Vatican approves new invocations for Litany of St. Joseph

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Updating the Litany of St. Joseph, approved in 1909, the Vatican has added seven invocations, including two that address the guardian of Jesus and husband of Mary as “support in difficulty” and “patron of refugees.”

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments published the additions May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

The additions were approved by Pope Francis, the congregation said, and drew the new invocations mainly from modern papal texts about St. Joseph, including Pope Francis’ December apostolic letter proclaiming a Year of St. Joseph and St. John Paul II’s 1989 apostolic exhortation, “Redemptoris Custos” (“Protector of the Redeemer”).

Since Pope Francis wanted, as he wrote in his letter, “to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal,” the congregation said, it seemed appropriate to update the 112-year-old litany.

Providing only the Latin-language version of the invocations, the congregation said it would be up to bishops’ conferences to translate the phrases and to add others if St. Joseph is invoked by their people in a particular way.

The Latin phrases are: “Custos Redemptoris” (Protector of the Redeemer); “Serve Christi” (Servant of Christ); “Minister salutis” (Minister of salvation); “Fulcimen in difficultatibus” (Support in difficulty); “Patrone exsulum” (Patron of refugees); “Patrone afflictorum” (Patron of the afflicted); and “Patrone pauperum” (Patron of the poor).

Also see

Year of St. Joseph wraps up with lasting impact in Archdiocese of Baltimore

The lonely can find an ‘ally’ in St. Joseph, pope says at audience

On the road with Joseph in the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Cockeysville choir records musical tribute to ‘blessed’ namesake saint

Celebrating St. Joseph the Worker – and all workers

Baltimore-based Josephites, zealous promoters of devotion to St. Joseph, elated by year dedicated to the saint

Copyright © 2021 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

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