Bringing you the "Good News" of Jesus Christ and His Church While PROMOTING CATHOLIC Apologetic Support groups loyal to the Holy Father and Church's magisterium
Home About
AskACatholic.com
What's New? Resources The Church Family Life Mass and
Adoration
Ask A Catholic
Knowledge base
AskACatholic Disclaimer
Search the
AskACatholic Database
Donate and
Support our work
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
New Questions
Cool Catholic Videos
About Saints
Disciplines and Practices for distinct Church seasons
back
Purgatory and Indulgences
About the Holy Mass
About Mary
Searching and Confused
Contemplating becoming a Catholic or Coming home
Homosexual and Gender Issues
Life, Dating, and Family
No Salvation Outside the Church
Sacred Scripture
non-Catholic Cults
Justification and Salvation
The Pope and Papacy
The Sacraments
Relationships and Marriage situations
Specific people, organizations and events
Doctrine and Teachings
Specific Practices
Church Internals
Church History


Ron Veglia wrote:

Hi, guys —

  • Can you tell me when the traditional chaplet to St. Joseph started?

Ron

  { Can you tell me when the traditional chaplet to St. Joseph started? }

Mike replied:

Hi, Ron —

Thanks for the question.

I was searching around for an answer to your question and found a YouTube video by Dr. Mark Miravalle. He is a faithful professor of Theology and Mariology. He teaches at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, so you can trust their material. It's a 9 minute video.

Cord and Chaplet of St. Joseph by Dr. Miravalle

For those visitors who lack bandwidth to listen to the video I have paraphrase a portion of the Doctor's video dealing with the historical aspects involved in your question.

History of the Cord of St. Joseph

Historically set on the occasion of a religious sister on the point of death where
St. Joseph interceded, and from the fruit his intercession, we have this Cord which has received blessings from popes and the Church Herself.

The devotion to the Cord of St. Joseph took its rise in the town of Antwerpen, Belgium in the year 1657 in consequence of a miraculous cure effected by the wearing of this precious cord. In Antwerpen, there lived an Augustinian Nun, Sister Elizabeth, known for her piety, who during three years, had suffered excruciating pain occasioned by a most cruel distemper. She had then reached such a stage that the physicians, seeing no recourse possible, declared her death to be inevitable and fast approaching. Loosing all hope and human aid, the sister addressed herself to Heaven and, having always had a particular devotion to St. Joseph, she prayed him to intercede with Our Lord for her recovery. At the same time, she had a cord blessed in the saint's honor, girded herself with it, and a few days later, as she was praying before his image, she found herself, all of a sudden, freed from pain. Those who knew the disease and its nature, in an instant, declared her recovery miraculous. An authentic act was drawn up in the presence of a public notary and a Protestant physician could not help proclaiming the truth. The cord was then given to the Congregation of Rites in 1859 and given an approval in September 19, 1859. The cord was blessed with indulgences by Blessed Pius IX in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

In a similar fashion, a chaplet arose which gave honor to these seven sorrows and joys of
St. Joseph.

I did find this other piece on another web site but can't vouch for its validity:

Among the many exercises of piety practiced in honor of St. Joseph, there is one generally known, namely, that of meditating on his Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys. This devotion owes its origin to a celebrated event, never omitted by any historian of the Saint.

It is as follows: Two Fathers of the Franciscan order were sailing along the coast of Flanders, when a terrible tempest arose, which sank the vessel, with its three hundred passengers. The two Fathers had sufficient presence of mind to seize hold of a plank, upon which they were tossed to and fro upon the waves, for three days and nights. In their danger and affliction, their whole recourse was to St. Joseph, begging his assistance in their sad condition. The Saint, thus invoked, appeared in the habit of a young man of beautiful features, encouraged them to confide in his assistance, and, as their pilot, conducted them into a safe harbor. They, desirous to know who their benefactor was asked his name, that they might gratefully acknowledge so great a blessing and favor. He told them he was St. Joseph, and advised them daily to recite the Our Father and Hail Mary seven times, in memory of his seven dolors or grief's, and of his seven joys, and then disappeared.

I assume the Chaplet arose as a consequence of the Cord of Joseph after 1859 but don't know.
I've CC'd Dr. Miravalle. I'm sure if he can provide any more detail on the history of the St. Joseph Chaplet, he'll reply to me.

If you are not familiar with them:

The seven sorrows of St. Joseph are:

  1. The doubt of St. Joseph. (Matthew 1:19)
  2. The poverty of Jesus' birth. (Luke 2:7)
  3. The Circumcision. (Luke 2:21)
  4. The prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34)
  5. The flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:14)
  6. The return from Egypt. (Matthew. 2:22)
  7. The loss of the Child Jesus. (Luke 2:45)

The seven joys of St. Joseph are:

  1. The message of the Angel. (Matthew 1:20)
  2. The birth of the Savior. (Luke 2:10-11)
  3. The Holy Name of Jesus. (Matthew. 1:25)
  4. The effects of the Redemption. (Luke 2:38)
  5. The overthrow of the idols of Egypt. (Isaiah 19:1)
  6. Life with Jesus and Mary at Nazareth. (Luke 2:39)
  7. The finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:46)

Hope this helps,

Mike

Ron replied:

Thank you very much.

Ron

Please report any and all typos or grammatical errors.
Suggestions for this web page and the web site can be sent to Mike Humphrey
© 2012 Panoramic Sites
The Early Church Fathers Church Fathers on the Primacy of Peter. The Early Church Fathers on the Catholic Church and the term Catholic. The Early Church Fathers on the importance of the Roman Catholic Church centered in Rome.