O God, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the husband of his virgin mother: Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Preface of the Presentation
Because in the mystery of the Word made flesh, you have caused a new light to shine in our hearts, to give the knowledge of your glory in the face of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
A collect composed for the 1979 Episcopal Church prayer book, drawing on the New Testament portrait of Joseph as a just and obedient man from the line of David. The earlier Anglican version of this feast (1963) used a different prayer entirely; the present text has since been adopted by both the Church of England and the Anglican Church in North America.