# Not superstitious, but St. Joseph sold my house! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 17, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028 "2006-08-17T00:04:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/1 "2006-08-17T00:04:31Z")
Well, not my house…my boss’ house. My boss and her husband put their very nice , small bungalow-type house on the market many months ago. He’s a cop, so he was leery about holding open houses, and insisted that everyone be pre-qualified. Usually houses in their neighborhood sell very quickly, because of the residency requirement for police officers. But since that law was ruled unconstitutional a few months back, and no new cops have been hired (though they just put up billboards advertising that they are now hiring again), the house has lingered on the market. Very frustrating for them, since they’d already bought a new place and had to keep driving back and forth to take care of the horses and dogs (he trains police dogs, and they wanted a place in the country where they could do that) and maintain his residency…quite a strain. So a few weeks ago I saw a news story about people using those little statues of St. Joseph to sell their house…and it working. I’m a big skeptic about just about everything, and I’m not Catholic, but something about this story caught my interest, and I mentioned it to my boss. She said she’s heard of this, but didn’t want to be bothered. So I let it drop, but every week I’d ask if she’d picked up a statue yet. Then one day she had a customer come in to have a doorknocker engraved as a thank you gift for the person who had bought his house, at the asking price, 24 hours after he had buried the St. Joseph statue. HIs house had been on the market for months also, with a few more viewings that she had had (only three people came to see their house, and one was the guy who spies on cops for the city to make sure they aren’t moving out). Now she was willing to give it a try, but I knew she’d never get around to finding out where to get a St. Joseph and actuallly go there…so I looked up the religious bookstores in the phone book, called to determine that it was available, put one on hold for her, drew her a map, wrote down the address and directions, and made her leave work early…hell, I was even reaching for my wallet to give her the $3.50! Anything to get this house sold so that she can have some relief from the stress! She bought the kit, and the next morning at 8:30 buried him as directed, and said the prayer. I’d made her promise that she wouldn’t tell the realtor, so he couldn’t be influenced. She came in to work, and I arrived at 11. At 11;15, I answer a call from her realtor…someone wants to see the house that day! She gets giddy and tells the realtor about St. Joseph, but then asks when his guy had called for the appointment. Turns out he had called his realtor at 9:30 am, asking to see the house…I think he’d driven by it. One hour after the burial. So of course, we don’t want to jump to conclusions, but the guy who came out to see the house was very impressed, but left without commiting to anything. Boss was crushed, but I was still hopeful. And lo and behold, a few hours later he calls the realtor again…he wants his parents to see the house. He ended up making the offer the next day, and since he was pre-qualified, everything went smoothly, and he wants to move in by the 24th…less than a month after first viewing the house. The inspection went well, and they are packing up the last of their stuff this week. She still says the prayer every day…though I’m going to have to remind her to dig St Joe up and rebury him at their new place as per the instructions. So I never really believed in this stuff before, but I’m amazed that it “worked” so well. Anyone else have any St Joseph experiences to relate? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/2 "2006-08-17T00:08:59Z")
That’s a fun story. I’ll have to remember it when I’m selling my house. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/3 "2006-08-17T00:10:46Z")
Does St. Joseph aspirin count? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/4 "2006-08-17T00:18:58Z")
I’ve known people who swear by this. A friend of my mother’s swears that when she loses something, she asks “Tony” (St. Anthony) to help her find it, and he always does. Whatever floats your boat, I guess… ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/5 "2006-08-17T00:40:56Z")
Is that a purely American practice? I’ve never heard of it here. ---
**Author:** ![Eliphalet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eliphalet/32/9563_2.png) [@Eliphalet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eliphalet)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/6 "2006-08-17T17:51:00Z")
I’m an American, and I’ve never heard of it, either. If it works, I won’t knock it. Eli ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/7 "2006-08-17T18:58:10Z")
Hell, I’m am American that was raised Catholic and never heard of it. But I’d like to be the guy selling those kits, though. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/8 "2006-08-17T22:39:26Z")
We’ve always buried a St. Joseph, and our family houses have always sold, although not usually that quickly. StG ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/9 "2006-08-18T13:03:11Z")
I can’t help but wonder what happens if people keep selling the house. Do you end up with a little graveyard full of St Josephs? Eeeeerie. What happens if you’re digging your St Joseph hole and you accidentally break someone’s previous St Joseph? Are you cursed to never sell your house? :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/10 "2006-08-18T13:10:06Z")
My family’s done this. We’re French-Canadian Catholics, if that makes any difference. The weird part is I think we’re supposed to bury him headfirst, which seems sort of mean. And St Anthony (“Saint Antoine” to us Frenchy folk)? He’s our man. The family’s patron saint. I don’t see how the poor guy manages to do _anything_ else than help my family find stuff. Tell anyone in my family you’ve lost something, and the instinctual response is “pray to St Anthony”. I’d better ask God to give him a raise. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/11 "2006-08-18T15:25:38Z")
There’s a long tradition of “punishing” representations of saints to get them to do what you want in Catholic folk tradition. Saint Barbara is also occasionally used for houses. The idea is that you pray and ask Saint Joseph nicely to help you with your real estate transaction. If he is not responsive, you threaten that you’ll turn his picture upside-down, or face down, or bury his statue in the yard. That’ll learn him to ignore you! Then, when your drastic actions have got his attention, he helps you out, and you dig him up, clean him off, and restore him to pride of place. A lot of people just cut to the chase and bury the statue. If they’ve just heard about the practice from friends, I don’t know if they realize they’re supposed to dig him back up and say thanks. A graveyard of little saint Josephs is NOT how it’s supposed to go: you’re ritually punishing him, not killing him! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/12 "2006-08-18T15:32:09Z")
PS: Re-reading the OP, it sounds like whoever put together the kit didn’t quite know how it worked, and suggests you to keep Saint Joseph underground for all time. That’s an interesting twist on tradition, but whoever came up with it doesn’t seem to have gotten the point. St. Joseph doesn’t _like_ being underground! ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/13 "2006-08-18T15:40:47Z")
[QUOTE=Dr. Drake] St. Joseph doesn’t _like_ being underground! [/QUOTE] We dig the poor guy up afterwards. The family only has one statue, I think, and we pass it around to whoever needs help selling a place. I didn’t realize it was a “ritual punishment”, but that sort of makes sense. Blackmailing Saints to get what you want. No _wonder_ Catholics have such a sense of guilt! ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/14 "2006-08-18T15:50:57Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] And St Anthony (“Saint Antoine” to us Frenchy folk)? He’s our man. The family’s patron saint. I don’t see how the poor guy manages to do _anything_ else than help my family find stuff. Tell anyone in my family you’ve lost something, and the instinctual response is “pray to St Anthony”. I’d better ask God to give him a raise. [/QUOTE] I think what my mother used to say was “Saint Antoine de Padoue, toi qui as les yeux fourrés partout, aide-moi à trouver…” (For those who don’t know French, that would be “Saint Anthony of Padua, who has your eyes stuck everywhere, help me find…”) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/15 "2006-08-18T15:53:34Z")
So when the priest was talking about “burying St. Joseph,” he wasn’t using a euphenism? Oh dear… ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-superstitious-but-st-joseph-sold-my-house/369028/16 "2006-08-18T18:25:56Z")
[QUOTE=severus] I think what my mother used to say was “Saint Antoine de Padoue, toi qui as les yeux fourrés partout, aide-moi à trouver…” (For those who don’t know French, that would be “Saint Anthony of Padua, who has your eyes stuck everywhere, help me find…”) [/QUOTE] Actually, now that I think of it more, I think it was “toi qui as **le nez** fourré partout” (“you who has your **nose** stuck everywhere”).