiness
and watching over them faithfully
as they have watched over us.
Amen.
