Traditional Catholic prayer
Prayer through St. Joseph of Cupertino
Ask God to lift your heart above earthly desires through the merits and example of St. Joseph of Cupertino.
Source: The Mass Every Day in the Year: The Roman Missal (1916), Edward A. Pace, D.D., and John J. Wynne, S.J., translators and arrangers, page 1223.
O God, who didst ordain to draw all things after thine only begotten Son lifted up from the earth, graciously so dispose that, by the merits and example of thy seraphic Confessor Joseph, we may be lifted up above all earthly cravings and deserve to come nigh to him. Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
About this prayer
Prayer source
The Mass Every Day in the Year: The Roman Missal (1916), Edward A. Pace, D.D., and John J. Wynne, S.J., translators and arrangers, page 1223.
View the printed prayer page.About our prayer sources- What it is
- This short prayer asks God to lift our hearts above earthly desires through the merits and example of St. Joseph of Cupertino. It is the collect, or opening prayer, of his September 18 feast in the 1916 Roman Missal.
- Prayer intention
- Freedom from earthly attachment and drawing nearer to Christ.
- When to pray
- As a personal prayer at any time, including before study or an examination. Continue your ordinary preparation and entrust the result to God.
- Connection with a saint
St. Joseph of Cupertino: Prayer from the saint’s feast-day Mass. The Mass Every Day in the Year (1916), printed pages 1222-1223, gives this collect for his September 18 feast. Its personal use before study is reading guidance, separate from the printed liturgical text. Read the source.
- Languages
- English
- English prayer source
- The Mass Every Day in the Year: The Roman Missal (1916), Edward A. Pace, D.D., and John J. Wynne, S.J., translators and arrangers, page 1223. View the historical source. View the printed prayer page. Novena Regina provides the explanations above. The prayer text follows the source named here.
Traditional Catholic prayer
Prayer through St. Joseph of Cupertino
Source: The Mass Every Day in the Year: The Roman Missal (1916), Edward A. Pace, D.D., and John J. Wynne, S.J., translators and arrangers, page 1223.
O God, who didst ordain to draw all things after thine only begotten Son lifted up from the earth, graciously so dispose that, by the merits and example of thy seraphic Confessor Joseph, we may be lifted up above all earthly cravings and deserve to come nigh to him. Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
More prayers for your devotion
Questions about this prayer
These explanations are separate from the historical prayer text above.
Why is St. Joseph of Cupertino invoked for examinations?
The 1918 English edition of his life describes his ordination examinations and records that students in Italy and France invoked him as a patron of examinations. This practice is identified in the footnote on printed page 10; it does not establish a particular examination prayer.
Read his life and the source for this invocationCan I pray this before an exam?
Yes. You may offer this brief collect as a personal prayer before studying or taking an examination. It asks for holiness and closeness to Christ. Continue your preparation and place your needs before God through St. Joseph’s intercession.
Is this prayer a nine-day novena?
This is a short prayer from the Mass of his feast. For a nine-day practice, the separate St. Joseph of Cupertino novena uses a historical General Saint Form and identifies its sources.
Pray the nine-day St. Joseph of Cupertino novena