Selling Your Home

Devotion for the Intercession of St. Joseph to Sell Your Home:

St. Joseph’s intercession is often sought in all sorts of family matters, including the sale of a home. It is now a popular belief that burying a St. Joseph statue on your property can help you sell your home. Depending on where you obtain your information, there are several ways and places to bury the statue. Emphasis is always placed on the when and where to bury the statue. There are even pre-packaged St. Joseph statue kits available at just about every Catholic supply store to facilitate the task for you. The emphasis should properly be placed on our belief in the communion of the Saints and our desire to do all things according to the will of God.

The tradition of burying St. Joseph in the earth began hundreds of years ago during the time when St.Teresa of Avila was opening Carmelite Convents throughout Europe. Taking only the bare necessities and their statue of St. Joseph, her nuns would set out in search of land or buildings suitable for a new convent. St. Teresa of Avila always encouraged her nuns to pray to St. Joseph.

It is believed that, on one particular search, the nuns found a piece of property perfect for their needs. Having no money, the nuns immediately started to petition St. Joseph for the funds needed to buy the property. In the meantime, having no place to stay, the nuns decided to bury their statue of St. Joseph on the property so he would not get stolen or broken.

After the nuns prayed to St. Joseph, someone purchased the land and built them a convent. When it was finished, the sisters dug up the statue and built a beautiful shrine inside in honor of St. Joseph.

This is where the practice of the burying the statue of St. Joseph seems to orginate.

I do not encourage anyone to bury a statue of St. Joseph! There is another more pious approach to take. Rather than burying the statue, you can place the statue of St. Joseph in a prominent place in your home and pray the Memorare to St. Joseph. If and when your home sells, St. Joseph must be taken with you and given a new place of honor in your new home.

Memorare to St. Joseph:

Remember, O most chaste Spouse of the Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who implored your help and sought your intercession was left unassisted.
Full of confidence in your power, I fly unto you, and beg your protection.
Despise not, O foster-father of the Redeemer,
my humble supplication, but in your bounty, hear and answer me.
Amen.

“St. Joseph proclaims the wonders of the Lord, witnessing Mary’s virginity, the gratuitous deed of God, and caring for the earthly life of the Messiah.”

Benedict XVI
Address before Midday Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, December 19, 2010