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Patron saints

Patron saints of finding a job

Catholics ask St Joseph and St Cajetan, and the Orthodox ask St Xenia of Petersburg and St Spyridon.

Picture: Gerrit van Honthorst, The Childhood of Christ, about 1620, State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Catholics ask him

St Joseph

Prayer to St Joseph the Worker

Glorious Saint Joseph,model of all who give their lives to work,obtain for me the grace

to work in a spirit of penance, to make up for my many sins;to work conscientiously, putting devotion to duty above my own wishes;to work with thanks and joy,counting it an honour to use and develop by my workthe gifts I have received from God;to work with order, peace, moderation and patience,never drawing back when I am tired or when things are hard;above all, to work with a pure intention and without seeking myself,keeping always before my eyes deathand the account I must give of time lost, talents unused,good left undone, and vain pleasure in success,which does such harm to the work of God.

All for Jesus, all through Mary,all in imitation of you, patriarch Joseph!This will be my motto in life and in death.Amen.

Traditional wording, 1907

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are consecrated to work,obtain for me the grace

of working in a spirit of penance, for the expiation of my numberless sins;of working conscientiously, placing the religion of duty above my inclinations;working with gratitude and joy, regarding it an honor to employ and develop, by labor, the gifts received from God;to work with order, peace, moderation and patience, without ever recoiling on account of weariness and difficulties;to work above all with purity of intention and with detachment from myself,ever having before my eyes death and the account I must renderfor lost time, wasted talents, the good which I have omitted,and vain complacency in success which is so fatal to the work of God.

All for Jesus, all through Mary, all by thy imitation, O Holy Patriarch St. Joseph!Such will be my motto in life and in death.Amen.

Catholics ask him as the patron of workers, because he fed his family by the work of his hands. Pope Pius XII gave him that title in 1955, when he set the feast of St Joseph the Worker on 1 May, and Pope Francis asked his help in 2020 so that “no family should be without work”.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the French. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: an unnamed translator, The Homiletic Monthly and Catechist, 1907.

More about St Joseph His story, his feast days and where his prayer comes from

Catholics ask him

St Cajetan

Prayer to St Cajetan (San Cayetano)

Plain English only: no traditional English wording is given for this prayer

Great saint,every nation hails you as Father of Providence,because by clear miracles you helpall who call on you with trust in their need.

We pray you to obtain from Godhelp in good time in our troubles,and may it be a pledge of eternal happiness.

In Argentina above all, people ask San Cayetano for “bread and work”. On his feast, 7 August, the queue at his shrine in Liniers, Buenos Aires, stretches as far as the nearby football stadium.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Italian. How the wording is made.

More about St Cajetan His story, his feast day and where his prayer comes from

The Orthodox ask her

St Xenia of Petersburg

Troparion of St Xenia

You turned away from the empty things of this worldand took up the cross of a homeless wanderer’s life.You did not fear sorrow or going without,or the people who laughed at you,but you came to know the love of Christ,and now in heaven you delight in that love.Blessed Xenia, wise in God,pray for the salvation of our souls.

The kontakionYou lived on earth as a strangerand longed for the homeland in heaven.The foolish and the unbelieving took you for a fool,but the faithful know you to be most wise and holy,and God crowns you with glory and honour,Xenia, mature in mind and wise in the things of God.And so we cry out to you:Rejoice, for after your wandering on earthyou now live in the Father’s house.

Traditional wording

Spurning the vanity of this earthly world,thou didst take up the cross of a homeless life of wandering.Thou didst not fear tribulations, deprivations and the mockery of men,but didst come to know the love of Christ,wherein thou dost now delight in heaven.O divinely wise and blessed Xenia,pray thou for the salvation of our souls.

Abiding on earth like a stranger,and sighing for the heavenly homeland,thou wast accounted a fool by the foolish and unbelieving,but art recognized by the faithful as most wise and holy;wherefore thou art crowned by God with glory and honor,O Xenia of manly mind and divine understanding.Wherefore, we cry out to thee:Rejoice, for after thine earthly sojourn thou dwellest in the house of thy Father!

The Orthodox ask her help in finding work. In her lifetime the shopkeepers of Petersburg counted a visit from her as a blessing on their trade.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic, with a traditional English Menaion beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: an unnamed translator, English Menaion for 24 January, All Saints Eastern Orthodox Church.

Where this English says “of manly mind”, the plain wording says “mature in mind”, following the modern Russian that Azbyka prints beside the Slavonic (“having a perfect mind”).

More about St Xenia of Petersburg Why people ask her, her feast day and where her prayer comes from

The Orthodox ask him

St Spyridon

Troparion of St Spyridon

You were shown to be the champion of the First Counciland a wonderworker, Spyridon, our God-bearing father.And so you called to a dead woman in her grave,and you changed a snake into gold.And as you sang your holy prayers,you had angels serving with you, most holy one.

Glory to Him Who glorified you!Glory to Him Who crowned you!Glory to Him Who works healing for all through you!

Traditional wording

At the First Council you appeared as a champion of Truth and a Wonderworker, O our God-bearing Father Spyridon.For you spoke to one dead in her grave, and transformed a serpent into gold;while chanting your holy prayersyou had Angels serving with you, most holy one.

Glory to Him Who glorified you.Glory to Him Who crowned you.Glory to Him Who, through you, grants healing to all.

The Russian Church’s service for people looking for work, approved in 2023, asks for his prayers and for those of St Nicholas and St Tryphon in its closing words.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Greek, with the Orthodox Church in America’s translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Orthodox Church in America, Troparion and Kontakion of St Spyridon, on its website.

The Greek calls him the champion of the First Council. The OCA’s English adds “of Truth”.

More about St Spyridon Why people ask him, his feast days and where his prayer comes from

Other saints people ask

The Orthodox ask him

St Nicholas

Troparion of St Nicholas

The truth of things showed you to your flockas a rule of faith, an image of meeknessand a teacher of self-control.So by humility you gained the heights,and by poverty, riches.Father Nicholas, holy bishop,pray to Christ our Godthat our souls may be saved.

Traditional wording, 1891

The Truth hath made thee a standard of faith,a pattern of meekness, and a teacher of temperance to thy flock.

Thus didst thou, O holy priestly Father Nicolas,by humiliation acquire greatness, by thy poverty, riches.

Pray Christ our God to save our souls.

The Russian service for people looking for work names him with St Spyridon. He gave in secret, and by night he threw gold into a poor man’s house, a dowry for each of three daughters.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic, with Shann’s 1891 translation beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: G. V. Shann, Euchology: A Manual of Prayers of the Holy Orthodox Church, 1891.

Shann’s “humiliation” is humility, as the Slavonic says.

More about St Nicholas Why people ask him and where his prayer comes from

The Orthodox ask him

St Tryphon

Troparion of St Tryphon

Lord, Your martyr Tryphonreceived from You, our God, in his sufferinga crown that never decays.

For he had Your strength,and brought down his torturersand broke the demons’ powerless boldness.

By his prayers save our souls.

Traditional wording, 1891

Thy Martyr [Tryphon], O Lord, by his sufferings,hath obtained an incorruptible crown from Thee, our God;

for, having Thy strength to help him,he overcame his persecutors, and the vain efforts of the demons.

O save our souls through his prayers.

The Russian service for people looking for work, approved in 2023, asks his prayers too.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: G. V. Shann, Euchology: A Manual of Prayers of the Holy Orthodox Church, 1891.

More about St Tryphon His story, his feast day and where his prayer comes from

A prayer to God for this

While you look

Prayer for a job

Plain English only: no traditional English wording is given for this prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,Maker of the world and our Creator,You receive the sighs of all who are in need,and You know what we ask for before we ask.In the depth of Your wisdomYou order all things in Your love for mankind,and You give to all what is good for them.

Now we humbly pray to You:give Your servant (name) good work,so that they may do all that is useful,for Your glory and for the good of their household,and may receive the fruit their labour deserves.

Then, growing in Your commandments and in Your love,may they sing to You and give thanks to You,and to Your Father, Who has no beginning,and to Your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit,now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ,Maker of the world and our Creator,You receive the sighs of all who are in need,and You know what we ask for before we ask.In the depth of Your wisdomYou order all things in Your love for mankind,and You give to all what is good for them.

Now I humbly pray to You:give me, Your servant, good work,so that I may do all that is useful,for Your glory and for the good of my household,and may receive the fruit my labour deserves.

Then, growing in Your commandments and in Your love,may I sing to You and give thanks to You,and to Your Father, Who has no beginning,and to Your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit,now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

A priest reads it at the end of the Russian Church’s service for someone looking for work. It asks God for good work, done for His glory and the good of a household.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic; no English translation was found. How the wording is made.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic
Orthodox prayers for finding a job Every prayer for this, with the Bible passages for it.

Scripture for this

1Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways! 2For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Psalm 128:1-2 The psalm promises the one who fears the Lord that he will eat the fruit of his labour and be blessed.

2And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied. 3So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.

Ruth 2:2-3 Ruth went out to glean in the fields to feed Naomi and herself, and came to work in the field of Boaz.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.

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