Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

[public domain]

The Annunciation, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1890

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said,
Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her,
Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her,
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:26-38

Solemnity of Saint Joseph

[public domain]

The Holy Family, by Rafael Flores, 1857

Prayer to Saint Joseph
By Pope Leo XIII

To thee do we cry in our tribulations,
O Blessed Saint Joseph,
as we confidently invoke your patronage,
after that of your most holy spouse,
the Blessed Virgin Mary.

By that sacred bond of devotion
which linked you to the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God,
and for the fatherly love you lavished on the child Jesus,
we beg you to cast a glance on those heavenly gifts
which the Divine Redeemer has obtained for all mankind
through His Precious Blood
and through your power and mercy,
help us in our needs.

O holy protector of the holy family,
protect us children of the Lord Jesus Christ;
keep far from us the errors and evils
which corrupt the world;
assist us from Heaven in our struggles
against the powers of darkness.
And as you once protected the Divine Child
from the cruel edict of Herod,
now defend the church
and keep it safe from all dangers and threats;
spread over all of us your holy patronage
so that by following your example
and aided by your spiritual guidance,
we may all aspire to a virtuous life,
look to a holy death and secure for ourselves
the blessing of eternal happiness in Heaven.

Amen.

Saint Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick

Prayer for the Faithful
By St. Patrick

May the Strength of God guide us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Angels of God guard us.
– Against the snares of the evil one.

May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!

May Thy Grace, Lord, Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and forevermore.

Amen.

Pray the Chaplet of Saint Patrick