I was browsing the headlines on Spirit Daily the other day and one caught my eye as I had the Saint Joseph Novena on my mind. Reading through the article I was surprised to learn of a 16th-Century Prophecy concerning St Joseph: "Isidore of Isolanis, a pious Dominican of the 16th century, prophesied that 'the sound of victory' will be heard 'when the faithful recognize the sanctity of St. Joseph.'' https://spiritdailyblog.com/devotion/novena-to-saint-joseph-during-crisis-in-church It would make sense that Saint Joseph would play a central role in the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart.
Also in the article : On October 13, 1884 Pope Saint Leo XIII was granted such a disturbing vision of the future difficulties of the Catholic Church that he requested the prayer to St. Michael be said after Mass. + However, many do not know that in his encyclical QuamQuam Pluries Pope Saint Leo XII also called upon St. Joseph to protect the Church using the following prayer. PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH IN TRIALS OF THE CHURCH “To you, O Blessed Joseph, we come in our trials, and having asked the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently ask your patronage also. Through the Sacred bond of charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the fatherly love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you to look graciously upon the beloved inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by His blood, and to aid us in our necessities with your power and strength. + O most provident guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ. Most beloved Father, dispel the evil of falsehood and sin. Our most mighty protector, graciously assist us from Heaven in our struggle with the powers of darkness. And just as once you saved the Child Jesus from mortal danger, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity. + Shield each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your help, we may be able to live a virtuous life, to die a holy death, and to obtain eternal happiness in Heaven. Amen.”
Yes, thanks, Sam. In that Encyclical, Pope Leo XIII also said, "To those who recite this prayer, We grant for each time an indulgence of seven years and seven Lents. It is a salutary practice and very praiseworthy, already established in some countries, to consecrate the month of March to the honour of the holy Patriarch by daily exercises of piety." http://w2.vatican.va/content/leo-xi.../hf_l-xiii_enc_15081889_quamquam-pluries.html If many of the faithful pray such prayers frequently, the Church will definitely be spared some temporal punishments awaiting Her, just like with each of us individually. When we pray much, chastisements are reduced and we are granted at least a partial indulgence remitting them. Maybe we can gain a plenary one for the Church? Maybe, just maybe, in the Merciful Plan of God, it is still possible to avert the prophesied chastisement altogether, by prayer and penance from all of us? Hopefully. @OP: Yes, Richard, if we the Faithful really recognize St. Joseph's eminent sanctity, venerate him and invoke his intercession, the Triumph will surely come sooner.
