The book, The Month of St. Joseph, presents daily considerations for the month of March in the form of meditations and practical examples. The example for today is as follows.
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EXAMPLE
When the revolution broke out in Rome, in 1848, the Religious of the Order of St. Joseph, whose Convent was situated in the Campo Vaccino, were in the greatest alarm. Feeling that they could not hope for any human assistance, they had recourse to St. Joseph, and prayed fervently to their powerful Protector. As the danger increased so did their confidence in their loving Father. The roar of the cannon day and night filled their hearts with terror; for several houses near had been destroyed, killing in their fall many people, and they momentarily expected their Convent would share the same fate. “If it is God’s will that we should be killed, said they, His will be done, but let us die in the chapel.”
They all accordingly took refuge there; it was the middle of the night, and after praying a long time, overcome by terror and fatigue, they fell asleep. Day broke before they awoke from their sleep, which had been so profound, that neither the roar of the cannon, the exploding of shells, or the falling of the houses had been able to wake them. St. Joseph had watched over them during that terrible night, and they fervently returned thanks for such a signal mark of his protection.
On another occasion during the siege a shell fell in the middle of their workroom, and they gave themselves up for lost, but the Spouse of Mary, their special Patron, again protected them. To their astonishment, in a manner that could not be explained, the shell rose from the spot on which it had fallen, and passing out of the window, fell and exploded on the other side of the street, without causing any damage or loss of life. This prodigy was witnessed by many persons who could not sufficiently express their surprise. The Superior caused the exploded shell to be brought into the Convent, and placed as a votive offering before the Statue of St. Joseph.
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This anecdote comes from the Month of St. Joseph by Abbé Berlioux, originally published in English in the year 1887. This book contains meditations and an example story for each day of the month. In an effort to preserve short inspiring stories from our Catholic past, every day for the month of March you can find the example story for the day published on the website under people/stories.
The same author also published similar books for the months of, May (Our Lady), June (Sacred Heart), and November (Holy Souls). We are planning to post the stories for these months in the future and are working with Mediatrix Press to re-publish these as a four book collection, so be sure to check back. The Month of St. Joseph is available now.