St. Joseph of Cupertino (1603–1663), a Franciscan friar who struggled to learn and passed his exams for the priesthood in an unexpected way, is the patron saint of students and test-takers. Generations of students have prayed to him before exams, and his gentle, humble life is a comfort to anyone who finds learning hard. Below are prayers to St. Joseph of Cupertino before studying, before an exam and while waiting for results, a prayer for students with learning difficulties and one for air travelers, Scripture for students, and the true story behind his patronage.
A prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino before an exam
Many students know a short traditional prayer that asks St. Joseph of Cupertino to obtain for them, as he was granted at his own examinations, to be asked only the questions they know. This version was written for this page:
St. Joseph of Cupertino, you found study hard,
yet God helped you through your examinations
and made you a priest after his own heart.
Pray for me as I take this exam (test).
Calm my nerves, clear my mind,
help me to remember what I have learned and to explain it well.
Obtain for me the success I need, if it is God’s will,
and the peace to accept the result. Amen.
A prayer before studying
Lord, through the prayers of St. Joseph of Cupertino,
help me to use this time well.
Keep me focused and patient, free me from distractions,
and help me to understand and to remember.
May I study not only to pass, but to grow in wisdom
and to serve others with what I learn. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. The Scripture students often pray:
But if any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Wherefore I wished, and understanding was given me: and I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me:
And I preferred her before kingdoms and thrones, and esteemed riches nothing in comparison of her.
A prayer while waiting for results
St. Joseph of Cupertino, I have done my best and placed the rest in God’s hands.
Keep me from worry while I wait.
Whatever the result, help me to thank God,
to learn from my mistakes and to keep going. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See also the Catholic prayer for anxiety.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.
Let your modesty be known to all men. The Lord is nigh.
Be nothing solicitous; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
A prayer for students who find learning hard
Joseph was nicknamed “Boccaperta,” “open mouth,” because he was so absent-minded, and many thought him slow. He is a friend to every student who struggles.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, people thought you would never succeed,
yet God saw your heart.
Pray for (name), who finds learning difficult.
Give him (her) patience, good teachers and a sense of his (her) own worth,
and help him (her) to discover the gifts God has given. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the Catholic prayer for children.
A prayer for air travelers and pilots
Because of the many accounts of his ecstatic flights, St. Joseph of Cupertino is also a patron of air travelers, pilots and astronauts.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, protect all who travel by air today,
the pilots and crews who guide them and all who wait for them.
Bring them safely to their destination. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the Catholic travel prayer.
The exam story
As a young friar, Joseph was so poor a student that his superiors doubted he could ever be ordained. One Gospel text he knew well and loved to preach on was the woman’s cry in St. Luke’s Gospel:
And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck.
But he said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.
According to his early biographers, at the examination for the diaconate the bishop opened the Gospels at random and asked him to explain that very verse, which he did beautifully. At the examination for the priesthood the first candidates answered so well that the examining bishop passed the whole group without questioning the rest, Joseph among them. He was ordained a priest in 1628. That is why students who fear their exams turn to him.
The life of St. Joseph of Cupertino
Giuseppe Desa was born on June 17, 1603, in Cupertino, a small town in Apulia, in southern Italy. His family was poor, and tradition says he was born in a shed because his father’s debts had cost them their home. As a boy he was sickly, absent-minded and slow to learn, and he failed as a shoemaker’s apprentice.
He longed to become a friar. The Conventual Franciscans first turned him away; the Capuchins accepted him but sent him away after eight months because he was so clumsy. At last the Conventual Franciscans of Grottella, near Cupertino, took him on to care for the friary’s mule, and his humility and prayer won them over. He was admitted to the novitiate and, against all expectations, ordained a priest in 1628.
From then on Joseph became known for extraordinary ecstasies in prayer. Many witnesses, including people of high rank, reported seeing him rise from the ground in rapture during Mass or at the name of Jesus or Mary. The crowds he drew worried the authorities, who examined him and moved him from friary to friary, finally to Osimo, where he lived in seclusion. Through it all he remained humble, obedient and cheerful. He died at Osimo on September 18, 1663, and was canonized by Pope Clement XIII in 1767. His body rests in the Basilica of St. Joseph of Cupertino in Osimo.
Feast day and patronage
- Feast day: September 18. A novena can run from September 9 to 17, or for nine days before an important exam.
- Patron of: students, people taking exams, those with learning difficulties, air travelers, pilots and astronauts.
- Symbols: the Franciscan habit, and the saint lifted in ecstasy.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of exams?
St. Joseph of Cupertino is the best-known patron of students taking exams. St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of students and schools, is also invoked. See the St. Thomas Aquinas prayer.
What is the prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino for exams?
The traditional prayer asks him to obtain for students, as he was granted, success at their examinations. A full version is given at the top of this page.
Why is St. Joseph of Cupertino the patron of pilots?
Because of the many reports of his levitations during prayer. He is invoked by air travelers, pilots and astronauts.
When is St. Joseph of Cupertino’s feast day?
September 18.
More prayers for students
- St. Thomas Aquinas prayer before study
- Prayers of the faithful for exam students
- Come, Holy Spirit prayer
- Gifts of the Holy Spirit
- Prayers to popular saints
- Patron saint of travelers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: James 1:5; Wisdom 7:7–8; Philippians 4:4–7; Luke 11:27–28, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayers were written for this page.