Prayer to St. Joseph by St. Bartolo Longo
St. Bartolo Longo was an Italian lawyer who lived from 1841 to 1926. While attending the University of Naples as a young man, he became involved in the occult. Some accounts assert that he even received initiation as a Satanic priest. However, Longo eventually experienced a major conversion, which prompted him to devote the rest of his life to spreading the Rosary. He served as a missionary in the destitute regions of Pompeii, sparking a spiritual and economic rebirth in the area. This involved promoting the Fifteen Saturdays devotion and building the Sanctuary of Pompeii, which is now an international pilgrimage site.
In addition to his love for the Rosary, Longo also had a deep devotion to St. Joseph. This is fitting considering Longo’s own Josephite marriage to the Countess Marianna Farnararo De Fusco, a pious woman who collaborated with him on many charitable projects. Longo wrote a powerful prayer to St. Joseph that invokes his intercession as the Vicar of the Holy Spirit. The word “vicar” can be understood here as an agent or deputy. When someone is an agent, they act on behalf of another party. The opening of the prayer asks St. Joseph to introduce the Holy Spirit to your will, so that it may be ignited with the fire of God’s love.
The Prayer to St. Joseph by St. Bartolo Longo is a suitable prayer for when you want to unite yourself to God’s will and grow in fidelity to His grace. It essentially requests that St. Joseph present your will, heart, and desires to God. The prayer closes by asking him to help you remain faithful to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. See below for the complete text of St. Bartolo Longo’s Prayer to St. Joseph, Vicar of the Holy Spirit.
Francisco Rizi, The Dream of St. Joseph, c. 1665, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
Prayer to St. Joseph by St. Bartolo Longo
Saint Joseph, Vicar of the Holy Spirit, in fulfilling the duties of your wonderful marriage with Mary, introduce the Holy Spirit to my will in order to ignite it with God's holy love. Present my will to the Most Holy Trinity, so that my desires may always be at God's disposal. Offer my heart to God so that He may dwell in it as on a throne of love and mercy. Present the movements of my soul and all the affections of my heart to God, so that through your intercession, I will always be faithful to the grace and inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Amen.