Eucharistic Crusaders: Poor Little Joseph

Poor Little Joseph

One day Sister Louise, a Sister of Charity, went to visit some poor families and with her, she carried a basket of goods for the poor. Up one street and down another she walked, until she finally came to the end of the city where the poor lived. In this area, the poor lived in a shed or a one room building.

While she was visiting this area, a woman standing in the doorway of another room asked, "Sister, will you please enrol my little Joseph in your school. He is now six years old and its time he went to school."

The nun stopped at the open doorway and peered into the room; it was poorer than you can imagine! In the room stood a large broken-down bed, a table and two boxes for chairs. Also, there were clothes hanging from nails on the walls. The only window in the room was small and broken and had paper covering the hole. This was Joseph's home where he slept and played, and had his meals!

The family were at that time having tea. The father was seated on one box and the three children were seated on the bed. The parents had two cups without handles and the children drank out of the same saucer!

"Come here Joey, and let Sister see you," said his mother.

The little boy slid off the bed, placed the saucer on the table, and stood beside his mother. His hair was messed up and his shirt and pants were ragged, dirty and torn!

"He's a fine boy, he is," said his mother looking at her eldest son, "He's a very clever boy too, and there's nothing he can't do!"

"Has he been baptised?" asked Sister Louise.

"Oh yes, Father John baptised him along with Mrs. Moore's son, Tom."

"Very well," said Sister Louise, "you may send him to our school next Monday, but see that he is washed and tidy."

So the following Monday, Joseph began school. His face had been washed and his little shirt too, but otherwise, he looked much the same as when Sister Louise had first seen him.

Joseph thought school was a wonderful place; in fact he told his mother that he thought it was something like Heaven. It was warm, there was lots of room to move about, pretty pictures hung on the wall, and above all, there was music – Joseph loved music. Soon it was lunch time and the afternoon also passed quickly. And when it was time to go home, Joseph cried because he loved school so much.

His teachers became very pleased with Joseph. He tried so hard with all his lessons that he soon became the first in the class. Only one thing bothered the teacher, Joseph was not very clean or tidy – but then how could the poor boy keep clean and tidy without a bathtub or a sink to wash himself!

Each morning, as soon as he came into the school, Joseph was sent to wash his face and hands; but he could not wash his clothes, which every day became more ragged and dirty! A few times, Sister had given him a coat or a sweater, but the next day Joseph would come to school without it, saying, "My Father sold my sweater (or coat) because he wanted to pay for something to drink!" Joseph's father was an alcoholic who often used his money to buy liquor!

When the month of November came around, the school children were told about the Poor Souls in Purgatory and they were taught too say a prayer for the Poor Souls. And in the school hall, there was a special box. The children could drop their dimes into the box and when there was enough money for a Mass Offering, the priest would say a Mass for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.

Joseph had never had a dime to spend, but he often watched the other children drop one in the special box, and wished he had one to drop in too. But soon Joseph's wish would come true.

Since the poor boy had no comb or brush for his hair, it had soon become tangled and untidy. Sr. Louise asked Joseph's mother if he could get his hair cut at the barber shop. His mother said he could and the next morning at school, Joseph was given three dimes for his hair cut. He set off towards the barber shop and the cold east wind was blowing on him. The other people in the street wrapped their coats closely around them, but poor Joseph had no coat – he just shivered in the cold, but didn't complain. After the hair cut the barber looked with pity on poor Joseph and handed him some money, "Here, laddie, go a buy yourself a bun or some sweets." Joseph thanked the barber and held the money tightly in his little hand. When he got back to the school, he trotted up to the special box for the Souls in Purgatory and put the money in. Then turning around, he saw Sr. Louise, "The barber gave me some money for sweets, and instead, I bought a Holy Soul out of Purgatory!" Sr. Louise was proud of little Joseph; he had made a big sacrifice.

Two years went by and Joseph could read and write. But still he looked all raged and dirty, as he was still, so poor. He loved going to school and most of all he enjoyed getting Catechism lessons which taught him to love Jesus and Mary.

About this time, Joseph made his first confession and then began to prepare for his First Holy Communion. The church was not far from the school, and every day Joseph would slip into the church on his way home, and sometimes remain for a long time, praying before the Blessed Sacrament. To do this he had to resist the temptation to play cards with the other boys. The boys would play for sweets, or nuts, or even for money, and Joseph had often been the winner of these prizes. But Sister did not like the boys doing this; she told them that the game was a dangerous one that often led to sin later on. So, Joseph had decided that in preparation for his First Holy Communion, he would give up playing cards, and instead, pay a visit to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Although Joseph's father and mother never went to church themselves, they had not quite lost their Catholic Faith and were willing to let their children grow up Catholic. Every Sunday, Joseph would get himself ready and then help his little brother and sister get ready for Mass. He took them to church, and there he would kneel still and join in the prayers and hymns. Truly Our Lord must have loved Joseph very much for doing this.

When the day of his First Holy communion arrived, Sister told him that he should make himself as clean as possible. This he did, and Sister lent his a sweater, and some shoes and socks.

After making his First Holy Communion, Joseph went to Communion every day. He would take a piece of bread in his pocket for breakfast, and eat it on his way to school after Mass.

One day the doctor came to examine the children. When Joseph came in, the doctor noticed his thin little body, and his ragged clothes. Then turning to Sister, he said, "What a wretched, miserable, little object!"

Joseph heard the statement, and later when the Doctor had gone, he said, "Sister, Our Lord didn't call me a 'wretched, miserable, little object', when I went to Holy Communion this morning, did He?" "No indeed!" replied Sister. When Jesus saw you coming into church this morning, He said, "Here is my little Joseph. How I love to come into his faithful little heart."

Joseph's face flushed with joy at these words. Then looking up into Sister's face, he said, "I will always be his faithful little Joseph!" And Sister also felt sure that Joseph would always remain faithful.

The End

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