Wednesday Prayers

Wednesday is St Joseph's day of the week in Catholic devotion. Pray St Philip Neri's Wednesday prayer for the love of God, a Wednesday prayer for the holy souls, and two prayers to St Joseph.

St Philip Neri's Prayer for Wednesday: For the Love of God

St Philip, I am filled with wonder at the great miracle which was wrought in thee by the Holy Spirit when He poured into thy heart such a flood of heavenly charity that, in order to contain it, two of thy ribs were broken by the power of Divine love; and I am confounded when I compare thy heart with my own. I see thy heart all burning with love, and mine all frozen and taken up with creatures. I see thine inflamed with a fire from heaven, which so filled thy body that it radiated like flames from thy countenance, while mine is full of earthly love. I love the world, which allures me and can never make me happy; I love the flesh, which ever wears me with its cares and can never render me immortal; I love riches, which I can enjoy but for a moment. Oh, when shall I learn of thee to love nothing but God, my incomprehensible and only Good. Help me, then, blessed patron, that by thy intercession I may begin at once: obtain for me an efficacious love, manifesting itself by works; a pure love, making me love God most perfectly; a strong love, enabling me to surmount all obstacles hindering my union with God in life, that so I may be wholly united to Him for ever after my death.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From the Raccolta (1910)

On Wednesdays the rosary's glorious mysteries are prayed. Start the rosary

More prayers

For the Holy Souls on Wednesday

O Lord God Almighty, I pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which thy Divine Son Jesus shed in the streets of Jerusalem, when He carried the Cross upon his sacred shoulders, deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially that soul which is richest in merits before Thee; that so, in that throne of glory which awaits it, it may magnify Thee and bless Thee for ever. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De profundis (Psalm 130).

From the Raccolta (1910)

To Thee, O Blessed Joseph

Pope Leo XIII, 1889

To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we fly in our tribulation, and having implored the help of thy most holy spouse, we confidently crave thy patronage also. Through that charity which bound thee to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and through the paternal love with which thou didst embrace the Child Jesus, we humbly beseech thee graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ hath purchased by his Blood, and with thy power and strength to aid us in our necessities.

O most watchful Guardian of the Divine Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving Father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us and from Heaven assist us in this our struggle with the power of darkness; and, as once thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God's holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity: shield, too, each one of us by thy constant protection, so that, supported by thine example and thine aid, we may be able to live piously, to die holily, and to obtain eternal happiness in Heaven. Amen.

From the Raccolta (1910)

Also on St Joseph Prayer

O Joseph, Virgin Father of Jesus

O Joseph, virgin father of Jesus, most pure spouse of the Virgin Mary, pray for us daily to the Son of God, that, armed with the weapons of his grace, we may fight as we ought in life, and be crowned by Him in death.

From the Raccolta (1910)

Also on St Joseph Prayer

Questions

Why is Wednesday dedicated to St Joseph?

Catholic custom gives each day of the week a devotion: Sunday the Holy Trinity, Monday the holy souls, Tuesday the angels, Wednesday St Joseph, Thursday the Blessed Sacrament, Friday the Passion and Sacred Heart, and Saturday Our Lady. The customs are old and vary from place to place; none is required.

Who was St Philip Neri?

A priest of Rome (1515-1595) who founded the Oratory and was loved for his cheerfulness and his care for the young. His prayers for the week ask for a different virtue each day: humility, patience, purity, the love of God, love of neighbour, detachment and perseverance.

Do I have to pray all of them?

No. Choose one or two: for example, St Philip's prayer for the day's virtue in the morning and the prayer for the holy souls in the evening.

Prayers for the other days of the week