Do we need help from St. Joseph?

November 2, 2007 /

I saw an article on the Wall Street Journal about the huge increase in sales of St. Joseph statues spurred by the lagging housing market. Lore claims that if you bury a statue of St. Joseph in your yard, it will guarantee you a quick home sale.

Um…ok, I’m tempted to give it a try. I’m ashamed to admit that, but the thought did cross my mind. Then I thought, wait, I’m willing to risk a lot worse than my home not selling by being an atheist, right? If I’m willing to risk not getting into heaven someday, I should be willing to risk not selling my home. In other words, I need to be willing to not succumb to the temptation to try this silly tradition, just because I want to move.

The little guy is cute, though.

12 Comments

  • Karen

    November 2, 2007 at 7:10 am

    My mom did that years ago when she had a real estate nightmare on her hands (couldn’t sell our house, had bought another one; then decided to buy a condo, so the condo owner could buy the house of a potential buyer of ours …. a circus). She buried St. Joe – 3 way deal was struck. Miracle.
    Good luck with your house.

  • joan

    November 2, 2007 at 12:18 pm

    I’m not Catholic but I always liked the idea they have a saint of lost things when you can’t find something.
    Our friends here in NC are down about selling their house. They put it on the market last fall. When it hadn’t sold this summer, they took it off the market and re-did the kitchen. It’s back on now.

  • J

    November 2, 2007 at 1:22 pm

    I received this comment from a friend of mine, via email, and it was too good to pass up…here you go:

    St. Joseph is also the “patron saint ” of travelers….and I remember from my childhood that my mother, who was born in the US, was a card carrying catholic who attended mass every Sunday and insisted on keepng a St Joseph medal in the family car…..talking the thirties here…to protect us on the road.

    My father,an immigrant from Italy, was a hard core, born again practicing atheist……but a realist who chose not to do battle with my mother over rosary beads, medals, incense, etc ….agreed to the medal in the car but insisted it had to be kept out of sight in the glove compartment.

    On one of our Sunday family car rides, engine trouble stalled the car and he coasted to the side of the road, stopped, and for a while couldn’t re start the stalled engine. My father decided the St Joseph medal was the problem. He took the medal out and hung it on a nearby tree…..came back to the car and the engine restarted. A St. Joseph medal never made it back to the glove compartment. True story.

    My sense is a price reduction will have more impact than St. Joseph when it comes to getting your house sold. However that may not make financial sense for you.

    So…..if you have succumbed to the lore of St. Joseph…..dig up the medal….trash it….it may help

  • Andie D.

    November 2, 2007 at 2:23 pm

    The market is just a biatch right now – patron saint or no patron saint!

    I am an old fashioned atheist myself, so I couldn’t do it on principle. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be tempted though.

  • Gina

    November 2, 2007 at 3:02 pm

    Lordy, there is a patron saint for just about anything you can imagine, it’s actually quite interesting to read about them.

    I agree, a price reduction, perhaps?

    And Py is too funny!