Patron Saint of the Catholic Church: St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church

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The patron saint of the whole Catholic Church is St. Joseph, whom Blessed Pope Pius IX solemnly declared “Patron of the Universal Church” on December 8, 1870: as Joseph protected the Holy Family of Nazareth, so he protects the Church, the family of God. The Church also honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church, Sts. Peter and Paul as the founders and patrons of the Church of Rome, and St. Michael the Archangel as the protector of the Church in spiritual battle. Below are the story of St. Joseph’s patronage, the prayer Pope Leo XIII asked Catholics to pray to him for the Church, and prayers for the Church.

A short prayer for the Church, written for this page:

St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, protect the Church as you protected Jesus and Mary.
Pray for the Pope, the bishops, the priests and all the faithful,
and keep us united in faith, hope and love. Amen.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church

In 1870, as the First Vatican Council was suspended and Rome was occupied, Pope Pius IX, with the decree Quemadmodum Deus, declared St. Joseph the Patron of the Catholic Church. In 1889 Pope Leo XIII, in the encyclical Quamquam pluries, explained why: Joseph was the guardian and head of the Holy Family, which was the beginning of the Church, and so he continues to watch over the whole Church with a father’s care. Leo XIII asked Catholics to add a special prayer to St. Joseph to the Rosary in October. In 2020–2021, Pope Francis proclaimed a Year of St. Joseph for the 150th anniversary of his patronage. His solemnity is March 19, and May 1 is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

Pope Leo XIII’s prayer to St. Joseph:

To thee, O blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our affliction and, after imploring the help of thy most holy spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also.
By that affection which united thee to the immaculate virgin Mother of God, and by the fatherly love with which thou didst embrace the infant Jesus, look down, we beseech thee, with gracious eyes on the precious inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by His blood, and help us in our necessities by thy powerful intercession.
Protect, O most provident guardian of the Holy Family, the elect children of Jesus Christ;
ward off from us, O most loving father, every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
be propitious to us from heaven, O most powerful protector, in this our struggle with the powers of darkness;
and as thou didst once rescue the child Jesus from the greatest peril to His life, so now defend God’s holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity.
Finally, shield every one of us with thy patronage, that, imitating thy example and strengthened by thy help, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and attain to everlasting happiness in heaven.
Amen.

Other patrons of the Church

  • Mary, Mother of the Church, a title proclaimed by Pope St. Paul VI in 1964; her memorial is the Monday after Pentecost.
  • Sts. Peter and Paul, the apostles martyred in Rome, patrons of the Church of Rome. See the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.
  • St. Michael the Archangel, invoked as the defender of the Church. See the St. Michael prayer.

Prayers for the Church

Written for this page.

Lord Jesus, you founded your Church on the rock of Peter and promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.
Purify her, unite her, and make her holy. Raise up saints, priests and missionaries,
and help all of us to love the Church as our mother. Amen.

See also the prayer for the Pope and the prayer for priests.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the patron saint of the Catholic Church?

St. Joseph, declared Patron of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1870.

Why is St. Joseph the patron of the Church?

Because he protected and provided for the Holy Family, the beginning of the Church, and he continues to protect the family of God.

Is Mary the patron of the Church?

Mary is honored as Mother of the Church; St. Joseph is the Church’s patron.

More prayers to St. Joseph

Texts and sources

  • Prayer to St. Joseph (Leo XIII), in F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), public domain (Wikisource).