Page 168 - Reflections on St. Joseph

short, smooth or rough, whether the goal be seen or unseen to human sight, or whether quick or slow, with
You we are sure to always go well.” This entrustment to St. Joseph, and this prayer should accompany
us throughout the entire Year of St. Joseph which we are living. “The value of this prayer is that
Monsignor Marello places himself alongside us, his sons, so as to be able to say to St. Joseph that we
are united around Him and from Him expect sure guidance. He is our Great Patriarch!” (Fr. S. Dalmaso)

Then we have another five prayers to St. Joseph brought to us by Sr. Albertina Fasolis, from the
Milliavacca Institute, where Canon Joseph Marello was spiritual director. The Sister mentions
that the second, third and fourth prayers were prayers suggested to her by Marello himself.
Let’s take a look at them.

The first prayer of Sr. Albertina Fasolis is on the occasion of the Spiritual Exercises preached by Canon
Marello to the nuns of the Milliavaca Institute, which began on October 8, 1881 and is found in the
ninth sermon - on the Incarnation - of the eighteen preached by Marello: “And you, St. Joseph, so
humble and present at all the actions of Jesus, speak to my heart, make me learn everything about this so holy
life, which gives us so much to imitate.” (Cf. Teachings, p. 234). The thought here corresponds fully to
the thought of St. Joseph Marello, which you can also find from other sources.

The second, third and fourth prayers were proposed by Marello to Sr. Albertina, and will be listed here.
The first of these is contained in a “Prayer to Mary for a good Confession” and goes like this: “My great
St. Joseph, be to me a Protector in life and in death, in times of temptation and of discernment”(without
date, p. 209). The second, longer prayer, carries the title: To the Patronage of St. Joseph: “ ‘O St. Joseph,
be my Protector in life and especially in death, and may I join together your name with that of Jesus and
Mary; grant me the desire to imitate you and with humility, and perfect resignation to the Divine Will, and
thus will come that spirit of prayer, that charity, which equals in merit St. Vincent and St. Joseph. See that I
imitate you and have a great gratitude for the favors done me. St. Joseph, I want you to be present in all the
moments and actions of my life, all the circumstances.’ Thus as St. Joseph has done, invoke him so that you
may do: offices, words, actions....”(without date, p.209). The third of this group carries the date of July
1, 1886 with the title: “Prayer requested from him”, requested from the spiritual director, one would
suppose. It is a prayer directed to the Heart of Jesus, the Heart of Mary and to the Heart of St.
Joseph, and in this last part it says: “O Heart of St. Joseph, united to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
I venerate you and enter into these three Hearts so as to never leave, as also I enter your little house of
Nazareth; and with these most pure Hearts I want to fly to Heaven and thank you for all the favors
and benefits poured upon me and all those you caused the Holy Trinity to pour upon me.”(p. 211).

The last of the five prayers to St. Joseph noted down by Sr. Albertina is very basic and synthetic:
“St. Joseph, patron of the interior life, be a Teacher to me” and fully corresponds to the thought of
St. Joseph Marello as we can see elsewhere. This spiritual counsel was given to the Sister on
March 14, 1889 (Cf. Teachings, p.204). St. Joseph Marello, already ordained a Bishop, had
returned to Asti and was preparing to take leave of his Oblates so as to make his entrance into
the Diocese of Acqui, which took place on June 16, 1889.

During his Episcopal Ministry, St. Joseph Marello proposed two invocations to St. Joseph, when
on January 25, 1893 he made use of a Circular Letter to Pastors promoting the Pious Association
of Christian Families. He proposed a spirituality based upon St. Joseph in the world of lay
people. The two prayers are these: “...and you also, O glorious Patriarch St. Joseph, sustain us with
your powerful mediation and offer, through the hands of Mary, our desires to Jesus;” the other:
“Jesus, Mary, Joseph, enlighten us, help us, save us. Amen”.

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Reflections on st. joseph