Prayer to St.

Joseph of Cupertino For Success in Examinations

O humble St. Joseph of Cupertino, singularly favored by God in overcoming the difficulties of study
and the worries of examinations, implore the Holy Spirit to enlighten my mind and strengthen my
memory in the search of His truth and wisdom. Help me especially in the decisive moments of this
examination, protecting me from that forgetfulness and disturbing anxiety which often affect me. May
I succeed in offering God my finest work and may I grow in knowledge, understanding, humility and
charity. May everything that I attempt to learn in life be offered in faithful service to God, from whom
flows that wisdom which leads to eternal life. Amen St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for me, Our Lady of
Good Studies pray for me, Holy Spirit enlighten me! St. Joseph of Cupertino, "The Flying Friar" feast
day - 18 September

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be
asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the
examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and
cause you to be invoked. Through Christ our Lord. St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us.
Amen.
Second Prayer O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be
asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed
in the (here mention the name of Examination eg. History paper I ) examination.
In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. O St. Joseph of
Cupertino pray for me O Holy Ghost enlighten me Our Lady of Good Studies pray for me
Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me.
FIRST DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you were an unwanted child and were thought worthless even by your own
mother. Intercede for all unwanted children that they may come to know they were born out
of Gods love for them. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
SECOND DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you were an angry, frustrated child. We pray for all who struggle to express
themselves, and that you help us overcome sins of anger. We pray especially for (mention
your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
THIRD DAY:

Dear St Joseph, you experienced no love in your family and were considered of little account
by all who knew you. We pray for all who have experienced the same. May we learn to treat
everyone as having the worth they have in Gods eyes. We pray especially for (mention your
request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
FOURTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you suffered because you found it difficult to learn. We pray for all those
who struggle at school. May they take comfort from the fact that although learning wasnt
easy for you, this didnt stop you from becoming a saint. We pray especially for (mention
your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
FIFTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you did the best with the intelligence you did have and put the rest in Gods
hands. That way you passed all your exams and became a priest. We pray for all those
struggling with exams. May we also do our best in everything and trust in God to guide our
lives. We pray especially for (mention your request. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
SIXTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, even the thought or mention of anything holy made you levitate in ecstasy.
Grant us something of the understanding and reverence for God and his saints that you had.
We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
SEVENTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, only when your superior ordered you to, were you able to come back down
to earth. May we too have a love for and obedience to the teachings of the Church. We pray
especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
EIGHTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you were unjustly suspected, confined to your room and neglected by those
charged with looking after you. You accepted all this with humility. We pray for all those
unjustly imprisoned, and that we too may have the humility to accept injustice for the love
of Christ. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

NINTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, because you could levitate you are the patron of travellers, especially air
travellers. We pray for all those travelling that they may safely reach their destinations. We
pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

Prayer to Saint Joseph of Cupertino, Patron Saint of Those Taking Exams:

O Saint Joseph of Cupertino,
who by your prayer, obtained from God the blessing to be asked at your examination only the
questions you knew:
Grant that we may, like you, succeed in the exams
we take here at John Carroll today.
In return, we promise to make you known and to encourage others
to pray to you for their scholastic needs as well.
Saint Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of students, pray for us.
O Holy Spirit, enlighten us.
Our Lady of Good Studies, pray for us.
Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of Divine Wisdom, enlighten us.
Amen.

St. Joseph was born at Cupertino in 1603. After spending his childhood and adolescence in simplicity and innocence,
he finally joined the Franciscan Friars Minor Conventual. After his ordination to the holy priesthood, he gave himself
up entirely to a life of humiliation, mortification, and obedience. He was most devoted to the Blessed
Virgin Mary and promoted devotion to her among all classes of people.
His mother considered him a nuisance and treated him harshly. Joseph soon became very slow and absent-minded.
He would wander around, going nowhere, his mouth gaping open. But he had a bad temper, too, and so, he was not
at all popular. He tried to learn the trade of shoemaking, but failed. He asked to become a Franciscan, but they
would not accept him. Next, he joined the Capuchins, but eight months later, they sent him away because he could
not seem to do anything right. He dropped piles of dishes and kept forgetting to do what he was told. His mother
was not at all pleased to have the eighteen-year-old Joseph back home again, so she finally got him accepted as a
servant at the Franciscan monastery. He was given the monks habit and put to hard work taking care of the horses.
About this time,Joseph began to change. He grew more humble and gentle, more careful and successful at his work.
He also began to do more penance. Now, it was decided that he could become a real member of the Order and start
studying for the priesthood. Although he was very good, he still had a hard time with studies. The examiner
happened to ask him to explain the only thing he knew well, and so he was made a deacon, and later a priest. After
this, God began to work many amazing miracles through St. Joseph. Over seventy times, people saw him rise from
the ground while saying mass or praying. Often he went into ecstasy and would be completely rapt up in talking
with God. He became so holy that everything he saw made him think of God, and he said that all the troubles of this
world were nothing but the "play" battles children have with popguns. St. Joseph became so famous for the miracles
that he was kept hidden, but he was happy for the chance to be alone with his beloved Lord. On His
part, Jesus never left him alone and one day came to bring him to Heaven. Pope Clement XIII canonized him in
1767. He is the patron saint of air travelers and pilots.
It is said that the life of this saint was marked by ecstasies and levitations. The mere mention of God or a
spiritual matter was enough to take him out of his senses; at Mass he frequently floated in the air in rapture. Once
as Christmas carols were being sung, he soared to the high altar and knelt in the air, rapted in prayer. On another
occasion he ferried a cross thirty-six feet high through the air to the top of a Calvary group as easily as one might
carry a straw.
The people flocked to him in droves seeking help and advice in the confessional, and he converted many to a
truly Christian life. However, this humble man had to endure many severe trials and terrible temptations throughout
his life. He died on September 18, 1663.