Photo Caption: I drew a Saint Joseph sketch. He’s one of my favorite saints!

St. Joseph is a powerful saint who provides for my needs. It’s been said that we don’t find the saint; the saint finds us. When I grew in my faith during university, St. Joseph found me. A good friend introduced me to him and I l turned to Joseph as my spiritual father. In fact, I dedicated my first few novenas to Saint Joseph’s intercession. A novena is a set of prayers on nine consecutive days for a specific intention.

I asked St. Joseph for the grace of employment during my first ever novena. I prayed for a good job when I finished university. On the last day of the novena, St. Joseph’s Feast Day on March 19, I received a surprising email. This message encouraged students to submit a scholarship application. It would be awarded to those students who had extra curricular experience and good grades. I did not want to apply. I thought my chances were low given that it was probably sent to 20,000 undergraduates. And I had to write a few essays—which, as you might imagine, is more work. Yet, I felt the quiet and gentle tug of St. Joseph. He encouraged me to apply. So I did.

Could you believe it? I won the scholarship! The money was disbursed to me and another student, rather than twelve other candidates. They changed their monetary allocation because our applications were so strong. That meant I received a fourfold increase in scholarship money—abundantly more than I expected. I learned then and there that St. Joseph provides, and he provides for more than what we need!

This scholarship proved to be providential. That summer I got very ill and I couldn’t work. I did not even apply to many jobs. However, that scholarship money covered all my expenses for accommodation and food during that hard season. Eventually I did heal and get better. Not only that, I received a call to do missionary work with a university ministry as the scholarship money ran out! Saint Joseph provided for all of my material and spiritual needs during a tough season of illness. And he prepared the way as I began my employment as a lay Catholic missionary. The novena prayers were more than answered.

Go to Joseph. He will provide for you and your needs.

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