Invitation to Join Priests and Religious of the SSPX in a Novena to St. Joseph
Fr. John Fullerton, District Superior of the United States for the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), has asked the priests and religious in the houses of the SSPX to pray a novena and make a consecration to St. Joseph on the days leading up to his feast.
We invite the faithful to also participate in these prayers to the Church's Universal Patron "to protect her from the errors of liberalism, particularly the ongoing efforts to suppress what Archbishop Lefebvre called 'the great prayer of the Church,' the Traditional Latin Mass."
The novena runs from March 11-19th, with the prayer of consecration to be said on March 20th.
Thank you for joining our priests and religious in this holy devotion to St. Joseph.
Download the Novena Prayers (March 11-19) >>
Download the Consecration Prayer (March 20th) >>
From Fr. Fullerton:
Dear faithful,
Catholics worldwide know that Holy Mother Church has designated March as the Month of St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In his 1870 decree Quemadmodum Deus, Pius IX declared St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church while elevating his feast on March 19 to one of the highest liturgical ranks. As he said on the occasion:
On account of this sublime dignity which God conferred on His most faithful Servant, the Church has always most highly honored and lauded the Most Blessed Joseph next after his spouse, the Virgin Mother of God, and has implored his intercession in all her great necessities.
And now that in this most sorrowful time, the Church herself is beset by enemies on every side and oppressed by heavy calamities, so that impious men imagine that the gates of hell are at length prevailing against her, the Venerable Prelates of the whole Catholic world have presented to the Sovereign Pontiff their own petitions, and those of the faithful confided to their care, praying that he would vouchsafe to constitute St. Joseph Patron of the Catholic Church.
If 1870 appeared to Pius IX and the bishops of the Church to be a “sorrowful time,” what would they say about 2023? Liberalism, which had only begun to tear at the fabric of society less than a century before Pius’s reign, was set loose upon the Church at the Second Vatican Council. It has yet to relent. Pockets of Catholic Tradition continue to resist dogmatic distortions, religious indifferentism, and liturgical innovations, but Traditionis Custodes and its implementation have pushed traditional Catholics to the Church’s margins. Undeterred, the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), founded and shaped by the heroic witness of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre more than 50 years ago, continues to minister to Catholics across the globe, providing the sacraments and preaching the indefectible Catholic Faith for the good of the Church and the salvation of souls.
As we approach the Feast of St. Joseph, I invite you to join the priests and religious of the SSPX in praying a novena to the Church’s Universal Patron to protect her from the errors of liberalism, particularly the ongoing efforts to suppress what Archbishop Lefebvre called “the great prayer of the Church,” the traditional Latin Mass. Please add to these prayers the special intentions of the families under the care of the Society’s apostolate, a growth in vocations, and renewed fortitude for all Catholics in these distressing times.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. John Fullerton
U.S. District Superior
sspx.org - 03/06/2023