What a lot of people don't know much about is his life before the priesthood. When he was a teenager, he was a nuisance to his mom because apparently (cue: apparently kid from Ellen) he was super clumsy and just not very intelligent. He couldn't keep a job or contribute very much to the household. When he started praying and encountered Jesus, a lot of that changed. He became very gentle and humble.... but he still wasn't very bright. Whenever he would have exams while he was studying to become a priest, he would pray that God would help him. As a result, in his exams, he was only ever asked questions which he knew the answer to. For this reason, he's one of the patrons of students, and I'm putting all my eggs in his basket tonight!!
Here's a cool novena, which I just found out about today, hence why I prayed it in the span of about 20 minutes instead of the usual 9 days... Heaven is outside of time, so it still counts, right? If you would be so kind as to pray it for me, that would be awesome of you.
FIRST DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you were an unwanted child and were thought worthless even by your own mother. Intercede for all unwanted children that they may come to know they were born out of God’s love for them. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
SECOND DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you were an angry, frustrated child. We pray for all who struggle to express themselves, and that you help us overcome sins of anger. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
THIRD DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you experienced no love in your family and were considered of little account by all who knew you. We pray for all who have experienced the same. May we learn to treat everyone as having the worth they have in God’s eyes. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
FOURTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you suffered because you found it difficult to learn. We pray for all those who struggle at school. May they take comfort from the fact that although learning wasn’t easy for you, this didn’t stop you from becoming a saint. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
FIFTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you did the best with the intelligence you did have and put the rest in God’s hands. That way you passed all your exams and became a priest. We pray for all those struggling with exams. May we also do our best in everything and trust in God to guide our lives. We pray especially for (mention your request. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
SIXTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, even the thought or mention of anything holy made you levitate in ecstasy. Grant us something of the understanding and reverence for God and his saints that you had. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
SEVENTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, only when your superior ordered you to, were you able to come back down to earth. May we too have a love for and obedience to the teachings of the Church. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
EIGHTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you were unjustly suspected, confined to your room and neglected by those charged with looking after you. You accepted all this with humility. We pray for all those unjustly imprisoned, and that we too may have the humility to accept injustice for the love of Christ. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
NINTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, because you could levitate you are the patron of travellers, especially air travellers. We pray for all those travelling that they may safely reach their destinations. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Here's another prayer, for good measure:
O Saint Joseph of Cupertino,
who by your prayer, obtained from God the blessing to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew:
Grant that we may, like you, succeed in the exams we take.
In return, we promise to make you known and to encourage others
to pray to you for their scholastic needs as well.
Saint Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of students, pray for us.
O Holy Spirit, enlighten us.
Our Lady of Good Studies, pray for us.
Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of Divine Wisdom, enlighten us.
Amen.
This one is for you, St. Joey C.
Signing out- Brittany with no letters behind her name yet Anderson
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