There are 4 basic stages you need to go through to effectively write a letter to Saint Joseph.
- Thinking about your needs/desires (and deciding!)
- Prayer
- Writing a letter
- Delivering the letter
You will go through the first 3 stages more than once. As you write the letter, you will likely realize many things. Sometimes you will solve a few problems and what you originally thought you would ask for will not be fully up to date. As you write the letter, your request will become clearer. Your request will become more and more specific. You will certainly also find ways in which your desire, need or problem can be solved, realized and achieved.
I pray that you will manage to go through all stages of writing the letter. Remember, it is better to submit an unfinished letter (and I guarantee you that even if you are a perfectionist, this letter will be extremely polished – even if you feel that it is unfinished) than to submit none at all. I recommend setting a deadline for submitting the letter. For example: by the end of the month.
1. Thinking about your needs/desires (and deciding!)
You must know clearly what you want to ask Saint Joseph for. At any given moment in your life, you certainly have one or more major unmet needs and/or desires. It’s best to start with them. You are most motivated towards them and you know the most about them. Decide that you will ask Saint Joseph for help in these matters.
2. Prayer
Before you start writing the letter, pray to Saint Joseph and ask him to write the letter wisely and fully. Also invite the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus, God the father, Mary, Your guardian angel, Your holy namesake (i.e. if your name is Matthew, invite Saint Matthew to help you write the letter. Pray repeatedly, each time you start writing the letter again.
See: Examples of prayers before writing a letter to Saint Joseph.
3. Writing a letter
The letter can be written on a phone, on a tablet, on a piece of paper, on a computer (preferably in text form, not in voice form – so that you can take in the whole thing at a glance and ultimately have a physical form, e.g. written/printed on a piece of paper). Choose the way of writing the letter so that it is easy for you to transfer your thoughts into text, so that your attention can be focused on the content and not on the problems or difficulties of translating thoughts into text (writing, dictating).
The letter can have any structure but should contain the following elements:
What you are asking for (thing or matter)
An argument why this is important to you
possibly a commitment of what you want to give/give in return.
See: Sample structure of a letter to Saint Joseph >>
See: List of sample questions that will help you write a letter to Saint Joseph >>
4. Delivery of the letter
This is a step that can be very difficult to accomplish in many parts of the world. If it will take you many hours to reach the place where Saint Joseph is worshiped, you can check whether it is possible to send this letter to this place. If this is not possible, you can write to us (the authors of this website), and we will print this letter on your behalf and take it to the chapel under the statue of Saint Joseph and pray for you.
See: List of places where you can submit a letter to Saint Joseph >>