Novena to St. Joseph

Waiting in Hope for the Coming of the Holy Spirit 

Dear Sisters and Brothers –

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, we hear again those first words of the risen Jesus to his disciples: “Peace be with you.” Spoken to a fearful, uncertain community, they are words of comfort and mercy – words that do not deny the wounds of the world, but meet them with love. 

That same tension – between fear and mercy – is very much alive in our world today. Across our country, migrants who are here legally, pursuing asylum through the proper channels, contributing to their communities, and living law-abiding lives, are increasingly facing summary denials of their cases. Many are being deported to countries not their own – Uganda, Ecuador, Honduras, and others – regardless of the merits of their particular situations. Families live with the daily fear of detention, of separation, of being cast out into uncertainty and danger. The headlines are difficult; the human reality beneath them is even more so.

For us, this is not abstract. Three families in our parish – from Venezuela, Cuba, and Peru – have been a cherished part of our community since 2023. I first met two of the families in Mexicali on their path to sanctuary in the United States. I have baptized two of their children and am godfather to a third. I have shared meals and family events with them, and I know their stories. They are here legally, working with an immigration attorney, seeking asylum or permanent status. They have built lives marked by stability, hard work, friendship, and hope; they have jobs, go to school, are now woven into the fabric of several communities, including St. Ignatius Parish. And yet, none of this guarantees their safety. Despite all they have done to build a life here, that life now stands at risk of being undone by policies that are, quite simply, cruel and antithetical to the Gospel and the teachings of the Church.

As a parish, we are doing everything we can to accompany and protect them, including exploring options in countries where migrants are more readily welcomed. But we also turn, as the Church always has, to prayer. Specifically, we turn to St. Joseph, Protector of the Holy Family, who knew what it meant to take his family from grave danger and flee to safety. Beginning this Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, we will pray a Novena to St. Joseph for our migrant families and for all migrants at risk everywhere.

A novena is a simple but powerful form of prayer: nine consecutive days of prayer, rooted in the nine days the first disciples spent waiting in hope for the coming of the Holy Spirit. In a novena, we pray in the company of the Communion of Saints, united with those who have gone before us, and with those who now intercede for us. As with all prayer, it is an act of trust, placing our needs before God with persistence and faith. During these nine days, we will pray this novena at all parish Masses. You may find the prayer for our Novena to St. Joseph in this bulletin. Holy cards with the prayer are also available in the church.

I will admit that there is a part of me that wishes prayer were not necessary here, that these families – our fellow parishioners – would be treated with fairness and compassion simply because it is right and just. But this is where we are. And so we fall back on the wisdom attributed to St. Ignatius (but there is no evidence that he said or wrote it): “Pray as if everything depended on God; work as if everything depended on you.” We are doing what we can. And I ask you to please join me as we pray for our migrant families – not as an issue, but as people we know, people who are part of us – and all migrants in danger here, that they can remain in their communities and have a safe and secure future. And let us trust that, in ways seen and unseen, God will be at work – strengthening them, guiding us, and opening paths that we cannot yet see.

Oremus pro invicem.

Easter 2026, Novena to St. Joseph