Selling your home can be a long, tedious process. Between making sure it passes inspection, to staging, to hosting open houses, it requires a lot of work and a good amount of luck. If you are trying to sell your home, chances are you could use all the help you can get. Fortunately, Saint Joseph can help.

Why Saint Joseph?

Saint Joseph is best known as Mary's husband and Jesus' adoptive father. He is the patron saint of workers and protectors, and is often petitioned by those with dire financial needs. In the 1500s, Saint Theresa of Avila and her nuns needed to obtain some land for a new convent. They began burying medals with the image of Saint Joseph, and saying prayers asking him to intercede on their behalf. Later, the nuns were able to get the land they needed. Today, people continue to petition him for aid in buying or selling property.

Asking for His Help

Catholics are not the only people who ask Saint Joseph for help when selling their homes -- the ritual is even used by people who are not religious. Usually, it involves digging a hole twelve inches deep in front of your home's "For Sale" sign, wrapping a statue of St. Joseph in a clean cloth (some use a plastic bag for extra protection), and burying him in the hole. After he is buried, recite a prayer asking him to intercede on your behalf and help your home sell quickly.

The Prayer to Saint Joseph

After burying the statue, light a Saint Joseph 7-Day Candle and recite the following prayer:

"O, Saint Joseph,
you who taught our Lord the carpenter’s trade,
and saw to it that he was always properly housed,
hear my earnest plea.
I want you to help me now as you helped your foster-child Jesus,
and as you have helped many others in the matter of housing.
I wish to sell this property quickly, easily, and profitably
and I implore you to grant my wish by bringing me a good buyer,
one who is eager, compliant, and honest,
and by letting nothing impede the rapid conclusion of the sale.
Dear Saint Joseph,
I know you would do this for me out of the goodness of your heart and in your own good time,
but my need is very great now and so I must make you hurry on my behalf.
Saint Joseph, I am going to place you in a difficult position with your head in darkness,
and you will suffer as our Lord suffered, until this property is sold.
Then, Saint Joseph, I swear before the cross and God Almighty,
that I will redeem you and you will receive my gratitude
and a place of honor in my home.
Amen."

If you wish, you can also recite a novena to Saint Joseph for the next nine days. Wearing some Saint Joseph Perfume or a medal with his image, or keeping his prayer card in your wallet or purse helps to keep his prayer in your heart.

How to Bury His Statue

There are a lot of traditions surrounding how to perform this ritual, so you may choose whichever feels right to you. Some include:

Burying him upside down, to give him an extra impetus to sell your home and get free.
Burying him upright.
Burying him close to or facing the road, as a sign you want to leave.
Burying him facing the house or back yard.
Burying him in a flower pot, if you don't have a yard.
Placing him in a front window facing your "For Sale" sign instead.

No matter what you do, it is important to keep your promise and dig the statue up again once the sale is complete. Otherwise, no one will ever own the home for very long.

If you are struggling to sell your property, Saint Joseph can help you. With a prayer and a statue, you can petition him for aid to make sure you get a buyer who is motivated and happy to make you a good offer.