Novenas

First Day

O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother!
(pause and mention petitions)

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Second Day

Most Holy Mary, Our Mother, in your great love for us you gave us the Holy Scapular of Mount Carmel, having heard the prayers of your chosen son Saint Simon Stock. Help us now to wear it faithfully and with devotion. May it be a sign to us of our desire to grow in holiness.
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Third Day
O Queen of Heaven, you gave us the Scapular as an outward sign by which we might be known as your faithful children. may we always wear it with honor by avoiding sin and imitating your virtues. Help us to be faithful to this desire of ours.
(pause and mention petitions) s)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Fourth Day

When you gave us, Gracious Lady, the Scapular as our Habit, you called us to be not only servants, but also your own children.
We ask you to gain for us from your Son the grace to live as you children in joy, peace and love. (pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Fifth Day

O Mother of Fair Love, through your goodness, as your children, we are called to live in the spirit of Carmel. Help us to live in charity with one another, prayerful as Elijah of old, and mindful of our call to minister to God's people.
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Sixth Day

With loving provident care, O Mother Most Amiable, you covered us with your Scapular as a shield of defense against the Evil One.
Through your assistance, may we bravely struggle against the powers of evil, always open to your Son Jesus Christ.
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Seventh Day

O Mary, Help of Christians, you assured us that wearing your Scapular worthily would keep us safe from harm. Protect us in both body and soul with your continual aid. may all that we do be pleasing to your Son and to you.
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Eighth Day

You give us hope, O Mother of Mercy, that through your Scapular promise we might quickly pass through the fires of purgatory to the Kingdom of your Son. Be our comfort and our hope.
Grant that our hope may not be in vain but that, ever faithful to your Son and to you, we may speedily enjoy after death the blessed company of Jesus and the saints.
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Ninth Day

O Most Holy Mother of Mount Carmel, when asked by a saint to grant privileges to the family of Carmel, you gave assurance of your Motherly love and help to those faithful to you and to your Son.
Behold us, your children.
We glory in wearing your holy habit, which makes us members of your family of Carmel, through which we shall have your powerful protection in life, at death and even after death.
Look down with love, O Gate of Heaven, on all those now in their last agony!
Look down graciously, O Virgin, Flower of Carmel, on all those in need of help!
Look down mercifully, O Mother of our Savior, on all those who do not know that they are numbered among your children.
Look down tenderly, O Queen of All Saints, on the poor souls!
(pause and mention petitions)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

FOREWORD
The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena
On my knees I before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, "Speak Lord for Your servant heareth." Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.
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The Novena begins on the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension, Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, even if the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the 7th Sunday.
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FIRST DAY (Friday after Ascension or Friday of 6th Week of Easter)
Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!
The Holy Spirit
Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared--sin? Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us."
Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
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SECOND DAY (Saturday of 6th Week of Easter)
Come. Father of the poor. Come, treasures which endure; Come, Light of all that live!
The Gift of Fear
The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls."
Prayer
Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
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THIRD DAY (7th Sunday of Easter or transferred Ascension)
Thou, of all consolers best, Visiting the troubled breast, Dost refreshing peace bestow.
The Gift of Piety
The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.
Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
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FOURTH DAY (Monday, 7th Week of Easter)
Thou in toil art comfort sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, solace in the midst of woe.
The Gift of Fortitude By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to under take without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. "He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved."
Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
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FIFTH DAY (Tuesday, 7th Week of Easter)
Light immortal! Light Divine! Visit Thou these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill!
The Gift of Knowledge
The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth--in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it."
Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
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SIXTH DAY (Wednesday, 7th Week of Easter)
If Thou take Thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay, All his good is turn'd to ill.
The Gift of Understanding
Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion BY faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to "walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the knowledge of God."
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
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SEVENTH DAY (Thursday, 7th Week of Easter)
Heal our wounds--our strength renews; On our dryness pour Thy dew, Wash the stains of guilt away.
The Gift of Counsel
The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth."
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
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EIGHTH DAY (Friday, 7th Week of Easter)
Bend the stubborn heart and will, melt the frozen warm the chill. Guide the steps that go astray!
The Gift of Wisdom
Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is written "all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands." It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Saviour: "Take up thy cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts
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NINTH DAY (Saturday, Vigil of Pentecost)
Thou, on those who evermore Thee confess and Thee Adore, in Thy sevenfold gift, Descend; Give Them Comfort when they die; Give them Life with Thee on high; Give them joys which never end. Amen
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit
The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.
Prayer
Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

[Say the novena for nine consecutive days.]
O holy angels, whom God,
by the effect of His goodness and His tender regard for my welfare,
has charged with the care of my conduct,
and who assists me in all my wants
and comforts me in all my afflictions,
who supports me when I am discouraged
and continually obtains for me new favors,
I return thee profound thanks,
and I earnestly beseech thee,
O most amiable protector,
to continue thy charitable care and defense of me
against the malignant attacks of all my enemies.
Keep me away from all occasions of sin.
Obtain for me the grace of listening attentively
to thy holy inspirations
and of faithfully putting them into practice.
In particular, I implore thee to obtain for me
the favor which I ask for by this novena.

[Here mention your need(s).]

Protect me in all the temptations and trials of this life,
but more especially at the hour of my death,
and do not leave me until thou hast conducted me
into the presence of my Creator
in the mansions of everlasting happiness.
Amen.

Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:
"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."
In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."
The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are:
DAY 1 (Good Friday) - All mankind, especially sinners
DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) - The souls of priests and religious
DAY 3 (Easter Sunday) - All devout and faithful souls
DAY 4 (Easter Monday) - Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him
DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) - The souls of separated brethren
DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) - The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) - The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy
DAY 8 (Easter Friday) - The souls who are detained in purgatory;
DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) - The souls who have become lukewarm.
During the Solemn Novena leading to Divine Mercy Sunday,
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy should be offered each day for the
day's intentions.
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First Day
"Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."
Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.
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Second Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious,
and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."
Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.
* In the original text, Saint Faustina uses the pronoun "us" since she was offering this prayer as a consecrated religious sister. The wording adapted here is intended to make the prayer suitable for universal use.
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Third Day
"Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness."
Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.
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Fourth Day
"Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me,
I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."
Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
*Our Lord's original words here were "the pagans." Since the pontificate of Pope John XXIII, the Church has seen fit to replace this term with clearer and more appropriate terminology.
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Fifth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church*,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion."
Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.
*Our Lord's original words here were "heretics and schismatics," since He spoke to Saint Faustina within the context of her times. As of the Second Vatican Council, Church authorities have seen fit not to use those designations in accordance with the explanation given in the Council's Decree on Ecumenism (n.3). Every pope since the Council has reaffirmed that usage. Saint Faustina herself, her heart always in harmony with the mind of the Church, most certainly would have agreed. When at one time, because of the decisions of her superiors and father confessor, she was not able to execute Our Lord's inspirations and orders, she declared: "I will follow Your will insofar as You will permit me to do so through Your representative. O my Jesus " I give priority to the voice of the Church over the voice with which You speak to me" (497). The Lord confirmed her action and praised her for it.
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Sixth Day
Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.
Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
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Seventh Day
Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy*,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:

Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.
*The text leads one to conclude that in the first prayer directed to Jesus, Who is the Redeemer, it is "victim" souls and contemplatives that are being prayed for; those persons, that is, that voluntarily offered themselves to God for the salvation of their neighbor (see Col 1:24; 2 Cor 4:12). This explains their close union with the Savior and the extraordinary efficacy that their invisible activity has for others. In the second prayer, directed to the Father from whom comes "every worthwhile gift and every genuine benefit,"we recommend the "active" souls, who promote devotion to The Divine Mercy and exercise with it all the other works that lend themselves to the spiritual and material uplifting of their brethren.
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Eighth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
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Ninth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."
Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.

O Immaculate Virgin Mary,
Mother of Our Lord Jesus and our Mother,
penetrated with the most lively confidence in your all-powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal,
we your loving and trustful children implore you to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this novena,
if they be beneficial to our immortal souls,
and the souls for whom we pray.
(Here form your petition)
You know, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of your Son who hates iniquity.
Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every thought, word and deed may tend to His greater glory.
Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where you are the Queen of angels and of men.
Amen

O St. Jude, holy Apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, you are honored and petitioned by the universal Church, as the patron of desperate, hopeless and impossible cases. Pray for me. I am so very helpless and I feel alone.
Intercede for me that Almighty God may bring swift aid where it is needed most. Come to my assistance in my great time of need!
Pray for me that I may be given the comfort and help of Jesus. Most importantly, I ask that you pray that I may one day join you and all of the saints in heaven to praise God in consolation, rest and joy for all eternity.
I will remember your prayers, O Holy St. Jude. I will honor you as my patron as so many have before me because of the graces God deigns to give freely at your request.
Amen
Novena Closing Prayers
May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. — Amen.
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. — Amen.
St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. — Amen.
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity.
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Amen.
St. Jude Novena – DAY ONE
O blessed apostle St. Jude, who labored zealously among the Gentiles in many lands, and performed numerous miracles in needy and despairing cases, I ask you to take interest in my needs. I know that you understand me. Please hear my prayers and my petitions. Please beg God for me and my deepest needs.
(State your intentions)
I pray that I will be patient in learning God’s holy will for me and then courageously carry it out in my life.
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
Amen.
St. Jude Novena – DAY TWO
O blessed apostle Jude, who answers hopeless causes, grant that I will always serve Jesus Christ with fervor and zeal. Grant that I may give my best efforts in living His will every day. Please pray that I will turn my heart and mind such that God will always be first in my life. May my love of God be first above all things, all desires and even all my intentions today.
(State your intentions)
St. Jude, please grant that I may be enlightened as to what is best for me! Pray for my intentions today and especially pray for me to receive the grace to love God more than what I seek from Him.
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
St. Jude Novena – DAY THREE
O holy St. Jude, apostle of Jesus Christ, you who have so faithfully spread Jesus’ Gospel of Light and Love, I ask and beg you to remember me and my deepest needs. St. Jude, please especially pray for…
(State your intentions)
Grant that I may always pray with fervor and devotion, resigning myself and my needs humbly to my loving God. Grant that I may see God’s purpose in all my trials and that I may be open to God’s answers to my sincere prayers.
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
St. Jude Novena – DAY FOUR
Saint Jude, Jesus called you to be one of His chosen and beloved apostles. With God’s calling, you labored to bring men to a knowledge and love of God. Please listen with compassion to my prayers and grant your intercession.
In this broken world I have many trials, difficulties, and temptations. Please pray for me and my petitions in God’s presence. St. Jude, beg God that my most urgent prayers may be answered.
(State your intentions)
May God answer my prayers in His way that is best for me. May God give me the grace to see His purpose in all things.
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
St. Jude Novena – DAY FIVE
O blessed St. Jude, close companion my Lord Jesus, you have given me a good example of how to lead a life of zeal and devotion to Jesus. I humbly request that today you hear my prayers and petitions and intercede for me. I ask you to pray especially for…
(State your intentions)
As I pray for God’s blessings in my life today, please grant that I may never forget all the truth, goodness and beauty that God has given to me out of His pure love for me. May I, like you St. Jude, give thanks and praise to God every day for the blessings that I have asked for and those which God has given freely. I humbly give myself over to God’s holy will, knowing that He alone knows what is best for me and my present needs.
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
St. Jude Novena – DAY SIX
Dearest St. Jude, friend and apostle of Christ and expert in despairing cases, hear my prayers. In all my needs and desires may I only seek what is pleasing to God and what is best for my salvation and the salvation of the world. Saint Jude, please beg God for help with my requests…
(State your intentions)
I submit my prayers to you with great confidence in your intercession. I know that you will pray fervently at the feet of God that I may receive His greatest blessings. I know that our good and gracious Lord leaves no sincere prayer unanswered in some way. Help me to see His answers and praise Him even if they are not what I expect.
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
St. Jude Novena – DAY SEVEN
Holy apostle Saint Jude, may I never forget that our blessed Lord Jesus Christ called you to be one of His holy apostles. May I never forget the martyr’s death you suffered out of love for Jesus. May I never forget how close a friend of God you are now for all eternity. Therefore, I do not hesitate to ask you to pray to Him for my needs…
(State your intentions)
I ask with great humility that you beg God to bring me as close to Him as you are in heaven. I desire to submit fully to the will of God, as you did, trusting fully when I suffer, doubt or don’t understand. Pray that I will receive and accept such a great grace from God!
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
St. Jude Novena – DAY EIGHT
O gracious Saint Jude, apostle of my Lord, pray that I may always be open to God’s love and live according to His holy will. May I never fail to cooperate with the grace of God, especially when I am in such great need. St. Jude, please intercede with great intensity on my behalf for these intentions…
(State your intentions)
May I forever be deeply and truly thankful to God for the blessings I have received in the past. Help me to understand that I am totally dependent on God and His love and mercy. When I feel alone, as you surely did when you suffered a martyr’s death, pray that I will take it as an opportunity to rely on God’s grace and love.
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
St. Jude Novena – DAY NINE
O righteous Saint Jude, apostle, martyr and companion of Christ, grant that I may grow constantly in a loving relationship with God. In working out my salvation in this life I have infinite needs and desires that God placed within me. Today I turn to you, asking you to intercede for me.
(mention your request)
Saint Jude, I have specific requests of God that may only partially fill the infinite needs and desires that are in my heart. I ask that you pray not only for those requests but also for a greater reliance on God to satisfy the needs and desires that I have. May I seek God with a sincere heart knowing that it will profit me nothing if I gain the whole world yet suffer the loss of my soul. So, help me to see God’s good and gracious purpose in all my trials.
Amen.
St. Jude, pray for me!
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening Prayers:
St. Michael the Archangel, we honor you as a powerful protector of the Church and guardian of our souls. Inspire us with your humility, courage and strength that we may reject sin and perfect our love for our Heavenly Father.
In your strength and humility, slay the evil and pride in our hearts so that nothing will keep us from God.
Daily Prayers:
Day One:
St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may be blessed by God with the zeal to live our lives in accordance with Christ’s teachings.
Day Two:
St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may have the grace to see the image of God in the least of our brothers and sisters.
Day Three:
St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may be protected from the snares of the devil, that we may avoid all occasions of sin.
Day Four:
St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may have an overwhelming desire to humble ourselves before God in service to His Will.
Day Five:
St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may have the moral strength to defeat disordered desires and passions that would take the place of Almighty God.
Day Six:
St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may have the faith to truly entrust our lives to the loving care of our Heavenly Father.
Day Seven:
St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may have the grace to joyfully dedicate everything that we do to the greater glory of God.
Day Eight:
St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may have the will to faithfully obey God in all of his commandments.
Day Nine:
St. Michael the Archangel, pray that we may have the grace to share eternity with our Heavenly Father.
Closing Prayer:
St. Michael the Archangel, you are the prince of angels but in your humility you recognized that God is God and you are but His servant. Unlike satan, you were not overcome with pride but were steadfast in humility. Pray that we will have this same humility.
It is in the spirit of that humility that we ask for your intercession for our petitions…
(state your petitions)
“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

While this Novena can be said at any time during the year, it is most popular during the 9 days prior to the Feast of the Epiphany (January), the 9 th day ending on the Feast.
Day 1


O holy Magi,
you were living in continual expectation
of the rising of the Star of Jacob,
which would announce the birth
of the true Sun of justice,
obtain for us an increase
of faith and charity,
and the grace to live
in continual hope of beholding one day
the light of heavenly glory and eternal joy.

Glory Be...

Day 2


O holy Magi,
who at the first appearance of the wondrous star
left your native country to go and seek
the newborn king of the Jews,
obtain for us the grace of corresponding
with alacrity to every divine inspiration.

Glory Be...

Day 3


O holy Magi,
who regarded neither the severity of the season,
nor the inconveniences of the journey,
that you might find the new-born Messiah;
obtain for us the grace
not to allow ourselves to be discouraged
by any of the difficulties which may meet us
in the way of salvation.

Glory Be...

Day 4


O holy Magi,
who when deserted by the star
in the city of Jerusalem,
sought humbly, and without human respect,
from the rulers of the Church,
the place where you might discover
the object of your journey,
obtain for us the grace to have recourse,
in faith and humility,
in all our doubts and perplexities
to the counsel of our superiors,
who hold the place of God on earth.

Glory Be...

Day 5


O holy Magi,
who were gladdened by the reappearance
of the star which led you to Bethlehem,
obtain for us from God the grace that,
remaining always faithful to Him in afflictions,
we may be consoled in time by His glory.

Glory Be...

Day 6


O holy Magi,
who, entering full of faith
into the stable of Bethlehem,
prostrated yourselves on the earth,
to adore the new-born King of the Jews,
though He was surrounded only by signs
of poverty and weakness,
obtain from the Lord for us a lively faith
in the real presence of Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament,
the true spirit of poverty,
and a Christlike charity
for the poor and suffering.

Glory Be...

Day 7


O holy Magi,
who offered to Jesus Christ gold, incense, and myrrh,
thereby recognizing Him to be at once King, God, and Man,
obtain from the Lord for us
the grace never to present ourselves
before Him with empty hands,
but that we may continually
offer to Him the gold of charity,
the incense of prayer,
and the myrrh of penance and mortification.

Glory Be...

Day 8


O holy Magi,
who when warned by an angel
not to return to Herod,
traveled back to your country by another road,
obtain for us from the Lord the grace that,
after having found Him by true repentance,
we may avoid all danger of losing Him again.

Glory Be...

Day 9


O holy Magi,
who were the first among the Gentiles
called to the knowledge of Jesus Christ,
and who persevered in the faith until your deaths,
obtain for us from the Lord
the grace of living always in conformity
to the baptismal promises
and especially in accordance with our religious vows
(or 'the duties of our state of life'),
leading ever a life of faith,
that like you we may attain to beatific vision
of that God Who now is the object of our faith.

Glory Be...

Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O most sweet Jesus,
through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane,
have mercy on these Blessed Souls.
Have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus,
through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul,
have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

(State your intention(s) here while recommending yourself to the souls in Purgatory.)

Blessed Souls, I have prayed for thee;
I entreat thee, who are so dear to God,
and who are secure of never losing Him,
to pray for me a miserable sinner,
who is in danger of being damned,
and of losing God forever.

Amen.

DAY ONE



Jesus, my Saviour, I have so often deserved to be cast into hell.
how great would be my suffering if I were now cast away
and obliged to think that I myself had caused my damnation.
I thank Thee for the patience with which Thou hast endured me.
My God, I love Thee above all things
and I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee
because Thou art infinite goodness.
I will rather die than offend Thee again.
Grant me the grace of perseverance.
Have pity on me and at the same time
on those blessed souls suffering in Purgatory.
Mary, Mother of God,
come to their assistance with thy powerful intercession.

Say the following prayers:

1 Our Father...
1 Hail Mary...
The above Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory .

DAY TWO



Woe to me, unhappy being,
so many years have I already spent on earth
and have earned naught but hell!
I give Thee thanks, O Lord,
for granting me time even now to atone for my sins.
My good God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee.
Send me Thy assistance,
that I may apply the time yet remaining to me
for Thy love and service;
have compassion on me, and,
at the same time,
on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory.
O Mary, Mother of God,
come to their assistance with thy powerful intercession.

Say the following prayers:

1 Our Father...
1 Hail Mary...
The above Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory .

DAY THREE



My God! because Thou art infinite goodness,
I love Thee above all things,
and repent with my whole heart of my offenses against Thee.
Grant me the grace of holy perseverance.
Have compassion on me,
and, at the same,
on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory.
And thou, Mary, Mother of God,
come to their assistance with thy powerful intercession.

Say the following prayers:

1 Our Father...
1 Hail Mary...
The above Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory .

DAY FOUR



My God! because Thou art infinite goodness,
I am sorry with my whole heart for having offended Thee.
I promise to die rather than ever offend Thee more.
Give me holy perseverance;
have pity on me,
and have pity on those holy souls
that burn in the cleansing fire
and love Thee with all their hearts.
O Mary, Mother of God,
assist them by thy powerful prayers.

Say the following prayers:

1 Our Father...
1 Hail Mary...
The above Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory .

DAY FIVE



Woe to me, unhappy being, if Thou, O Lord,
hadst cast me into hell;
for from that dungeon of eternal pain there is no deliverance.
I love Thee above all things,
O infinite God and I am sincerely sorry for having offended Thee again.
Grant me the grace of holy perseverance.
Have compassion on me,
and, at the same time,
on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory.
O Mary, Mother of God,
come to their assistance with thy powerful intercession.

Say the following prayers:

1 Our Father...
1 Hail Mary...
The above Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory .

DAY SIX



My Divine Redeemer,
Thou didst die for me on the Cross,
and hast so often united Thyself with me in Holy Communion,
and I have repaid Thee only with ingratitude.
Now, however, I love Thee above all things,
O supreme God;
and I am more grieved at my offences against Thee than at any other evil.
I will rather die than offend Thee again.
Grant me the grace of holy perseverance.
Have compassion on me, and, at the same time,
on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory.
Mary, Mother of God,
come to their aid with thy powerful intercession.

Say the following prayers:

1 Our Father...
1 Hail Mary...
The above Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory .

DAY SEVEN



God, Father of Mercy,
satisfy this their ardent desire!
Send them Thy holy Angel to announce to them that Thou, their Father,
are now reconciled with them through the suffering and death of Jesus,
and that the moment of their deliverance has arrived.

Say the following prayers:

1 Our Father...
1 Hail Mary...
The above Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory .

DAY EIGHT



Oh my God! I also am one of these ungrateful beings,
having received so much grace,
and yet despised Thy love and deserved to be cast by Thee into hell.
But Thy infinite goodness has spared me until now.
Therefore, I now love Thee above all things,
and I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee.
I will rather die than ever offend Thee.
Grant me the grace of holy perseverance.
Have compassion on me and,
at the same time,
on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory.
Mary, Mother of God,
come to their aid with thy powerful intercession.

Say the following prayers:

1 Our Father...
1 Hail Mary...
The above Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory .

DAY NINE



My God! How was it possible that I,
for so many years, have borne tranquilly the separation from Thee
and Thy holy grace!
O infinite Goodness,
how long-suffering hast Thou shown Thyself to me!
Henceforth, I shall love Thee above all things.
I am deeply sorry for having offended Thee;
I promise rather to die than to again offend Thee.
Grant me the grace of holy perseverance,
and do not permit that I should ever again fall into sin.
Have compassion on the holy souls in Purgatory.
I pray Thee, moderate their sufferings;
shorten the time of their misery;
call them soon unto Thee in heaven,
that they may behold Thee face to face,
and forever love Thee.
Mary, Mother of Mercy,
come to their aid with thy powerful intercession,
and pray for us also who are still in danger of eternal damnation.

Say the following prayers:

1 Our Father...
1 Hail Mary...
The above Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Holy Souls in Purgatory .

First, recite the Prayer to the Immaculate Conception.

O God,
who by the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son,
we beseech You that,
as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son,
You did preserve Her from all stain,
so too You would permit us,
purified through Her intercession,
to come unto You.
Through the same Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son, who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, world without end.

Amen.



Then, recite the appropriate prayer of each of the 9 days...

DAY ONE



O most Holy Virgin,
who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother,
immaculate in body and spirit,
in faith and in love,
look kindly on me as I implore your powerful intercession.
O most Holy Mother,
who by your blessed Immaculate Conception,
from the first moment of your conception
did crush the head of the enemy,
receive our prayers as we implore you
to present at the throne of God the favor we now request...

(State your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

DAY TWO



O Mary, ever blessed Virgin,
Mother of God,
Queen of angels and of saints,
we salute you with the most profound veneration
and filial devotion
as we contemplate your holy Immaculate Conception,
We thank you for your maternal protection
and for the many blessings that we have received
through your wondrous mercy
and most powerful intercession.
In all our necessities
we have recourse to you
with unbounded confidence.
O Mother of Mercy,
we beseech you now to hear our prayer
and to obtain for us of your Divine Son
the favor that we so earnestly request in this novena...

(State your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

DAY THREE



O Blessed Virgin Mary,
glory of the Christian people,
joy of the universal Church
and Mother of Our Lord,
speak for us to the Heart of Jesus,
who is your Son and our brother.
O Mary, who by your holy Immaculate Conception
did enter the world free from stain,
in your mercy obtain for us from Jesus
the special favor which we now so earnestly seek...

(State your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

DAY FOUR



O Mary, Mother of God,
endowed in your glorious Immaculate Conception
with the fullness of grace;
unique among women
in that you are both mother and virgin;
Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ,
we ask you to look down with a tender heart
from your throne and listen to our prayers
as we earnestly ask that you obtain for us
the favor for which we now plead...

(State your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

DAY FIVE



O Lord, who, by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary,
did prepare a fitting dwelling for your Son,
we beseech you that as by the foreseen death of your Son,
you did preserve her from all stain of sin,
grant that through her intercession,
we may be favored with the granting of the grace
that we seek for at this time...

(State your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

DAY SIX



Glorious and immortal Queen of Heaven,
we profess our firm belief in your Immaculate Conception
preordained for you in the merits of your Divine Son.
We rejoice with you in your Immaculate Conception.
To the one ever-reigning God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
three in one Person,
one in nature,
we offer thanks for your blessed Immaculate Conception.
O Mother of the Word mad Flesh,
listen to our petition as we ask
this special grace during this novena...

(State your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

DAY SEVEN



O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and my mother,
from the sublime heights of your dignity
turn your merciful eyes upon me while I,
full of confidence in your bounty
and keeping in mind your Immaculate conception
and fully conscious of your power,
beg of you to come to our aid
and ask your Divine Son to grant the favour
we earnestly seek in this novena,
if it be beneficial for our immortal souls
and the souls for whom we pray.

Amen.

(State your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

DAY EIGHT



O Most gracious Virgin Mary,
beloved Mother of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer,
intercede with him for us
that we be granted the favor which we petition
for so earnestly in this novena...

(State your intention here...)

O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
we feel animated with confidence
that your prayers in our behalf
will be graciously heard before the throne of God.
O Glorious Mother of God,
in memory of your joyous Immaculate Conception,
hear our prayers and obtain for us our petitions.

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

DAY NINE



O Mother of the King of the Universe,
most perfect member of the human race,
"our tainted nature’s solitary boast,"
we turn to you as mother,
advocate, and mediatrix. O Holy Mary,
assist us in our present necessity.
By your Immaculate Conception,
O Mary conceived without sin,
we humbly beseech you from the bottom of our heart
to intercede for us with your Divine Son
and ask that we be granted the favor for which we now plead...

(State your intention here...)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

On the last day of this Novena, recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.
Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, hear us
Christ, graciously hear us

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit, ...
Holy Trinity, one God, ...

Holy Mary, pray for us
Holy Mother of God, pray for us
Holy Virgin of virgins, ...
Mother of Christ, ...
Mother of Divine Grace, ...
Mother most pure, ...
Mother most chaste, ...
Mother inviolate, ...
Mother undefiled, ...
Mother most amiable, ...
Mother most admirable, ...
Mother of good counsel, ...
Mother of our Creator, ...
Mother of our Saviour, ...
Virgin most prudent, ...
Virgin most venerable, ...
Virgin most renowned, ...
Virgin most powerful, ...
Virgin most merciful, ...
Virgin most faithful, ...
Mirror of justice, ...
Seat of wisdom, ...
Cause of our joy, ...
Spiritual vessel, ...
Vessel of honour, ...
Singular vessel of devotion, ...
Mystical rose, ...
Tower of David, ...
Tower of ivory, ...
House of gold, ...
Ark of the covenant, ...
Gate of heaven, ...
Morning star, ...
Health of the sick, ...
Refuge of sinners, ...
Comforter of the afflicted, ...
Help of Christians, ...
Queen of Angels, ...
Queen of Patriarchs, ...
Queen of Prophets, ...
Queen of Apostles, ...
Queen of Martyrs, ...
Queen of Confessors, ...
Queen of Virgins, ...
Queen of all Saints, ...
Queen conceived without original sin, ...
Queen assumed into heaven, ...
Queen of the most holy Rosary, ...
Queen of Peace, ...

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Grant we beseech Thee, O Lord God,
that we, Thy servants,
may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body:
and, by the glorious intercession of the blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal gladness.
Through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Begin be reciting the following prayer...

O Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler!
I adore you as my True God.
I bless You by uniting myself to the praises
You receive from the angel and saints.
I offer You my whole heart,
and I render You heartfelt thanks
for all the benefits You have bestowed
and do unceasingly bestow upon the world.
You are the author of all supernatural gifts
and who did enrich with immense favors the soul
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God,
I beseech you to visit me by Your grace and Your love,
and grant me the favor
I so earnestly seek in this novena...

State your request here...

O Holy Spirit,
spirit of truth,
come into our hearts:
shed the brightness of your light on all nations,
that they may be of one faith and pleasing to You.

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Recite the prayer of the appropriate day...

DAY ONE



O Holy Spirit,
bestow upon us Your seven holy gifts.
Enlighten our understanding that we may know You.
Give us wisdom that Your will may be clear to us
and that we may accept it.
Grant us the gift of counsel
that we may always perceive what is right.
Fortify us that we may always be capable
of fulfilling Your Divine Will.
Inspire us with the spirit of learning
that we may be able to penetrate more deeply
into the truths that You have revealed.
Let our hearts be steeped in the spirit of childlikeness
that we may bring You joy.
Let us have proper fear of God
that we may never grieve You
or wander from the path of goodness.
Give us the fulness of Your gifts
that we may glorify You.

Amen.

Look with compassion upon us,
O Holy Spirit,
and grant us the favor we seek in this novena...

State your request here...

if it be in accordance with Your Holy Will.


DAY TWO



O Holy Spirit,
make me faithful in every thought,
and grant that I may always listen to your voice,
and watch for Your light,
and follow Your gracious inspirations.
I cling to You,
and give myself to You,
and ask You by Your compassion
to watch over me in my weakness.
Holding the pierced feet of Jesus,
looking at His Five Wounds,
trusting in His Precious Blood,
adoring His opened side and stricken heart,
I implore You adorable Spirit,
helper of my infirmity,
to keep me in Your grace,
now and always,
and grant us the favor we ask in this novena...

State your request here...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.


DAY THREE



Heavenly Father,
You have called me to be a member
of the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ,
and to be a temple of the Holy Spirit.
I ask You to give me these gifts of the Holy Spirit:
wisdom, that I may understand the follies of this world;
understanding, that I may grasp more fully
the meaning of my existence
and the purpose of all things in the world;
counsel, that I may always choose the proper way;
fortitude, that I may remain faithful to You
under the pressure of temptation.;
piety, that I may revere You in all I do, think or say;
fear of the Lord, that should the motive of love fail me,
I may quickly be awakened to the eternal consequences of my deeds.
Visit me by Your grace
and Your love
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

State your request here...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.


DAY FOUR



O God, Who today by the light of the Holy Spirit
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
give us, by the light of the same Holy Spirit,
a love for what is right and just
and a constant enjoyment of His comforts.
Pray Holy Spirit,
that I may strive to learn more of my faith;
that I may ever be conscious that reason in all
its human magnificence is capable of grasping
but a glimpse of the reality that is God.
Pray that I may accept as the motto of my life:
"All for the greater glory of God"
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

State your request here...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.


DAY FIVE



Come, O Spirit of sanctity,
from the glory of heaven
and send forth the radiance of Your light.
Father of all the poor,
light and peace of all hearts,
come with Your countless gifts.
Consoler in desolation;
refreshment full of loveliness,
come dear friend of my soul.
In weariness send repose;
breath gently cool refreshing breeze;
console the desolate who weep alone.
Light of Beatitude,
make our hearts ready;
come enter our souls.
Without Your grace,
man stands alone;
he cannot be good or sure.
Cleanse what is soiled;
heal what is wounded;
moisten what is arid.
Bend the stubborn will;
warm the cold heart;
guide the wandering footstep.
O Holy Spirit,
we beg You to give us grace through Your sevenfold power
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

State your request here...

Give us merit for the present,
and one day beatitude when we have finished our earthly journey.

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.


DAY SIX



O Father in Heaven,
I beg You to send the Holy Spirit.
May Your Holy Spirit remind me
when I am apt to forget Your law.
Your love, Your promises.
May Your Holy Spirit strengthen my memory
to recall frequently Your sanctity,
omniscience, wisdom, and goodness,
faithfulness, and love.
May Your Holy Spirit encourage me when I am slothful;
strengthen me when I am weak;
enlighten me when I no longer can help myself.
Breathe into me, O Holy Spirit,
that I may do what is holy.
Stir me, that I may love what is holy.
Strengthen me, that I may preserve what is holy.
Protect me, Holy Spirit,
that I may never lose what is holy
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

State your request here...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.


DAY SEVEN



Come, Holy Spirit,
creator of all things:
come visit our hearts with Your power.
Fill with grace, friendly guest,
the hearts which You have created.
You are called the Consoler,
gift from the hand of God,
source of life, light, love,
and flame, highest good.
You are the pledge of sevenfold grace,
finger of the Father’s hand,
promised us by Him,
and You make our tongues speak the truth.
Cast light on our senses,
pour love into our hearts.
Grant our weak bodies strength
that they may never grow weary of doing good
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

State your request here...

Keep the enemy far from us,
give us peace always,
let us willingly follow in Your footsteps
that we may be far removed from sin.
Grant that through You
we may grow in knowledge of the Father and of the Son,
and that we may ever strongly believe in You,
the Spirit of both.
Praise and honor be forever to the Father on the highest throne,
in the risen Son of God,
in the Consoler.

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.


DAY EIGHT



O Holy Spirit,
life and light of the Church,
give us thoughts higher than our own thoughts,
and prayers better than our own prayers,
and powers beyond our own powers,
that we may love and live,
imitating Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
Come to us, Holy Spirit,
come with the Father
and the Son
and grant me the favor I so earnestly request in this novena...

State your request here...

Vouchsafe to dwell within our souls
and quickly make our hearts Your own.
Quench in us the fires of hate and strife,
the wasting fever of the heart.
From perils guard our feeble life
and to our souls Your peace impart.
Let voice and mind and heart
and strength confess
and glorify Your name
and let the fire of charity burn bright
and other hearts inflame.

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.


DAY NINE



O Lord, Holy Spirit,
grant me sight to see the wondrous promise of divine love;
insight to see my own weakness;
delight in Your divine presence in my soul
which You have made Your temple through sanctifying grace.
I pray, O Holy Spirit,
that I may be not doubting;
that I be spared the pain of being alone
without trust or hope in Christ;
that my prayer may always be "My Lord and my God!"
I pray that I may acquire a sense of retreat
to prayer and recollection at various times in my daily life;
for prayer is the bond that joins us to Christ.
I pray that I may be aware of the physical needs of the poor
and that I may share what I can with them
in the charitable works of the Church.
I pray, O Holy Spirit,
that You will in Your mercy
grant me the favor I have sought in this novena...

State your request here...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

1 st day: THE NATIVITY



Scripture Reading:

While they were there, the days of her confinement were completed.
She gave birth to her first born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes
and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the place
where travelers lodged.

There were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping night
watch by turns over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them: “You have nothing to fear!
I come to proclaim good news to you, tidings of great joy to be shared by
the whole people. This day in David’s city a Saviour has been born to you,
the Messiah and Lord. Let this be a sign to you: in a manger you will find
an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes.” [Luke 2:6-12.]

Prayer:

Jesus, Divine Infant, my companion, confidant and friend,
I come eagerly and often to unite myself closely to You.
Your church shall be my Bethlehem, the altar, the crib;
bread and wine, the swaddling clothes by which I can recognize You as my God.
I take You into my arms as Mary,
Joseph and the shepherds did in adoration to You,
my Saviour and Messiah.

Pause for personal meditation…

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O Jesus Divine Infant, have mercy on us.

2 nd day: THE PRESENTATION



Scripture Reading:

There lived in Jerusalem at the time a certain man named Simeon.
He was just and pious, and awaited the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It was revealed to him by the
Holy Spirit that he would not experience death until he had seen
the Anointed of the Lord. He came to the temple now, inspired
by the Spirit; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform for Him the customary ritual of the law, he took Him
in his arms and blessed God in these words: “Now, Master, you
can dismiss your servant in peace; you have fulfilled your word.
For my eyes have witnessed your saving deed displayed for all
the peoples to see; a revealing light to the Gentiles, the glory
of your people Israel.” [Luke 2:25-32]

Prayer:

Jesus, Divine Infant,
Your presentation in the temple was Your first external consecration
to your priestly mission.
This mission continues today at Daily Mass in the hands of all Your priests.
Through frequent Holy Communion,
make me more like You,
that my whole life may be a holy sacrifice pleasing to God.

Pause for personal meditation…

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O Jesus Divine Infant, have mercy on us.

3 rd day: THE FINDING IN THE TEMPLE



Scripture Reading:

The parents of Jesus used to go every year to Jerusalem for the
feast of the Passover, and when Jesus was twelve they went up for
the celebration as was their custom. As they were returning at the
end of the feast, unknown to His parents, the child Jesus remained
behind. Thinking He was in the party, they continued their journey
for a day, looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

Not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of Him. On
the third day they came upon Him in the temple sitting in the midst
of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All
who heard Him were amazed at His intelligence and His answers.

When His parents saw Him they were astonished, and His mother said
to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? You see that Your father
and I have been searching for You in sorrow.” He said to them, “Why
did you search for Me? Did you not known I would be in My Father’s
house?” But they did not grasp what He said to them. Luke 2:41-50

Prayer:

Jesus, Divine Infant, Mary and Joseph searched for three days to find You.
How often we, too, search for answers to life’s complex problems.
In our impatience we become frustrated and angry and lose our way.
Instill in us a supreme faith in God’s love.
Through the prayers of Your dear mother an father,
teach us to abandon ourselves completely in Your Divine plan.

Pause for personal meditation…

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O Jesus Divine Infant, have mercy on us.

4 th day: THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN



Scripture Reading:

Jesus went out and made His way, as was His custom, to the Mount of
Olives; His disciples accompanied Him. On reaching the place He said
to them, “Pray that you may not be put to the test.” He withdrew from
them about a stone’s throw, then went down on His knees and prayed in
these words: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup from Me; let
not My will but Yours be done.” An angel then appeared to Him from
heaven to strengthen Him. In His anguish He prayed with all the greater
intensity, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the
ground. Then He rose from prayer and came to His disciples, only to
find them asleep, exhausted with grief. He said to them, “Why are you
sleeping? Wake up, and pray that you may not be subject to the trial.”
[Luke 2:39-46]

Pause for personal meditation…

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O Jesus Divine Infant, have mercy on us.

5 th day: CARRYING THE CROSS



Scripture Reading:

Jesus was led away, and carrying the cross by Himself, went out to what
is called the Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they
crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on each side, with Jesus
in the middle. Pilate had an inscription placed on the cross which read,
JESUS THE NAZARENE, KING OF THE JEWS. This inscription, in Hebrew, Latin
and Greek, was read by many of the Jews, sine the place where Jesus was
crucified was near the city. The chief priests of the Jews tried to tell
Pilate, “You should not have written, ‘The King of the Jews.’ Write
instead, ‘This man claimed to be king of the Jews.’ Pilate answered,
“What I have written, I have written.” John 19:16-22

Prayer:

Jesus, Divine Infant,
You and the cross are at last together
and Your heart is already nailed to it.
Teach me to bear my pains and disappointments
patiently in atonement for my sins.
Make my cross of life Your own,
and help me to love my sufferings
as You loved Your cross.

Pause for personal meditation…

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O Jesus Divine Infant, have mercy on us.

6 th day: THE CRUCIFIXION



Scripture Reading:

Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the
wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Seeing His mother there with the
disciple whom He loved, Jesus said to His mother, “Woman, there is your
son.” In turn He said to the disciple, “There is your mother.” From that
hour onward, the disciple took her into his care.

After that, Jesus, realizing that everything was now finished, said to
fulfill the Scripture, “I am thirsty.” There was a jar there, full of
common wine. They stuck a sponge soaked in this wine on some hyssop and
raised it to His lips. When Jesus took the wine, He said, “Now it is
finished.” Then He bowed His head, and delivered over His spirit.
[John 19:25-30]

Prayer:

Jesus, Divine Infant,
at last Calvary is reached.
The soldiers seized You roughly
and strip the garments from Your torn body.
Strip me of all sinfulness
and clothe my poor soul with Your own purity and holiness.
I thank You for Your love for me.
May I always live for love of You.

Pause for personal meditation…

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O Jesus Divine Infant, have mercy on us.

7 th day: THE RESURRECTION



Scripture Reading:

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and
Salome bought perfumed oils with which they intended to anoint Jesus. Very
early, just after sunrise on the first day of the week they came to the
tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for
us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked, they found that the
huge boulder had been rolled back. On entering the tomb they saw a young
man sitting at the right, dressed in a white robe. This frightened them
thoroughly, but he reassured them: “You need not be frightened! You are
looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the one who was crucified. He has been
raised up/ He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. Go now
and tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee,
where you will see Him just as He told you.’” [Mark 16:1-7]

Prayer:

Jesus, Divine Infant,
after Your burial Your enemies sealed the opening of Your tomb
and rejoiced that they had conquered You at last.
Through Your glorious resurrection
I hope that you will make my body like Your own in glory,
and permit me to dwell with you in heaven.

Pause for personal meditation…

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O Jesus Divine Infant, have mercy on us.

8 th day: THE ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN



Scripture Reading:

Jesus said to His disciples, “Thus it is written that the Messiah must
suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. In His name, penance for
the remission of sins is to be preached to the nations, beginning at
Jerusalem. You are witnesses of this. See, I send down upon you the promise
of My Father. Remain here in the city until you are clothed with power from
on high.”

He then led them out near Bethany, and with hands upraised, blessed them.
As He blessed, He left them, and was taken up to heaven. They fell down to
worship Him, then returned to heaven. They fell down to worship Him, then
returned to Jerusalem filled with joy. There they were to be found in the
temple constantly, speaking the praise of God. [Luke 24:46-53]

Prayer:

Jesus, Divine Infant,
on this fortieth day after Your resurrection,
standing on the Mount of Olives
You prepare to ascend on high to where the glories of heaven await You.
When the struggle of this life is over,
give me the grace to share Your joy and triumph
in heaven for all eternity.

Pause for personal meditation…

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O Jesus Divine Infant, have mercy on us.

9 th day: THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT



Scripture Reading:

When the day of Pentecost came it found them gathered in one place. Suddenly
from up in the sky there came a noise like a strong, driving wind which was
heard all through the house where they were seated. Tongues as of fire
appeared which parted and came to rest on each of them. All were filled with
the Holy Spirit. They began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make
bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them.

Staying in Jerusalem at the time were devout Jews of every nation under heaven.
They heard the sound, and assembled in a large crowd. They were very confused
because each one heard these men speaking his own language. The whole
occurrence astonished them. [Acts 2:1-7]

Prayer:

Jesus, Divine Infant, You have fulfilled Your promise
“I will ask the Father and He will give you another paraclete,
to be with you always.”
Being filled with Your Divine grace,
may we go forth fearlessly to preach Jesus Christ in both word and deed.

Pause for personal meditation…

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O Jesus Divine Infant, have mercy on us.

FOREWORD
The Novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all the Novenas. It was authored at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the only Novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.


ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses,
I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God.
I adore the brightness of Your purity,
the unerring keenness of Your justice,
and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my soul.
In You I live and move and am.
I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace
and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You.
Mercifully guard my every thought
and grant that I may always watch for Your light,
and listen to Your voice,
and follow Your gracious inspirations.
I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You,
by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness.
Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus
and looking at His Five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood
and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart,
I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity,
to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You.
Give me grace, O Holy Spirit,
Spirit of the Father and the Son
to say to You always and everywhere,
"Speak Lord for Your servant heareth."

Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who,
before ascending into heaven
did promise to send the Holy Spirit
to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples,
deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me
that He may perfect in my soul,
the work of Your grace and Your love.
Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom
that I may despise the perishable things of this world
and aspire only after the things that are eternal,
the Spirit of Understanding
to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth,
the Spirit of Counsel
that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven,
the Spirit of Fortitude
that I may bear my cross with You
and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation,
the Spirit of Knowledge
that I may know God and know myself
and grow perfect in the science of the Saints,
the Spirit of Piety
that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable,
and the Spirit of Fear
that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God
and may dread in any way to displease Him.
Mark me, dear Lord,
with the sign of Your true disciples
and animate me in all things with Your Spirit.

Amen.



FIRST DAY (Friday, 6th Week of Easter)

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light!
From Your clear celestial height,
Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit

Only one thing is important, eternal salvation.
Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared, sin?
Sin is the result of ignorance,
weakness, and indifference.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love.
With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will,
and inflames the heart with love of God.
To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily,
for "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity.
We know not what we should pray for as we ought.
But the Spirit Himself asketh for us."

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God,
Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit,
and hast given us forgiveness all sins,
vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit,
the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding,
the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude,
the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety,
and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear.

Amen.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 7 Glory Be...
Say the Act of Consecration, and
Say the Prayer for the Seven Gifts.



SECOND DAY (Saturday, 6th Week of Easter)

Come. Father of the poor.
Come, treasures which endure;
Come, Light of all that live!

The Gift of Fear

The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God,
and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin.
It is a fear that arises,
not from the thought of hell,
but from sentiments of reverence
and filial submission to our heavenly Father.
It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom,
detaching us from worldly pleasures
that could in any way separate us from God.
"They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts,
and in His sight will sanctify their souls."

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear,
penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you,
my Lord and God, before my face forever,
help me to shun all things that can offend You,
and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven,
where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity,
God world without end.

Amen.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 7 Glory Be...
Say the Act of Consecration, and
Say the Prayer for the Seven Gifts.



THIRD DAY (7th Sunday of Easter)

Thou, of all consolers best,
Visiting the troubled breast,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.

The Gift of Piety

The gift of Piety begets in our hearts
a filial affection for God as our most loving Father.
It inspires us to love and respect for His sake
persons and things consecrated to Him,
as well as those who are vested with His authority,
His Blessed Mother and the Saints,
the Church and its visible Head,
our parents and superiors,
our country and its rulers.
He who is filled with the gift of Piety
finds the practice of his religion,
not a burdensome duty,
but a delightful service.
Where there is love,
there is no labor.

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety,
possess my heart.
Enkindle therein such a love for God,
that I may find satisfaction only in His service,
and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority.

Amen.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 7 Glory Be...
Say the Act of Consecration, and
Say the Prayer for the Seven Gifts.



FOURTH DAY (Monday, 7th Week of Easter)

Thou in toil art comfort sweet,
Pleasant coolness in the heat,
solace in the midst of woe.

The Gift of Fortitude

By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear,
and supported to the end in the performance of duty.
Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse
and energy which move it to undertake without hesitancy
the most arduous tasks, to face dangers,
to trample under foot human respect,
and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation.
"He that shall persevere unto the end,
he shall be saved."

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude,
uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity,
sustain my efforts after holiness,
strengthen my weakness,
give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies,
that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee,
my God and greatest Good.

Amen.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 7 Glory Be...
Say the Act of Consecration, and
Say the Prayer for the Seven Gifts.



FIFTH DAY (Tuesday, 7th Week of Easter)

Light immortal!
Light Divine!
Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill!

The Gift of Knowledge

The gift of Knowledge enables the soul
to evaluate created things at their true worth
in their relation to God.
Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures,
reveals their emptiness,
and points out their only true purpose
as instruments in the service of God.
It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity,
and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life.
Guided by its light,
we put first things first,
and prize the friendship of God beyond all else.
"Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it."

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge,
and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father;
show me the nothingness of earthly things,
that I may realize their vanity
and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation,
looking ever beyond them to Thee,
and Thy eternal rewards.

Amen.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 7 Glory Be...
Say the Act of Consecration, and
Say the Prayer for the Seven Gifts.



SIXTH DAY (Wednesday, 7th Week of Easter)

If Thou take Thy grace away,
nothing pure in man will stay,
All his good is turn'd to ill.

The Gift of Understanding

Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit,
helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion.
BY faith we know them,
but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them.
It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths
and through them to be quickened to newness of life.
Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive,
but inspires a mode of life
that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us;
we begin to "walk worthy of God in all things pleasing,
and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Understanding,
and enlighten our minds,
that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation;
and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light;
and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee
and the Father and the Son.

Amen.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 7 Glory Be...
Say the Act of Consecration, and
Say the Prayer for the Seven Gifts.



SEVENTH DAY (Thursday, 7th Week of Easter)

Heal our wounds, our strength renews;
On our dryness pour Thy dew,
Wash the stains of guilt away.

The Gift of Counsel

The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence,
enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done,
especially in difficult circumstances.
Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge
and understanding to the innumerable concrete cases
that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents,
teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens.
Counsel is supernatural common sense,
a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation.
"Above all these things,
pray to the Most High,
that He may direct thy way in truth."

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Counsel,
help and guide me in all my ways,
that I may always do Thy holy will.
Incline my heart to that which is good;
turn it away from all that is evil,
and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments
to that goal of eternal life for which I long.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 7 Glory Be...
Say the Act of Consecration, and
Say the Prayer for the Seven Gifts.



EIGHTH DAY (Friday, 7th Week of Easter)

Bend the stubborn heart and will,
melt the frozen warm the chill.
Guide the steps that go astray!

The Gift of Wisdom

Embodying all the other gifts,
as charity embraces all the other virtues,
Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts.
Of wisdom it is written
"all good things came to me with her,
and innumerable riches through her hands."
It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith,
fortifies hope, perfects charity,
and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree.
Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine,
in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor,
whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness
according to the words of the Saviour:
"Take up thy cross and follow me,
for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Wisdom,
and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things,
their exceeding greatness, power and beauty.
Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys
and satisfactions of earth.
Help me to attain them and possess them for ever.

Amen.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 7 Glory Be...
Say the Act of Consecration, and
Say the Prayer for the Seven Gifts.



NINTH DAY (Saturday, Vigil of Pentecost)

Thou, on those who evermore Thee confess and Thee Adore,
in Thy sevenfold gift, Descend;
Give Them Comfort when they die;
Give them Life with Thee on high;
Give them joys which never end. Amen

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues
by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration.
As we grow in the knowledge and love of God
under the direction of the Holy Spirit,
our service becomes more sincere and generous,
the practice of virtue more perfect.
Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation
and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive
and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God,
to serve Whom is to reign.

Prayer

Come, O Divine Spirit,
fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits,
Thy charity, joy, peace, patience,
benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance,
that I may never weary in the service of God,
but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration
may merit to be united eternally with Thee
in the love of the Father and the Son.

Amen.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 7 Glory Be...
Say the Act of Consecration, and
Say the Prayer for the Seven Gifts.

"I firmly wish that My face reflecting the intimate pains of my soul, the suffering and love of My heart, be more honored! Whoever gazes upon Me already consoles Me."
- To Sister Pierina by Our Lord Jesus.
"All those who, attracted by My love, and venerating My countenance, shall receive, by virtue of My humanity, a brilliant and vivid impression of My divinity. This splendor shall enlighten the depths of their souls, so that in eternal glory the celestial court shall marvel at the marked likeness of their features with My Divine countenance."
- To St. Gertrude by Our Lord Jesus.


Repeat this prayer for nine days...

O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity,
through the intercession of Holy Mary,
whose soul was pierced through by a sword of sorrow
at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son,
we ask your help in making a perfect Novena
of reparation with Jesus,
united with all His sorrows,
love and total abandonment.

We now implore all the Angels and Saints
to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena
to the Most Holy Face of Jesus
and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Proceed to the prayer of the day...

DAY ONE



Daily Preparatory Prayer

"For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You are justified in Your sentence
and blameless when You pass judgment." [Ps. 51:3-4]

Have mercy on me,
O God in your goodness,
in your great tenderness wipe away my faults;
wash me clean of my guilt,
purify me from my sin.

O most Holy Face of Jesus,
look with tenderness on us who are sinners.
You are a merciful God,
full of love and compassion.
Keep us pure of heart,
so that we may see Thee always.

Mary, our Mother,
intercede for us.

Saint Joseph,
pray for us.

Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition,
pardon and mercy...

State your intention here...

Prayer to Our Almighty Father

Almighty Father,
come into our hearts,
and so fill us with your love
that forsaking all evil desires,
we may embrace you, our only good.
Show us, O Lord our God,
what you are to us.
Say to our souls,
I am your salvation,
speak so that we may hear.
Our hearts are before you;
open our ears;
let us hasten after your voice.
Hide not your Face from us,
we beseech you, O Lord.
Open our hearts so that you may enter in.
Repair the ruined mansions,
that you may dwell therein.
Hear us, O Heavenly Father,
for the sake of your only Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever .

Amen.
[Prayer of St. Augustine]

Recite the following prayers...

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

Repeat three times...

O Bleeding Face,
O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine.

DAY TWO



Daily Preparatory Prayer

"Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
You desire truth in the inward being;" [Ps. 51:5-6a]

My offenses truly I know them;
My sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
What is evil in your sight I have done.

Most Holy Face of Jesus,
we are truly sorry that we have hurt you so much
by constantly doing what is wrong;
and for all the good works we have failed to do.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Saint Joseph,
intercede for us,
help us to console the Most Holy Face of Jesus.
Pray that we may share in the tremendous love
Thou hast for one another,
and for the most Holy and Blessed Trinity.

Amen.

Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition,
pardon and mercy...

State your intention here...

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, Sanctifier,
all powerful God of love,
Thou who didst fill the Virgin Mary with grace,
Thou who didst wonderfully transform the hearts of the apostles,
Thou who didst endow all Thy martyrs with a miraculous heroism,
come and sanctify us,
illumine our minds,
strengthen our wills,
purify our consciences,
rectify our judgments,
set our hearts on fire
and preserve us from the misfortune
of resisting Thine inspirations.
We consecrate to Thee our understanding,
our heart and our will,
our whole being for time
and for eternity.
May our understanding be always submissive
to Thy heavenly inspirations
and to the teachings of Thy Holy Catholic Church,
of which Thou art the infallible guide;
may our heart be ever inflamed with love
of God and neighbor;
may our will be ever conformed to the Divine will,
and may our whole life be a faithful imitation
of the life and virtues of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ,
to whom with the Father
and Thee be honor and glory forever.

Amen

Recite the following prayers...

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

Repeat three times...

O Bleeding Face,
O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine.

DAY THREE



Daily Preparatory Prayer

"Therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." [Ps. 51:6b-7]

You are just when you pass sentence on me,
blameless when you give judgment.
You know I was born guilty,
a sinner from the moment of conception.

Prayer of Pope Pius IX

O Jesus!
Cast upon us a look of mercy;
turn your Face towards each of us
as you did to Veronica;
not that we may see it with our bodily eyes,
for this we do not deserve,
but turn it towards our hearts,
so that, remembering you,
we may ever draw from this fountain of strength
the vigor necessary to sustain the combats of life.

Amen.

Mary, Our Mother,
and Saint Joseph,
pray for us.

Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition,
pardon and mercy...

State your intention here...

Prayer of Saint Francis

All highest, glorious God,
cast your light into the darkness of our hearts,
give us true faith, firm hope,
perfect charity and profound humility,
so that with wisdom,
courage and perception,
O Lord, we may do what is truly your holy will.

Amen.

To the Angels and Saints

We salute you,
through the Holy Face
and Sacred Heart of Jesus,
O all you Holy Angels and Saints of God.
We rejoice in your glory,
and we give thanks to our Lord
for all the benefits which He has showered upon you;
we praise Him and glorify Him,
and offer you for an increase of your joy and honor,
the most Holy Face and gentle Heart of Jesus.
Pray that we may be formed according to the heart of God.

Amen.

Recite the following prayers...

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

Repeat three times...

O Bleeding Face,
O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine.

DAY FOUR



Daily Preparatory Prayer

"Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities." [Ps. 51:8-9]

Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me Wisdom.
O purify me,
then I shall be clean;
O wash me,
I shall be whiter than snow.

O Lord Jesus, who has said,
learn of me for I am meek and gentle of heart,
and who did manifest upon Thy Holy Face
the sentiments of Thy divine heart,
grant that we may love to come frequently
and meditate upon Thy Divine features.
We may read there Thy gentleness and Thy humility,
and learn how to form our hearts
in the practice of these two virtues
which Thou desires to see shine in Thy servants.
Mary our Mother and Saint Joseph help us.

Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition,
pardon and mercy...

State your intention here...

Prayer in Honour of the Dolors of the Blessed Virgin

O Most Holy and afflicted Virgin,
Queen of Martyrs!
Who stood beneath the cross,
witnessing the agony of your dying Son,
look down with a mother’s tenderness and pity on us
as we kneel before you to venerate your Dolors,
and place our requests,
with filial confidence,
in the sanctuary of your wounded heart.
Present them on our behalf to Jesus,
through the merits of His most sacred Passion and Death,
together with your sufferings at the foot of the cross,
and through the united efficacy of both,
obtain the favor which we humbly ask.
To whom shall we go in our wants and miseries if not to you.
O Mother of Mercy,
who having so deeply drunk of the chalice of your Son,
graciously alleviate the sufferings
of those who still sigh in this land of exile.

Amen.

Prayer to the Souls in Purgatory

My Jesus,
by the sorrows you suffered in your agony in the garden,
in your scourging and crowning with thorns,
in the way to Calvary,
in your crucifixion and death,
have mercy on the souls in Purgatory,
and especially on those that are most forsaken.
Deliver them from the dire torments they endure.
Call them and admit them to your most sweet embrace in Paradise.

Amen.

Recite the following prayers...

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

Repeat three times...

O Bleeding Face,
O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine.

DAY FIVE



Daily Preparatory Prayer

"Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. [Ps. 51:10-11]

Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your Face,
and blot out all my guilt.

Holy Face of Jesus,
Sacred Countenance of’ God,
how great is your patience with humankind,
how infinite your forgiveness.
We are sinners,
yet you love us.
This gives us courage.
For the glory of your Holy Face
and of the Blessed Trinity,
hear and answer us.

Mary our Mother,
intercede for us.

Saint Joseph,
pray for us.

Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition,
pardon and mercy...

State your intention here...

Prayer to Saint Joseph

Dear Saint Joseph!
Adopt us as thy children,
take charge of our salvation;
watch over us day and night;
preserve us from occasions of sin;
obtain for us purity of body and soul,
and the spirit of prayer,
through thy intercession with Jesus,
grant us a spirit of sacrifice,
of humility and self-denial;
obtain for us a burning love for Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament,
and a sweet, tender love for Mary, our Mother.

Saint Joseph,
be with us in life,
be with us in death
and obtain for us a favorable judgment from Jesus,
our merciful Savior.

Amen.

Recite the following prayers...

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

Repeat three times...

O Bleeding Face,
O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine.

DAY SIX



Daily Preparatory Prayer

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you." [Ps. 51:12-3]

A pure heart create for us O God,
put a steadfast spirit within us.
Do not cast us away from your presence
nor deprive us of your Holy Spirit.

May our hearts be cleansed,
O Lord, by the inpouring of the Holy Spirit,
and may He render them fruitful
by watering them with His heavenly dew.

Mary, the most chaste spouse of the Holy Spirit,
intercede for us.

Saint Joseph,
pray for us.

Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition,
pardon and mercy...

State your intention here...

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

O Victorious Prince,
most humble guardian of the Church of God
and of faithful souls,
who with such charity and zeal
took part in so many conflicts
and gained such great victories over the enemy,
for the conservation
and protection of the honor
and glory we all owe to God,
as well as for the promotion of our salvation,
come, we pray Thee,
to our assistance,
for we are continually besieged
with such great perils by our enemies,
the flesh, the world and the devil;
and as Thou wast a leader
for the people of God through the desert,
so also be our faithful leader,
and companion through the desert of this world,
until Thou conduct us safely
into the happy land of the living,
in that blessed fatherland
from which we are all exiles.

Amen. [Prayer of St. Aloysius]

Recite the following prayers...

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

Repeat three times...

O Bleeding Face,
O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine.

DAY SEVEN



Daily Preparatory Prayer

"Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise." [Ps. 51:14-5]

Give me again the joy of your help,
with a spirit of fervor sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.

Lord Jesus!
After contemplating Thy features,
disfigured by grief,
after meditating upon Thy passion
with compunction and love,
how can our hearts fail to be inflamed
with a holy hatred of sin,
which even now outrages Thy Adorable Face!
Lord, suffer us not to be content with mere compassion,
but give us grace so closely to follow Thee in this Calvary,
so that the approbrium destined for Thee may fall on us,
O Jesus, that thus we may have a share,
small though it may be,
in expiation of sin.

Amen.

Mary, our Mother,
intercede for us.

Saint Joseph,
pray for us.

Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition,
pardon and mercy...

State your intention here...

Prayer in Honor of Mary

Hail Mary, Daughter of God the Father!
Hail Mary, Mother of God the Son!
Hail Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit!
Hail Mary, Temple of the Most Holy Trinity!
Hail Mary, our mistress, our wealth,
our mystic rose, Queen of our hearts,
our Mother, our life, our sweetness
and our dearest hope!
We are all Thine,
and all we have is Thine.
O Virgin blessed above all things,
may Thy soul be in us to magnify the Lord;
may Thy spirit be in us to rejoice in God.
Place Thyself, O faithful Virgin,
as a seal upon our hearts,
that in Thee and through Thee
we may be found faithful to God.
Grant, most gracious Virgin,
that we may be numbered among those
whom Thou art pleased to love,
to teach and to guide,
to favor and to protect as Thy children.
Grant that with the help of Thy love,
we may despise all earthly consolation
and cling to heavenly things,
until through the Holy Spirit,
Thy faithful spouse, and through Thee,
His faithful spouse,
Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
be formed within us for the glory of the Father.

Amen. [Prayer of St. Grignon de Montfort]

Recite the following prayers...

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

Repeat three times...

O Bleeding Face,
O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine.

DAY EIGHT



Daily Preparatory Prayer

"For your have no delight in sacrifce;
if I were to give a burnt offering,
you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God
is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise." [Ps. 51:16-7]


O rescue me, God my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Most merciful Face of Jesus,
who in this vale of tears
was so moved by our misfortunes
to call yourself the healer of the sick,
and the good Shepherd of the souls gone astray,
allow not Satan to draw us away from you,
but keep us always under your loving protection,
together with all souls who endeavor to console you.

Mary, our Mother,
intercede for us.

Saint Joseph,
pray for us.

Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition,
pardon and mercy...

State your intention here...

Prayer to Saint Peter

O glorious Saint Peter,
who in return for thy lively and generous faith,
thy profound and sincere humility and thy burning love,
was honored by Jesus Christ with singular privileges,
and in particular,
with the leadership of the other apostles
and the primacy of the whole church,
of which thou was made the foundation stone,
do thou obtain for us the grace of a lively faith,
that shall not fear to profess itself openly
in its entirety and in all of its manifestations,
even to the shedding of blood,
if occasion should demand it,
and to the sacrifice of life itself
in preference to surrender.
Obtain for us likewise a sincere loyalty
to our Holy Mother the Church.
Grant that we may ever remain most closely
and sincerely united to the Holy Father,
who is the heir of thy faith and of thy authority,
the one true visible head of the Catholic Church.
Grant, moreover, that we may follow,
in all humility and meekness,
the Church’s teaching and counsels
and may be obedient to all her precepts,
in order to be able here on earth to enjoy a peace
that is sure and undisturbed,
and to attain one day in heaven
to everlasting happiness.

Amen.

Recite the following prayers...

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

Repeat three times...

O Bleeding Face,
O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine.

DAY NINE



Daily Preparatory Prayer

"Do good to Zion in our good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings:
then bulls will be offered on your altar." [Ps. 51:18-9]

For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness,
show favor to Zion;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
holocausts offered on your altar,

Sacred Face of our Lord and our God,
what words can we do to express our gratitude?
How can we speak of our joy?
That you have deigned to hear us,
that you have chosen to answer us in our hour of need.
We say this because we know
that our prayers will be granted.
We know that you,
in your loving kindness,
listened to our pleading hearts,
and will give, out of your fullness,
the answer to our problems.

Mary, our Mother,
thank you for your intercession on our behalf.

Saint Joseph,
thank you for your prayers.

Through the merits of your precious blood and your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition,
pardon and mercy...

State your intention here...

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

Most Holy Trinity,
Godhead indivisible,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
our first beginning and our last end.
Since you have made us after your own image and likeness,
grant that all the thoughts of our minds,
all the words of our tongues,
all the affections of our hearts
and all our actions may be always
conformed to your most Holy Will,
so that after having seen you here on earth in appearances
and in a dark manner by the means of faith,
we may come at last to contemplate you face to face,
in the perfect possession of you forever in paradise.

Amen.

Recite the following prayers...

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

Repeat three times...

O Bleeding Face,
O Face Divine,
be every adoration Thine.

Act of Consecration

O Lord Jesus,
we believe most firmly in You,
we love You.
You are the Eternal Son of God
and the Son Incarnate of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
You are the Lord and Absolute Ruler of all creation.
We acknowledge You, therefore,
as the Universal Sovereign of all creatures.
You are the Lord and Supreme Ruler of all mankind,
and we, in acknowledging this Your dominion,
consecrate ourselves to You now and forever.
Loving Jesus,
we place our family under the protection of Your Holy Face,
and of Your Virgin Mother,
Mary most sorrowful.
We promise to be faithful to You
for the rest of our lives
and to observe with fidelity Your Holy Commandments,
We will never deny before men,
You and Your Divine rights over us and all mankind.
Grant us the grace to never sin again;
nevertheless, should we fail, O Divine Savior,
have mercy on us and restore us to Your grace.
Radiate Your Divine Countenance upon us
and bless us now and forever.
Embrace us at the hour of death
in Your Kingdom for all eternity,
through the intercession of Your Blessed Mother,
of all Your Saints who behold You in Heaven,
and the just who glorify You on earth,
O Jesus, be mindful of us forever
and never forsake us;
protect our family.
O Mother of Sorrows,
by the eternal glory which you enjoy in Heaven,
through the merits of your bitter anguish
in the Sacred Passion of your Beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
obtain for us the grace
that the Precious Blood shed by Jesus
for the redemption of our souls,
be not shed for us in vain.
We love you, O Mary.
Embrace us and bless us, O Mother.
Protect us in life and in death.

Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now,
and will be forever.

Amen.

Novena prayer

St. Thomas Aquinas,
patron of students and Catholic schools,
I thank God for the gifts
of light and knowledge he bestowed on you,
which you used to build up the Church in love.
I thank God, too,
for the wealth and richness of theological teaching
you left in your writings.
Not only were you a great teacher,
you lived a life of virtue
and you made holiness the desire of your heart.
If I cannot imitate you
in the brilliance of your academic pursuits,
I can follow you in the humility and charity which marked your life.
As St. Paul said,
charity is the greatest gift,
and it is open to all.
Pray for me that I might grow in holiness and charity.
Pray also for Catholic schools,
and for all students.
In particular, please obtain the favor I ask during this novena.

[Make you request here...]

Amen.

First Day

St. Thomas, called by God

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Mt 10:37).

St. Thomas, as a young man
you became convinced that God was calling you to religious life.
Although your family was opposed to it,
you were determined to follow God's call.
Even when your brothers kidnapped you
and forced you to remain a prisoner in your own house,
you did not give up but waited patiently for God's hour.
St. Thomas, pray for all young people
who are considering their vocation in life.
Help them to be open to the call of God.
Inspire them to make choices
motivated by love for God
and an unselfish love for other people.
Whatever their state in life,
help them to see their chosen path
as a call to service.
May all married couples, single persons,
priests and religious build up the Church
through lives of unselfish devotion and love.

[Recite the novena prayer.]

Second Day

St. Thomas, lover of purity

"For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness" (1 Thes 4:7).

St. Thomas, you had a great esteem for the virtue of purity.
When your family tried to deter you
from entering the Dominicans by sending a woman to lead you into sin,
you resisted the temptation
and determined to consecrate your chastity to God forever.

Today we are immersed in a culture
that degrades the gift of human sexuality.
Human persons are viewed as objects of pleasure
and their human dignity is devalued.
As a consequence, society tolerates abortion,
disregarding human life at the very outset.
Children suffer abuse
and families are damaged by infidelity.

Pray that our society may once again
value the virtue of chastity.
Pray that those in the media will work
to promote a Christian view of marriage and family life.
May the plague of pornography in all its forms be eliminated.
May Christian moral standards act as a leaven in society
and bring about a greater respect for human life.

[Recite the novena prayer.]

Third Day

St. Thomas, example of humility

"All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted" (Mt 23:12).

St. Thomas, when you were a young student
some of your classmen called you the "dumb ox."
Although you were more intelligent than all of them,
you bore their insults patiently without retaliating.
You were endowed with a keen mind
but recognized that God is the source of all gifts.
You humbly acknowledged your dependence on God,
and begged him to enlighten you
so that you would act only for his glory.

St. Thomas, pray for me
that I too learn to act out of humility
and never from the empty desire
for esteem in the sight of others.
Help me to seek only God's glory
and to act with a right intention.
May I seek to humble myself now,
so that in heaven
I will shine like the stars for all eternity.

[Recite the novena prayer.]

Fourth Day

St. Thomas, devoted to truth

"But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way
into him who is the head, into Christ" (Eph 4:15).

St. Thomas, you devoted your life
to seeking the truth and explaining it to others.
You dedicated your mind to God,
and used it to probe the Word of God more deeply.
Your gifts as a theologian and philosopher
make you stand out as one of the greatest doctors of the Church.
In your discussions,
you made truth your primary aim,
while treating respectfully anyone who differed with you.

Obtain for me too a great love of truth.
Help me to ponder God's word
so as to draw from it the light I need
to nourish myself spiritually.
Keep me firmly rooted in the truth,
and never let me be swayed by false teachings.
I pray also for those who are lost in darkness;
please bring them into the light of truth.

[Recite the novena prayer.]

Fifth Day

St. Thomas, afire with love for the Blessed Sacrament

"So Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you have no life in you"' (Jn 6:53).

St. Thomas, you had a great love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist
and spent many hours in adoration be fore the Blessed Sacrament.
You once said that you learned more from prayer
before the tabernacle than from many hours of study.
The Church owes you a debt of gratitude
for the beautiful Eucharistic hymns you wrote
at the request of Pope Urban IV,
for the newly-established feast of Corpus Christi.

Pray that I too might be inflamed
with an ardent love for the Holy Eucharist.
Help me to always esteem and reverence this wonderful sacrament.
Pray for me that I might always participate devoutly in Mass,
receive Holy Communion with great fervor,
and often visit Jesus in the tabernacle.
Through contact with the Eucharistic Lord,
may my heart overflow with love for God and for my neighbor.

[Recite the novena prayer.]

Sixth Day

St. Thomas, filled with charity

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth" (1 Cor 1 3 :4-6).

St. Thomas, you were noted during your life
for the charity you showed to others.
During debates at the university,
you did not ridicule those who argued with you
but treated them with respect and love.
You showed consideration for the needs of other people.
Help me also to be more deeply rooted
in love of God and neighbor,
keeping in mind Jesus' words,
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another" (Jn 13:35).
Help me to practice this same charity
in a concrete way that does not stop at words,
but is shown with sacrifice.
May it begin first of all in my family,
and then radiate to everyone I meet.

[Recite the novena prayer.]

Seventh Day

St. Thomas, defender of the Church

"...the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth" (1 Tim 3:15).

St. Thomas, from your youth you learned to love the Church,
your spiritual home.
In your teaching, you sought to explain
and defend the doctrine of the Church,
making it known through your writings.
You understood that true wisdom
means to let oneself be instructed by the Church,
for Jesus guaranteed that the Holy Spirit
would always be with the Church,
to lead it into all truth.
At the end of your life you said,
"I have taught and written much...
according to my faith in Christ
and in the holy Roman Church,
to whose judgment I submit all my teaching."
Intercede for the Church today,
that it might grow stronger
and more spiritually fruitful in the world.
Raise up holy priests,
religious and laity,
that they may all be the salt of the earth
and the light of the world.
Bless the pope in his efforts to guide the Church,
witnessing to the power of the Gospel
to renew the face of the earth.
May all theologians work to explore the richness of Catholic teaching
so as to show forth its truth and benefit the faithful.
Pray for missionaries as they work to spread the Gospel.
May the whole Church be renewed by the power of the Spirit
to more effectively witness to Christ in the world today.

[Recite the novena prayer.]

Eighth Day

St. Thomas, teacher of prayer

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving" (Col 4:2).

St. Thomas, you knew that prayer is the source of wisdom
and you spent long hours in conversation with God.
Prayer became your very life.
Whenever you pondered over a problem in theology,
you turned to prayer to seek God's enlightenment.
Now in heaven you see God face to face.
Pray for me, too,
that I might become a person of profound prayer.
Obtain for me the grace
that I might always pray with humility,
confidence and perseverance.
Help me to grow more and more in the spirit of prayer,
so that my whole life may become a prayer.
May I always seek the face of the living God.

[Recite the novena prayer.]

Ninth Day

St. Thomas, patron of students

"For in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind" (1 Cor 1:5).

St. Thomas, God called you
to spend most of your life in academic pursuits,
first as a student, and then as a professor of theology.
In your work as a teacher,
you desired to help your students apply
what they learned to their lives,
in order to grow in holiness.
You realized that knowledge is meant
to draw people closer to God.
In your teaching you sought to communicate the truth,
desiring to help your students become better Christians.

Pray for all students.
Pray for those who may have difficulty in their studies,
as well as for those who can study with ease.
Pray that they may all be open to the truth,
and always seek to better under stand it.
May they grow in knowledge
so as to know God better
and to be able to serve
their brothers and sisters as the Lord desires.
St. Thomas, pray especially for theologians,
that in their studies and research
they may come to a deeper knowledge of revealed doctrine
in keeping with the mind of the Church.
May their lives reflect the holiness of the Word of God
which they seek to more fully under stand.

[Recite the novena prayer.]

DAY ONE


O Heavenly Father,
Who in Thine ineffable goodness
didst place in the soul
of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
the precious treasure of sanctifying grace,
and didst grant her ever to keep it
in the midst of earthly dangers,
we pray Thee to grant to us
for our part the happiness
of never losing this inestimable gift
whereby we become Thine adopted children,
the brothers and sisters of Thy Son Jesus,
the temples of the Holy Spirit
and the heirs of Heaven.

Enable us, to this end,
carefully to avoid mortal sin
which would rob us of this grace
more to be desired
than all the wealth of the world,
to fly the occasions of sin,
and to resist temptation.

We implore these graces
through the intercession of the one
who was ever Thy faithful child
and whose memory we venerate.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
who would have preferred to die
rather than lose God's grace,
vouchsafe to obtain for us
all the help necessary
to avoid the misfortune
of committing mortal sin,
incompatible with this divine grace.
Obtain for us the favours we crave
and implore through you powerful intercession.

Amen.

DAY TWO


O Heavenly Father,
Who to assure our advancement
in the right path dost never cease
to multiply the supernatural means
of help which we need,
and which Thou has divinely poured out
upon Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
we beg of Thee,
through this Saint so dear to Thy Heart,
all the graces of light
and of fortitude necessary or helpful
to fulfill Thine adorable will.

Thy grace ever went
before Saint Theresa
and Thou didst uphold her at each moment,
for Thou didst give to her
both to will and to do,
and without Thee
none can even utter the name of Jesus
whereby we may be saved.

Father, shed abroad in our minds and hearts
those graces won by the merits of our Savior
and which Saint Theresa asks for us.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
upon whom so many divine graces were showered,
we pray you to intercede with our Heavenly Father,
so that through the merits
of our Savior and your merits,
He may vouchsafe to give to our souls
all the graces needful
for the perfect fulfillment of our duty.
Obtain for us the favours we crave and implore
through your powerful intercession.

Amen.

DAY THREE


O Heavenly Father,
Who didst dispose the soul
of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
to ascend by such wonderful steps
and didst make this lovable saint
to rise from virtue to virtue,
aiding her so admirably to practice
humility, simplicity, patience,
confidence, zeal and love,
we beseech Thee to place in our hearts
dispositions like to hers
and to grant us to resemble her,
that we may hence become
conformable to Thy Son Jesus,
our Model and the Divine Example
of Thine adorable perfections.

These virtues are so needful for us,
for without them
we cannot be happy here below;
without them we cannot gain for Thee
the glory that Thou dost look for from us.

Vouchsafe, O Father,
to help us to make these virtues ours.
May Thy numerous graces
joined to our generous efforts,
bring forth, as in Saint Theresa,
true and lasting virtue.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
who to please God ever Wonderfully
grew in virtue each day of your life,
obtain for us to resemble you
and generously to practice those virtues
of which you have left us
such a beautiful example.
Obtain for us the favours we crave
and implore through your powerful intercession.

Amen.

DAY FOUR


O Heavenly Father,
Who in Thine infinite wisdom
dost permit the just to be tried upon earth,
like gold in the furnace,
hereafter to crown them gloriously in Heaven,
we beseech Thee to grant us
through the intercession
of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
all the graces of fortitude
and consolation which we urgently need
in the difficulties we encounter here below.

Thou dost order all things
for the good of those who love Thee,
nothing befalls without Thy permission,
Thou knowest how to draw good out of evil.
May these consoling truths be our support
in the midst of our sorrows.
Sweeten for us all that is bitter
by the unction of Thy grace.

Permit not, O Father,
that impatience shall possess our heart
or murmurs rise to our lips.
Make us understand the providential use of sorrow,
as it was undertook by Saint Theresa
who owned to finding happiness
in the midst of suffering.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
who suffered much here below,
and knew how to find joy in every bitterness,
intercede for us with God
that so He may help us
to bear patiently all our crosses,
and console our hearts saddened
by the trials of earth's exile.
Obtain for us the favours we crave
and implore through your powerful intercession.

Amen.

DAY FIVE


O Heavenly Father,
Who so loved men that Thou didst give them
Thine Only-begotten Son
to be their Redeemer upon the Cross,
and Food in the Divine Sacrament of the Altar,
we beseech Thee to grant us,
through the prayers of
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
so inflamed with love
for this Adorable Sacrament
and so eager to receive It,
the grace for our part
to draw near very often to the Holy Table.

Following the example of
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
may we bring to it the best dispositions,
a right intention,
hearts filled with lively faith,
sincere humility,
deep confidence,
ardent charity.

Father, make us truly understand
that this Divine Bread
is no less needful to our soul
than material bread is to our body
and that we cannot abstain from It
without hurt to our soul.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
who so much loved
the Divine Sacrament of the Altar
and so greatly longed to unite yourself to It
through Holy Communion,
obtain for us from God
a love like to yours for this Adorable Sacrament
and a fervent longing often
to receive It in our hearts.
Obtain for us the favours we crave
and implore through your powerful intercession.

Amen

DAY SIX


O Heavenly Father,
Who bestowed upon the Blessed Virgin Mary
the greatest and most precious
graces and privileges,
and called her to become the Mother
of Thy Son Jesus
also giving her to be our Mother,
we beseech Thee through the intercession of
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
ever so faithful to honour this beloved Virgin,
whose radiant countenance
and gracious smile she one day beheld,
to grant us too the inestimable favour
of being the very loving children of this Holy Mother.

We need her maternal mediation,
for this good Mother is the way that leads to Jesus,
and she is the treasurer of all the graces
that our Saviour acquired for us
by shedding of His Precious Blood.

We thank Thee, O Father,
for having given us the Blessed Virgin
to be our Mother,
and our guide along our life's path,
and we beseech Thee that,
like Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
we may be true imitators of her virtues:
of her perfect humility,
her immaculate purity,
and her ardent love.
We look to her for the greatest succor now
and at the hour of our death.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
who ever manifested a great love
for the One you named the Immaculate Virgin,
and from whom you received so many benefits,
we ask you to obtain for us
the grace to imitate your tender devotion towards her
and to help us to reproduce
her beautiful and admirable virtues
even as you yourself did.
Obtain for us the favours we crave
and implore through your powerful intercession.

Amen.

DAY SEVEN


O Heavenly Father,
Who has bestowed upon us so many benefits
through the intercession of
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
and willest that we should honour
this lovable saint with a special devotion,
we earnestly implore Thee
of Thy fatherly loving-kindness
the grace to be ever faithful in venerating her,
invoking her and imitating her virtues.

It is good for us to pay honour to the Saints.
Thou has placed these blessed Saints
as powerful mediators between ourselves and Thee,
that so Thou mayest bestow upon us
more ready and more abundant aids.
That which our prayer cannot obtain,
theirs will obtain for us.

Thou hast willed that the Saints
should be our models.
They were once what we are;
we can with Thy grace become what they are,
what they have done,
we can do in our turn.
Father, give us a true and lasting devotion
towards Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
a devotion well ordered and constant,
a devotion that will sanctify us
and lead us to Thee
to Whom all the homage we pay
to the Saints returns.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
placed by the Church upon our altars
to be out protectress with God
and model in Christian life,
obtain for us,
we ask of you,
ever to have you in honour,
to venerate you,
to invoke you,
to imitate you
for the greater glory of God
and the greater good of our souls.
Obtain for us the favours we crave
and implore through your powerful intercession.

Amen.

DAY EIGHT


O Heavenly Father,
Who hast created all the good things of earth
for the use of man
and dost measure them out to him
with marvelous bounty,
we beg Thee through the intercession of
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
to give us all those things
of which we have need
for the preservation of our life here below.

Teach us to use these things
with the moderation befitting Christians,
let us not attach our heart to them;
may they serve not to keep us from Thee,
the Only True Good to be desired
and the Giver of all that is good in this world.
Give us, as Thou gavest to Thy faithful handmaid
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
to make a holy use of earthly things
and to make them serve on for Thy Glory.

Father, Who dost feed the birds of the air
and clothe the lilies of the valley,
forsake not the souls of those who trust in Thee.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
who ever used the things of this world
according to the order willed by God,
you who made earthly gifts serve
to merit those that are heavenly,
we ask you to obtain for us
all that is necessary for us
during our life upon earth.
Obtain for us the favours we crave
and implore through your powerful intercession.

Amen.

DAY NINE


O Heavenly Father,
Who hast prepared for us
a glorious reward after the labours of this life,
and hast promised to crown
with honour and glory
those who are faithful to the end in Thy love,
we beseech Thee to grant us
through the intercession of
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
the grace to be faithful to Thy Commandments,
to those of the Holy Church
and to Thy holy inspirations
until the hour of our death.

Father, grant that,
after the example of
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus,
we may not recoil from labours,
that temptations may not
keep us from Thee,
that trials may not
cause us to lose courage.
May neither the world,
nor the devil,
nor our own inclinations
separate us from Thee
to Whom we desire to belong for ever,
as we promised Thee
on the day of our Baptism
and on the day of our First Communion.

Perseverance in grace is a grace,
we beseech Thee to grant it to us,
and in Thy merciful love
not to refuse us the grace of graces,
that of final perseverance
which will unite us to Thee for evermore
and will give us to contemplate
during all Eternity Thine adorable Face.

Father, uphold us in the midst of our combats
until the day when we shall gain the victory,
when Thou Thyself wilt triumph in us.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
who persevered throughout your life
in exact fidelity to God's grace,
you who saw your perseverance crowned
on the glorious day of your death,
obtain for us to be fully faithful to God's law
and never to separate ourselves
from His holy love.
Obtain for us the favours we crave
and implore through your powerful intercession.

Amen.

O St. Maximilian Kolbe,
faithful follower of St. Francis,
inflamed by the love of God
you dedicated your life to the practice of virtue
and to works of the apostolate.
Look down with favor upon us
who devoutly confide in your intercession.
Having consecrated yourself to the Immaculate Virgin Mary,
you inspired countless souls to a holy life
and various forms of the apostolate
in order to do good to others
and to spread the kingdom of God.
Obtain for us the grace by our lives and labors
to draw many souls to Christ.
In your close conformity to our Divine Savior
you reached such an intense degree of love
that you offered your life to save a fellow prisoner.
Implore God that we,
inflamed by such ardent charity,
may through our living faith and our apostolic works
witness Christ to others,
and thus merit tojoin you in the blessed vision of God.

Amen.
(Readings and Meditations for each day of novena are given here and are to be followed each day by the closing daily Novena prayer shown below.)

Day 1: Maximilian's Call to Holiness
Reading: Raymond Kolbe was born of poor parents in Poland on January 7, 1894. Raymond came to love the Blessed Virgin quite early in life. This devotion did not prevent him from getting into trouble. His lively nature tried the patience of his mother. Once she remarked in exasperation, "Raymond, what is going to become of you?" After this incident there was a noticeable change in his behavior. His mother became worried. Upon questioning him, she found Raymond at first reluctant to tell her his "secret." Finally he told her how much her reproach had troubled him. He had prayed to Mary, and asked her the same question, "Mother of God, what will become of me?" She took compassion on the miserable boy and appeared to him holding in her hands two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked Raymond which one he would choose; the white signified purity, the red martyrdom. "I choose both" he answered.

Meditation: Every genuine conversion experience be it that of a mischievous child or that of a hardened adult involves the individual's humble recognition of his own weaknesses and capacity for sin. May Maximilian's humility be ours in our pursuit of Christian holiness through ongoing conversion.

(Follow with the daily novena prayer at the bottom)
Day 2: Maximilian Discerns God's Will
Reading: When Raymond Kolbe was a seminary student at Lwow, Poland, he bowed his face to the floor during Mass one day and promised the most holy Virgin that he would fight for her. It was a surprising thing to do, especially since he had already chosen to be a Franciscan priest. Not knowing how he was to fulfill his promise he began to picture to himself a struggle with material weapons. The more he thought about it the more he felt attracted to a military career, fighting for the freedom of his homeland under the banner of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Finally, he decided he had made a mistake: he would give up the idea of studying for the priesthood. He was on his way to inform the Minister Provincial of his decision when he was called to the parlor. His mother had just arrived for a visit. What Maria Kolbe told her son we do not know, but shortly afterward Raymond was invested in the Conventual Franciscan habit and took the name Maximilian Maria. On September 5, 1911, he made his first vows. The following year, another crisis arose, and again Maximilian Kolbe's destiny hung in the balance. His superiors had decided to send him to Rome for philosophical and theological studies, but Friar Maximilian requested that his name be stricken from the list. That night he reconsidered. Had he not placed his own will in the way of God's will as expressed by his superiors? Was it not better to obey? The following morning he told his Provincial that he was prepared to go to Rome.

Meditation: Discernment of the direction that God wishes our lives to take requires an absolute truthfulness with oneself and God. May Maximilian's inner honesty be ours as we strive continually to do God's will.

(Follow with the daily novena prayer at the bottom)
Day 3: Maximilian's Consecration to Mary
Reading: It was in Rome that Friar Maximilian learned the true meaning of his call to fight for Mary. Exposed to the rabid anti-Christian forces that burgeoned in Europe he saw the need for a new era of evangelization that would bring all peoples back to God. Suddenly during prayer one morning, Friar Maximilian was enlightened to understand the critical importance of the role God had given Mary in this work. Meditating on the Miraculous Medal conversion story of Alphonse Ratisbonne, a young nineteenth-century Jewish agnostic, Friar Maximilian was illumined to perceive Mary's role as the Holy Spirit's indispensable partner and instrument in the evangelizing work of conversion and growth in holiness. He saw that this work was a spiritual war with Satan, and that Mary needed consecrated souls to serve as her knights in this battle. Maximilian lost little time putting this inspiration into action. On October 16, 1917, he and six fellow Franciscans established the Militia of the Immaculata (MI) movement. Its goal was as simple and vast as the Church's mission: the interior transformation of all souls in Christ through the Immaculata. To achieve this goal, Friar Maximilian proposed a practical spirituality of "Total Consecration to Mary." He and all "MIs" would make a free and total offering of themselves to Our Lady, so that they might become instruments in her work for Christ.

Meditation: True consecration to Mary is a Marian way of livinga life of close union with Christ through the Holy Spirit. May we find in Maximilian's spirituality of Marian consecration a powerful means for living Christ's Gospel and spreading it to others.

(Follow with the daily novena prayer at the bottom)
Day 4: Maximilian's Faith
Reading: After his ordination, Father Maximilian returned to Poland in July 1919, worn by tuberculosis. Despite his poor health, he was assigned to the Franciscan friary at Cracow where the climate is fatal to tubercularsas as university professor. Not only was his body exhausted but at times his soul was harrowed by ridicule from some of his own Franciscan confreres. He had hoped on returning to interest all the friars at Cracow in his work. A good number of priests, brothers and student friars did respond to his call, but others shrugged their shoulders. They listened to him, then laughed among themselves, calling him a bore and a dreamer. One friar even found a nickname, which delighted the detractors for awhile: "Marmalade." The young priest walked very slowly, like animated marmalade, to avoid any abrupt movement that could provoke hemorrhage. Maximilian bore this mockery with patience and mildness. Faith, alone, allowed him to find in God and the Immaculata the affirmation and support that some of his confreres initially denied him.

Meditation: When all seems lost and one is stripped of everything, there remains one vital source of spiritual energy: faith. May Maximilian's faith be ours, especially when adversity robs us of the affirmation and support we crave.

(Follow with the daily novena prayer at the bottom)
Day 5: Maximilian's Hope
Reading: Through Father Maximilian's efforts, the influence of the MI movement began to spread through Poland in the 1920s. As distances became too great for his one unaided human voice to reach, Maximilian realized that only the printed word would suffice. With a complete lack of capital, but full trust in providence, he began publishing the Knight of the Immaculata (Rycerz Niepokalanej) a sixteen-page magazine. Once when bankruptcy seemed imminent, he threw himself at the feet of the Immaculata and begged for help. As he was about to leave the church, he found an envelope on the altar with these words on it, "For thee, O Immaculate Mother." Inside was the exact sum to pay the debt. In 1927 when quarters for his printshop became too small, he entered into negotiations to purchase a large tract of land for a whole "City of the Immaculata" (Niepokalanow), where he and the friars would expand their apostolate. However, he again lacked capital. He explained to the landowner, Prince Drucki-Lubecki, that he could not afford the price. Abruptly the Prince decided to make a free gift of it to Maximilian and the friars. By 1939 Niepokalanow had become the largest Franciscan friary in the world with over 700 friars and students. The circulation of their magazine exceeded 750,000 copies per month.

Meditation: When the customary human solutions to the complexities that beset our lives prove ineffective, we are placed in a situation of total dependence upon God. May Maximilian's unflagging hopea complete trust in God's providencebe ours throughout the course of our life.

(Follow with the daily novena prayer at the bottom)
Day 6: Maximilian's Sanctification of Labor
Reading: Father Maximilian's zeal for the inner conversion and sanctification of all people was not confined by national boundaries. With appropriate ecclesiastical permission, he and four other friars sailed to the Orient in 1930. They established themselves in Japan, where they hoped to publish the Knight of the Immaculata in Japanese. As a condition to publish the magazine, Father Maximilian was obliged to teach philosophy in the diocesan seminary. In exchange, the bishop would allow diocesan priests to help in the translating of articles into the Japanese language. Remarkably, Father Maximilian was able to publish the first issue of Seibo no Kishi within one month of his arrival. Father Maximilian soon founded a second City of the Immaculata, Mugenzai no Sono. Throughout his apostolic labors in Japan, Father Maximilian suffered constantly from high fevers, violent headaches, and abscesses, due to overwork and an inadequate diet. He concealed these problems so well, however, that for some time only his most intimate companions had any awareness of the seriousness of his condition.

Meditation: Work can serve to enhance our dignity as God's people, when we work diligently to nourish our families and build up God's kingdom. May Maximilian's zealous commitment to each task at hand stimulate our own religious zeal for the daily work that God has entrusted to us.

(Follow with the daily novena prayer at the bottom)
Day 7: Maximilian's Obedience
Reading: Scarcely two months after his arrival in Japan and the first publication of a Japanese version of the Knight of the Immaculata, Father Maximilian was summoned by his superiors to defend this enterprise at the Province Chapter in Lwow, Poland. Obedient as always, he left Japan for this meeting, but his heart was heavy because there was no one capable of maintaining the gigantic work in his absence. Father Maximilian had no doubts that only through full obedience would his own labors for the Immaculata's cause be fruitful. At the chapter, the very future of the Japanese Niepokalanow was put to question. The expenses were heavy, and the capitular friars discussed the prudence of undertaking such a foolish venture. Father Maximilian followed his usual tactics. Having explained all his arguments and spoken from the abundance of his heart, he remained silent, waited, closed his eyes, with his hands under his capuche he held his rosary and very slowly while his superiors discussed the business he summoned his council, reciting innumerable Hail Marys. He won on all scores and returned to Japan with full permission to continue the Immaculata's work there.

Meditation: Submission to legitimate authority frees us from the tyranny of our own willfulness, stubbornness or selfishness. May Maximilian's obedience to authority in the Church move our consciences along the lines of a more generous obedience to Christ's chosen representatives.

(Follow with the daily novena prayer at the bottom)
Day 8: Maximilian and the Eucharist
Reading: Under Father Maximilian's spiritual leadership, the friars of Niepokalanow and Mugenzai no Sono had incredible success in their press apostolate. Their secret for success was a community life of prayer centered on the Eucharist. In the mid-1930s, when the friars of Niepokalanow were about to inaugurate their first newspaper, the Maly Dziennik (Little Journal), they had formidable opponents in the secular press of Poland. For nine days, the friars prayed day and night before the Blessed Sacrament. The newspaper venture met with a tremendous success. Years later, Father Maximilian initiated a program of daytime adoration of the Eucharist at Niepokalanow. This began on December 8, 1939, the day on which Father Maximilian and the friars were released from a three-month imprisonment by their Nazi captors. He immediately introduced adoration of the Eucharist in order to increase his "active forces of prayer." Every half hour, day after day, a fresh group of four friars took its place before our Lord in the tabernacle. This became the friars' primary apostolate.

Meditation: For every Christian, prayer is not a luxury but a necessity. Maximilian knew that prayer before the Eucharist is the ultimate source for fruitful Christian living. May our own reverence for the Eucharist reflect this same conviction.

(Follow with the daily novena prayer at the bottom)
Day 9: Maximilian's Love
Reading: On February 17, 1941, Father Maximilian was arrested by the Gestapo for the second time. Subjected to extreme cruelty throughout his captivity, Father Maximilian prepared himself and his fellow prisoners for the ultimate moment: "They will not kill our souls . . . they will not be able to deprive us of the dignity of a Catholic. We will not give up." Love was to impel Father Maximilian to become a "martyr of charity" in the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp. After the escape of a prisoner, ten inmates were condemned to death by starvation. Sergeant Francis Gajowniczek cried out, "What will happen to my poor family?" At that moment, Father Maximilian slipped out of line, and boldly asked the commandant if he could take the place of Sergeant Gajowniczek. The astounded officer consented. Amidst the horror of the death bunker, love triumphed. Daily prayers, rosaries and hymns were heard as Father Maximilian ministered to his nine fellow victims. Finally after two weeks, on August 14, 1941, the Nazis hastened Maximilian's death by the injection of carbolic acid.

Meditation: True charity always places the needs of others ahead of our own because true charity sees Christ himself mirrored in the face of others. May Maximilian's total love for God and neighbor always through the Immaculata characterize our own approach to Christ in others.

(Follow with the daily novena prayer below)
Daily Novena Prayer for St. Maximilian's Intercession

O Lord Jesus Christ, who said,
"Greater love than this no man has that a man
lay down his life for his friends,"
through the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe,
whose life illustrated such love,
we beseech you to grant our petitions.

[State your intention(s) here...]

Through the Militia of the Immaculata movement,
which Maximilian founded,
he spread a fervent devotion to Our Lady throughout the world.
He gave up his life for a total stranger
and loved his persecutors,
giving us an example of unselfish love for all people,
a love that was inspired by true devotion to Mary.
Grant, O Lord Jesus,
that we too may give ourselves entirely without reserve
to the love and service of our heavenly Queen
in order that we may better love and serve our neighbor
in imitation of your humble servant, Maximilian.

Saint Mary Goretti who,
strengthened by God's grace,
did not hesitate, even at the age of twelve,
to shed your blood and sacrifice life itself
to defend your virginal purity,
look graciously on the unhappy human race,
which has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation.
Teach us all, and especially youth,
with what courage and promptitude we should flee for the love of Jesus,
anything that could offend Him
or stain our souls with sin.
Obtain for us from our Lord victory in temptation,
comfort in the sorrows of life,
and the grace which we earnestly beg of Thee,

[State your intention here...]

and may we one day enjoy with Thee
the imperishable glory of heaven.

Amen.

DAY ONE (July 1)

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen

Most lovable little Saint,
who valued your purity above any earthly gain,
and who sealed this choice with a martyr's death,
obtain for me also a strong love of this virtue,
so consoling to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The pleasures of the world create many temptations for me.
I turn to your powerful intercession in Heaven,
so that with this help I may remain ever loyal to God,
no matter what the price.
In danger inspire me to repeat with you,
"No, it is a sin!"

Amen.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my Love!

Sweet Heart of Mary,
be my Salvation!

Recite the Prayer to Saint Mary Goretti above,

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

Saint Mary Goretti,
Pray for us!

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

DAY TWO (July 2)

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Dear Saint Mary Goretti,
model of loving obedience to parents,
teach me to imitate your example.
Help me to overcome all selfishness and stubborn pride,
draw my parents to Thee,
then lead me to accept this authority
as the Voice of God in my life.
Help them to direct me aright
and enable me to obey their every wish.

Amen.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my Love!

Sweet Heart of Mary,
be my Salvation!

Recite the Prayer to Saint Mary Goretti above,

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

Saint Mary Goretti,
Pray for us!

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

DAY THREE (July 3)

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Dear Little Saint Mary!
You were ready for the moment of martyrdom
because your short life was given over to daily and heroic self-denial.
Your great love of the Sacred Hearts
made all this possible.
Teach me to love Jesus and His Blessed Mother,
so that I too will be inspired to daily self-denial.
I am inclined to pamper myself,
to gratify my senses,
and to excuse myself from all penance.
This keeps me from being a true follower of Christ.
Help me, lovable Little Martyr,
to a sincere practice of self-denial,
so that I may be your worthy follower
and thus gain Heaven for all Eternity.

Amen.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my Love!

Sweet Heart of Mary,
be my Salvation!

Recite the Prayer to Saint Mary Goretti above,

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

Saint Mary Goretti,
Pray for us!

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

DAY FOUR (July 4)

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Dear Little Saint!
Your days were spent in the filth of the marshes,
willingly helping your desperately poor parents and family.
Obtain for me the grace to accept my present circumstances in life,
no matter how difficult or humiliating they may be.
"Just one little drop of water"
as the only request that fell from your parched lips
during those last horrible hours of life.
How much I demand,
how unhappy I am when I cannot have my share of the world's conveniences
and gaudy attractions!
Teach me by your heroic example to be content with what I have,
to be grateful for the blessings God has already showered upon me.

Amen.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my Love!

Sweet Heart of Mary,
be my Salvation!

Recite the Prayer to Saint Mary Goretti above,

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

Saint Mary Goretti,
Pray for us!

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

DAY FIVE (July 5)

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Dear Little Saint,
I depend a great deal upon the help of my friends
in time of trouble or sorrow.
I look for their approval in many things I do.
I am disconsolate and lonely when they desert me.
Through your powerful intercession in Heaven,
obtain for me the grace to place all my confidence in God.
Only by walking constantly in His presence and depending upon His help,
will I have the courage to stand up for His laws,
even though it may mean loss of friends,
criticism and complete removal of worldly comfort.
Help me to look for all of my strength in Him.

Amen.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my Love!

Sweet Heart of Mary,
be my Salvation!

Recite the Prayer to Saint Mary Goretti above,

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

Saint Mary Goretti,
Pray for us!

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

DAY SIX (July 6)

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Dear Little Saint!
Help me to greater love of my Faith.
I have many God-given opportunities to study it but,
sad to say, I neglect them.
I am even critical of the Priests,
Brothers and Sisters who offer their lives
that I may better know and love my holy religion.
Dear Saint Mary Goretti,
teach me to be thankful for these grace which you did not have.
Make me proud of my Faith and ready to die for it,
if God should require that of me.

Amen.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my Love!

Sweet Heart of Mary,
be my Salvation!

Recite the Prayer to Saint Mary Goretti above,

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

Saint Mary Goretti,
Pray for us!

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

DAY SEVEN (July 7)

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Dear Little Saint,
never was Jesus more welcome in a human heart than in yours.
The Great Day of First Communion
could not come quickly enough.
In borrowed clothes and head crowned with flowers of the field,
you knelt to receive Him into your soul,
so rich with Innocence and Love,
and this after months of keen anticipation!

O Powerful Intercessor with the Lamb of God,
inflame my soul with your "ardent longing to receive Jesus in the Eucharist."
Obtain for me the grace to put aside laziness and indifference,
so that I may often, even daily,
allow myself to be consumed in the "burning Furnace of Charity."
Teach me what true Love really is!

Amen.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my Love!

Sweet Heart of Mary,
be my Salvation!

Recite the Prayer to Saint Mary Goretti above,

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

Saint Mary Goretti,
Pray for us!

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

DAY EIGHT (July 8)

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Dear Little Martyr!
To the last you followed your beloved Jesus!
He, while hanging upon His Cross of Suffering,
uttered through parched lips,
"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!"
And you upon your bed of pain,
burning with fever,
forgave your murderer with the words,
"I too, pardon him...
I too, wish him to join me in Paradise!"

Grant me the grace, O Heroic Saint,
to be charitable to others!
Much of my time is spent on vengeful thoughts,
seeking how I may pay back to others
the harm they have done to me.
Teach me to forgive,
so that I may not only gain Heaven,
but also lead others there
who might otherwise be doomed to Hell.
If I am to follow Christ,
help me to imitate His Charity,
even as you have done.

Amen.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my Love!

Sweet Heart of Mary,
be my Salvation!

Recite the Prayer to Saint Mary Goretti above,

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

Saint Mary Goretti,
Pray for us!

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

DAY NINE (July 9 Feast)

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen

Dear Saint Mary Goretti!
Once again I turn to you,
and beg of you in the words of Our Holy Father,
Pope Pius XII, that
"serenity of spirit and deep joy which is the heritage of those who are pure of heart."
Help me to turn to Our Blessed Lady,
confident in the hope that she will take my hand as she did yours,
and lead me on to Paradise,
my heavenly country,
there to enjoy with you and Her,
the company of God the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost for all Eternity.

Amen.

Recite the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my Love!

Sweet Heart of Mary,
be my Salvation!

Recite the Prayer to Saint Mary Goretti above,

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

Saint Mary Goretti,
Pray for us!

In the Name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Patron of Desperate Causes


Begin by reciting the prayer:

St. Jude, glorious apostle,
faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many.
But the Church honors and invokes you universally
as the patron of hopeless cases,
and of things despaired of.
Pray for me who am so distressed.
Make use, I implore you,
of that particular privilege accorded you
to bring visible
and speedy help where help was almost despaired of.
Come to my assistance in this great need
that I may receive the consolation
and succor of Heaven in all my necessities,
tribulations and sufferings, particularly....

(Make your request here.)

and that I may bless God with you
and all the elect throughout eternity.
St. Jude, apostle, martyr,
and relative of our Lord Jesus Christ,
of Mary, and of Joseph,
intercede for us!
Amen.

Recite the appropriate prayer for each of the 9 days.


DAY ONE

O blessed apostle St. Jude,
who labored zealously among the Gentiles in many lands,
and performed numerous miracles in needy
and despairing cases,
we invoke you to take special interest in us and our needs.
We feel that you understand us in a particular way.
Hear our prayers and our petitions
and plead for us in all our necessities especially...

(Make your request here.)

May we be patient in learning God’s holy will
and courageous in carrying it out.

Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us!
My Jesus, mercy!


DAY TWO

O blessed apostle Jude,
who has been instrumental in gathering us here together this day,
grant that we may always serve Jesus Christ
as he deserves to be served,
giving of our best efforts in living
as he wishes us to live.
May we dispose our hearts and minds
that God will always be inclined
to listen to our prayers and petitions,
especially those petitions which we entrust to your care
and for which we ask you to plead for us...

(Make your request here.)

Grant that we may be enlightened as to what is best for us,
in the present and future,
not forgetting the blessings we have received in the past.

Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us!
My Jesus, mercy!


DAY THREE

O holy St. Jude,
apostle of Jesus Christ,
you who have so faithfully
and devotedly helped to spread his Gospel of Light,
we who are gathered together today in your honor,
ask and petition you to remember us and our needs.
Especially do we pray for...

(Make your request here.)

May it also please our Lord
to lend an ear to your supplications in our behalf.
Grant that we may ever pray with fervor and devotion,
resigning ourselves humbly to the divine will,
seeing God’s purpose in all our trials
and knowing that he will leave
no sincere prayer unanswered in some way.

Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us!
My Jesus, mercy!


DAY FOUR

Saint blessed Jude,
you were called to be one of Christ’s chosen apostles
and labored to bring men to a knowledge and love of God;
listen with compassion to those gathered together to honor you and ask;
your intercession.

In this troubled world of ours we have many trials,
difficulties, and temptations.
Plead for us in the heavenly court,
asking that our petitions may be answered,
especially the particular one we have in mind at this moment...

(Make your request here.)

May it please God to answer our prayers
in the way that he knows best,
giving us grace to see his purpose in all things.

Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us!
My Jesus, mercy!


DAY FIVE

O holy St. Jude,
apostle and companion of Christ Jesus,
you have shown us by example
how to lead a life of zeal and devotion.
We humbly entreat you today to hear our prayers and petitions.
Especially do we ask you to obtain for us the following favor...

(Make your request here.)

Grant that in praying for present and future favors
we may not forget the innumerable ones granted in the past
but often return to give thanks.
Humbly we resign ourselves to God’s holy will,
knowing that he alone knows what is best for us
especially in our present needs and necessities.

Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us!
My Jesus, mercy!


DAY SIX

St. Jude,
apostle of Christ and helper in despairing cases,
hear the prayers and petitions
of those who are gathered together in your honor.
In all our needs and desires
may we only seek what is pleasing to God
and what is best for our salvation.
These, our petitions...

(Make your request here.)

we submit to you,
asking you to obtain them for us,
if they are for the good of out souls.
We are resigned to God’s holy will in all things,
knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered
in some way though it may be in a way unexpected by us.

Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us!
My Jesus, mercy!


DAY SEVEN

O holy apostle Saint Jude,
in whose honor we are gathered today,
may we never forget that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
chose you to be one of twelve apostles.
Because of this and of the martyrdom you suffered for the Faith,
we know you are a close friend of Almighty God.
Therefore we do not hesitate to petition you
in our necessities, especially...

(Make your request here.)

We humbly submit ourselves to the will of God,
knowing full well that no sincere prayer is ever left unanswered.
May we see God’s good and gracious purpose working in all our trials.

Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us!
My Jesus, mercy!


DAY EIGHT

O holy Saint Jude,
apostle of Christ,
pray that we may ever imitate the Divine Master
and live according to His will.
May we cooperate with the grace of God
and ever remain pleasing in His sight.
Especially do we ask you to plead for us
and obtain whatsoever is necessary for our salvation.
Forget not our special petitions...

(Make your request here.)

May we always be thankful to God
for the blessings we have received in the past.
Whatsoever we ask for the present or future,
we submit to the divine will,
realizing that God knows best what is good for us.
We know He will respond to our prayers
and petitions in one way or another.

Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us!
My Jesus, mercy!


DAY NINE

O holy Saint Jude,
apostle and martyr,
grant that we may so dispose our lives
that we may always be pleasing to God.
In working out our salvation in this life
we have many needs and necessities.
Today we turn to you,
asking you to intercede for us
and obtain for us the favors we ask of God.
Especially do we petition for...

(Make your request here.)

May we not so much seek temporal good
but rather what will avail our souls,
knowing that it will profit us nothing
if we gain the whole world yet suffer the loss of our soul.

Therefore, may we incline ourselves toward the divine will,
seeing God’s good and gracious purpose in all our trials.

Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us!
My Jesus, mercy!

Great Saint Joseph,
prostrate at thy feet with feelings of unlimited confidence
we beg thee to bless the Novena that I began in thy honor.
I will meditate upon thy virtues;
grant that I may learn fully to appreciate them.
The knowledge of them will be the source of great confusion for me
because of the poverty and destitution of my soul.

Great dispenser of the heavenly treasures,
assist me in my poverty,
help me to display thy virtues in my own soul.
"Thou art never invoked in vain,"
says the seraphic Theresa of Jesus;
be thou to me what thou hast been
to that Spouse of the Sacred Heart of Jesus;
graciously hearken to me as thou didst hearken to her.

Amen.

[State your intention(s) here...]

FIRST DAY



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF THE LIFE OF FAITH

THE words of the great Apostle:
"The just man liveth by faith,"
may be applied particularly to Saint Joseph
who was the most just of men and whose life was ever guided by faith.
Joseph submitted his intelligence to the holy truths of religion.
He applied his heart from his tenderest infancy
to the observance of the divine precepts.

In the trials and sorrows of life,
Joseph was sustained by faith.
He shaped his whole conduct
by the desire to please God
and he attained the great aim of man upon earth,
which is to adore God,
to serve Him,
and hence to deserve the everlasting Truth.

Let us glorify this great Servant of God
who possessed faith so universal,
so simple, so enlightened, so firm,
so constant, and, above all, so fruitful in good works.

Let us examine ourselves with regard to this great virtue
and see how we resemble him.

Is my faith firm, unshaken?
Is my conduct animated by faith!
Is the predominant thought that directs my acts to please God,
and to obtain merit for everlasting life?
Have I tried to derive consolation and strength
from the thought of faith in time of trial?

PRAYER

Great Saint, † model of the just living by faith,
revive that virtue in our souls.
† May it be principle,
† the motive,
† the aim of all my actions;
consolation and my strength in the trials of this life,
the source of abundant merit for everlasting life.

† Amen

SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE



SECOND DAY



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF HOPE

Joseph, abandoning himself entirely to the care of Divine Providence,
glorified God by his life.
Among all the virtues,
hope is the most pleasing to God,
because it is based upon His infinite goodness.
In the sufferings of this life
it is the source of the greatest consolation and encouragement.

Joseph hoped in the Lord.
He hoped for His grace in the accomplishment of His adorable will;
for His help in time of trial;
for His light in the difficulties of life.
By hope he detached his heart from the perishable goods
and the deceitful affections of this world.
In the hour of trial
he sustained his courage by hope,
and fortified his heart with a peace that nothing could alter.

Let us imitate Saint Joseph.
Let us elevate our hopes
towards the only veritable and imperishable treasures.
Let us trust in the wisdom and solicitude of Divine Providence.
Let us rely upon the grace of the Lord;
upon His goodness,
and upon His power.
Let us renew our confidence in the hour of trial.
Let us avoid discouragement,
which outrages the wisdom and goodness of God.

PRAYER

JOSEPH,
† do thou cause the gift of Christian hope to descend into my heart.
† May it enlighten me,
† console me,
† defend me.
† May it detach me from the earth
† so as to elevate my thoughts and my affections towards Heaven.
† May it henceforward inspire my whole conduct
† and give me the right to die like thee,
† saying: "Lord, I have hoped in Thee;
† I shall not be confounded."

SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE



THIRD DAY



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF CHARITY

Joseph loved God from his earliest youth
and loved Him during his whole life.
Joseph loved God with his whole heart,
with his whole soul,
with his whole strength.
Joseph loved God with a love of preference,
giving Him his first affections,
and cutting off his heart from all that could hinder or alter his love
for his Lord and Sovereign Master.
Joseph loved God with a love of union, keeping himself;
constantly united to God by prayer,
meditation, the thought of His holy presence,
and the most perfect conformity to the will of God.

Joseph loved God with a love of immolation
which prompted him to perfect devotedness,
enabling him to perform with joy
the greatest and most numerous sacrifices.
Joseph loved God with a love of perseverance
that experienced neither decrease nor alteration.
He always loved God with all his power to love,
and constantly endeavored to love Him more and more.

PRAYER

Blessed Saint,
† enkindle in my cold heart a spark of thy charity.
† May God be always the first and only object of my affections.
† Keep my soul always, in sanctifying peace,
† and, if I should be so unhappy as to lose it,
† give me the strength to recover it immediately by a sincere repentance.

Grant me such a love of my God
† as will always keep me united to Him,
† and will be the principle and motive of all my actions.
† Grant me a generous love that will make me overcome all obstacles,
† and accept the greatest sacrifices
rather than separate myself from the charity of my God.

† Amen.

SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE



FOURTH DAY



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PURITY

"How beautiful is the chaste generation!" [Wis. IV]
"The whole weight of gold is as nothing
in comparison with a pure soul." [Ecc. XXV]

Saint Joseph was preeminent in purity
because he feared God and faithfully observed His holy law;
because he safeguarded his virtue
by fear of the Sovereign Good and by prudence;
because he sheltered it under the virginity of Mary,
and felt the influence of Jesus, the Divine Son of all sanctity.

How pure must he have been
who was to become the worthy spouse of the Immaculate Virgin!
How holy must he have been whose relations
with the thrice holy God were so intimate.

PRAYER

Joseph,
† help me to understand the excellence of purity
† and how dear it is to the heart of God.
Teach me to preserve carefully this delicate virtue
† and the shadow of the fear of God;
† to safeguard it by prayer, by vigilance,
† by shunning the world,
† by careful watch over my heart and my senses.
† Grant that I may hence forward close my heart to all disorderly affections;
† that I may deserve to enjoy like thee upon earth
† the friends and intimacy of Jesus,
† and that it may be given to me one day
to sing in Heaven the canticle reserved for Virgins.

SAY THE LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE



FIFTH DAY



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF HUMILITY

Joseph excelled in humility
because he realized that glory is due to God alone,
and that, of himself,
man is but misery and nothingness.
By reason of his humility
Joseph was accorded the most glorious privileges
and entrusted with the most sublime mission.
To accomplish His designs,
God employs only the humble
who do not claim for themselves the glory.

As Foster Father of Jesus
and Spouse of the Queen of Heaven and earth,
Joseph was more highly honored than any king in this world.
What pretexts, furnished by zeal for the glory of God,
might have prompted him to speak,
to put himself forward,
to attribute to himself the greatness of the precursor of the Messiah,
and the glories of the apostles!
He rather conceals the astonishing prodigies
which have been revealed to him,
and the sublimity of the functions he exercises.
Under an impenetrable veil
he hides all that can draw upon him the esteem of men.

PRAYER

O Joseph,
† what a lesson for me
† ever so eager to appear,
† so anxious to display before the eyes of men
† the graces that I owe entirely to the liberality of God.
† Obtain that I may attribute to God the glory of all things;
† that I may love the humble and hidden life;
† that I may not desire any other position than the one given by Providence;
† and that I may always be a docile instrument in the hands of God.

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SIXTH DAY



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PATIENCE

Consider how Joseph suffered in his life time.
He tasted, indeed, ineffable consolations,
but he also endured much suffering.
In contrast with the glories of his fallen family,
his was a life of labor and self denial.
What did he not have to suffer,
especially after the Incarnation of the Son of God?
It is verily Joseph who experienced that wherever Jesus enters,
He comes with His Cross and His Crown of Thorns.

He suffers in perfect conformity with the Divine Will.
Joseph renews his courage in the hope of eternal joys and treasures,
in the examples of patience which are given him by Jesus and Mary.
Thus, whatever may be his trials
they cannot trouble the peace of his soul.

PRAYER

Joseph, model of patience,
† teach me this virtue;
which is so necessary †
in the midst of the sufferings and trials of this sorrowful life.

Grant that your example and that of Mary,
† as well as the hope of celestial joys,
† may ever renew my courage.

Amen.

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SEVENTH DAY



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PRUDENCE

Let us honor in Saint Joseph the faithful and prudent servant
to whom Almighty God entrusted the care of His family.
Prudence inspired Saint Joseph to adopt
as the foundation and rule of his conduct,
the great principles of faith;
God, the end of man in this world;
God, the reward of man in eternity.

Remembering that life is short and uncertain,
that upon a moment may depend our eternity,
Saint Joseph wisely employs his time.
He is careful to make a holy use of his senses
and his other faculties in order to give to his Lord and Master
a faithful account of the talents entrusted to him;
he watches over the world around him,
yielding to the world in the measure willed by God,
but not giving himself up to it.
He makes within himself a retreat accessible to God alone
and impenetrable to creatures.

PRAYER

Faithful and prudent servant,
† watch over my weakness and my inexperience;
† obtain for me that prudence which reminds me of my end,
† which directs my paths,
† and which protects me from every danger.

Amen.

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EIGHTH DAY



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF OBEDIENCE

Joseph regarded obedience as rendering man particularly pleasing to God.
What esteem Joseph had particularly for obedience,
when he heard Mary answering the Angel:
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done unto me according to thy word!"
When he saw Jesus submit to his orders,
anticipate his wishes,
execute them faithfully and promptly!
When he considered that the Incarnate Word would be obedient until death,
even the death of the Cross.

PRAYER

Joseph, so faithful to display in thy conduct the obedience of Jesus and Mary,
† obtain for me this important virtue.
† Obtain for me a perfect docility of heart
† to accomplish the will of God,
† and that of those who replace Him.
† Inspire me by your example,
† to obey with promptness and generosity;
† obtain for me above all,
† the grace to obey without murmuring,
† without reasoning
† upon the orders given me,
† in spite of every pretext,
† and with an entire immolation of my own will.

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NINTH DAY



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF DETACHMENT

Saint Joseph loved poverty
because it detaches man from all passing and perishable goods,
delivers the soul from dangerous obstacles,
and from a thousand evils and cares,
and permits him to keep his eyes raised toward Heaven,
instead of stooping, like a slave, toward the earth.

Saint Joseph loved poverty,
because he saw it practised in the highest degree by Jesus Christ.
Did he not regard it as a hidden and priceless treasure,
when he contemplated Jesus in His abnegation,
when he saw Him stretch out His Divine hands
to ask for the most necessary needs of life?

Saint Joseph suffered the privations of life with patience,
without murmur of complaint,
using his poverty to detach himself more and more from worldly goods,
and to seek the goods of Heaven.

PRAYER

St JOSEPH, make me understand the excellence of poverty.
† Grant that I may enter into the interior dispositions
† which animated thee in regard to that virtue.
† Disclose to me the snares of riches,
† the dangers which are attached to them,
† the solicitude which they engender.
† Make me understand how much God favors us,
† when he refuses us riches,
† since he furnishes us a precious occasion to detach us from ourselves
† and from creatures,
† and to increase our merit for Heaven.

Amen.

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Litany of Saint Joseph

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.

God the Holy Ghost,
Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,
Pray for us.

Saint Joseph,
Pray for us.

Renowned offspring of David,
Pray for us.

Light of patriarchs,
Pray for us.

Spouse of the Mother of God,
Pray for us.

Chaste guardian of the Virgin,
Pray for us.

Foster Father of the Son of God,
Pray for us.

Diligent protector of Christ,
Pray for us.

Head of the Holy Family,
Pray for us.

Joseph, most just,
Pray for us.

Joseph, most chaste,
Pray for us.

Joseph, most prudent,
Pray for us.

Joseph, most strong,
Pray for us.

Joseph, most obedient,
Pray for us.

Joseph, most faithful,
Pray for us.

Mirror of patience,
Pray for us.

Glory of home life,
Pray for us.

Guardian of virgins,
Pray for us.

Pillar of families,
Pray for us.

Saint Joseph, Lover of poverty,
Pray for us.

Model of laborers,
Pray for us.

Solace of the wretched,
Pray for us.

Hope of the sick,
Pray for us.

Patron of the dying,
Pray for us.

Terror of demons,
Pray for us.

Protector of Holy Church,
Pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, 0 Lord,

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously bear us, 0 Lord,

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

V. He made him the lord of His household.
R. And prince over all his possessions.

Let Us Pray

God, WHO in Thy ineffable providence
didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be the spouse;
of Thy most holy Mother;
grant, we beseech Thee,
that we may have for our advocate in heaven
him whom we venerate as our protector on earth:
Who livest and reignest world without end.

Amen.

The nine day Novena in honour of Saint John Marie Vianney is normally practiced from July 27 th (first day) to August 4th (ninth day).
DAY ONE:
FOR ARDENT FAITH



Saint John Marie Baptist Vianney
you were born of a deeply religious mother;
from her you received the Holy Faith;
you learned to love God and to pray.
At a young age,
you were seen kneeling in the front of the statue of Mary.
Your soul was supernaturally carried towards the things on High.
Despite the high cost,
you answered your vocation!
Against many obstacles and contradictions,
you had to fight and suffer
to become the perfect priest which you were.
But your deep spirit of faith supported you
in all these battles.
0 Great Saint you know the desire of my soul;
I would like to serve God better;
from Him I have received so many good things.
For this, obtain for me more courage and especially the depth of faith.
Many of my thoughts, words, and actions
are useless for my sanctification and for my salvation,
because this supernatural spirit does not stir up my life.
Help me to be better in the future.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for...

State your request here...

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

DAY TWO:
FOR COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD



Saint John Marie Baptist Vianney,
what confidence the people had in your prayers!
You could not leave your old rectory
or your humble church without being surrounded by imploring souls,
who appealed to you as they would have appealed
to Jesus Himself during His earthly life.
And you, O good Saint,
gave them hope by your words,
which were full of love for God.
You, who had always counted entirely on the heart of God,
obtain for me a deep filial trust in His Providence.
As the hope of divine goods fills my heart,
give me courage and help me to always obey the Commandments of God.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for...

State your request here...

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

DAY THREE:
FOR A TRUE LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR



Saint John Marie Baptist Vianney
because of your love of God
you showed great charity towards your neighbour.
You could not preach on the Love of God
without burning tears of love.
During your last years,
it seemed as though you could not talk about any thing else
or live for anything else.
Thus you sacrificed yourself to your neighbor by consoling,
absolving and sanctifying them to the limits of your strength.
Your charity inspires me to greater love of God,
a love which is shown more by acts then by words.
Help me to love my neighbor generously as Christ loves them.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for...

State your request here...

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

DAY FOUR:
FOR A HORROR OF SIN



Saint John Mary Baptist Vianney,
you were so adamant against sin,
yet so sympathetic and so ready to welcome the sinner.
I come to you today as if you were still alive,
as if I were kneeling at your feet and you could hear me.
Bend towards me,
listen to the repentant confidence
for the weaknesses and miserable deeds of mine.
Priest of the Lord,
inexhaustible Confessor,
obtain for me the horror for sin.
You wanted us First to avoid the occasion of sin.
I want to take your advice
and make the resolution to break bad habits
and to avoid the dangerous occasions of sin.
Help me today to examine my conscience.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for...

State your request here...

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

DAY FIVE:
CONFESSOR OF SOULS



O Holy Priest of Ars,
you knew how important was a good confession
for the Christian life.
It was to procure the happy fruits of millions of souls
that you agreed to be in an uncomfortable confessional,
which was like a prison,
up to 15 to 16 hours on certain days.
I will try to develop the habit of frequent confession,
to prepare properly each time
and to have always regret for my sins,
so that the grace of final perseverance
but also the sanctification of my soul will be assured.
Ask this grace for me.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for...

State your request here...

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

DAY SIX:
REAL PRESENCE



O Holy Priest of Ars,
whose only comfort in this world
was the real presence of Jesus in the tabernacle,
was it not your great joy to distribute the Eucharist
to the pilgrims who visited you?
You refused Communion to the souls
who refused to reform
but to souls of goodwill
you opened wide the doors of the Eucharistic Feast.
You, who each day at Holy Mass received Holy Communion with great loves,
give me some of your fervor.
With freedom from mortal sin,
obtain for me a sincere desire
to profit from receiving Holy Communion.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for...

State your request here...

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

DAY SEVEN:
DISPELLER OF SATAN



O Holy Priest of Ars,
the infamous attacks of the devil
which you had to suffer
and the trials which disheartened you by fatigue
would not make you give up the sublime task of converting souls.
The devil came to you for many years
to disturb your short rest
but you won because of mortification and prayers.
Powerful protector,
you know the temptor's desire to harm my baptized
and believing soul.
He would have me sin,
by rejecting the Holy Sacraments
and the life of virtue.
But good Saint of Ars dispel from me the traces of the enemy.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for...

State your request here...

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

DAY EIGHT:
FOR EXQUISITE PURITY



O Holy Priest of Ars,
a witness of your life made this magnificent praise of you:
'We would have taken him for an angel in a mortal body."
You so edified others:
the modesty and the exquisite purity radiated from your body.
With such charm and with such enthusiasm
you preached to others about these beautiful virtues
which you said resembled the perfume of a vineyard in bloom.
Please I beg you to join your entreaties
to those of Mary Immaculate and Saint Philomena
in order that I guard always,
as God asks me,
the purity of my heart.
You, who have directed so many souls towards the heights of virtue,
defend me in temptations
and obtain for me the strength to conquer them.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for...

State your request here...

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

DAY NINE:
FOR THE DESIRE OF HEAVEN



O Holy Priest of Ars,
your precious remains are contained in a magnificent reliquary,
the donation from the priests of France.
But this earthly glory is only a very pale image
of the unspeakable glory which you are enjoying with God.
During the time you were on earth,
you used to repeat in your dejected hours,
'One will rest in the other life."
It is done,
you are in eternal peace,
and eternal happiness.
I desire to follow you one day.
Until then, I hear you saying to me:
"You should work and fight as long as you are in the world."
Teach me then to work for the salvation of my soul,
to spread the good news and good example
and to do good towards those around me
in order that I will receive the happiness of the Elect with you.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for...

State your request here...

Recite the following prayers...

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

O St John Vianney,
Patron of Priests,
pray for us and for all priests!

Patron of Rural People


FIRST DAY

PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD

Hymn

O Lord, as You have made the earth,
To man and beast have given birth,
Have given sun and rain that thence
The soil might give them sustenance:

We beg You make us willing to
Perform the law we get from You
That work of ours and grace of Yours
May bring the increase that endures.

Through Jesus Christ let this be done,
Who lives and reigns, our Lord, Your son,
Whom with the Spirit we adore
One God with You forevermore.

Antiphon

P. How manifold are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have wrought them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

(Psalm 8)

All:

O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth!
You have exalted your name above the heavens.

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
you have fashioned praise because of your foes,
to silence the hostile and the vengeful.

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place:

What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?

You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field.
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be world without end.

Amen.

Antiphon

All: How manifold are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have wrought them
all; / the earth is full of your creatures.

P. (Chapter--Genesis 1:25 and 2:15)

God made all kinds of wild beasts,
every kind of cattle,
and every kind of creature crawling on the ground.
And God saw that it was good.
The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden,
to till it and to keep it.

R. Thanks be to God.

V. You raise grass for the cattle and vegetation for men's use.
R. Producing bread from the earth, and wine to gladden men's hearts.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

P. Grant, we beg of You,
O Merciful Lord,
that through the intercession of blessed Isidore,
farmer and confessor,
we may forego the pride of worldly wisdom,
and that, through his merits and exemplary life,
we may, with all humility,
ever perform works pleasing to You, through our Lord,
Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and is King and God with You,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

V. St. Isidore.
R. Pray for us.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore

All:

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

The farmer's is a sacred calling because he is a collaborator with God in the work of His creation. In partnership with God he becomes to men a provider of the food, fiber, and shelter they need. Let the farmer, then, no longer belittle himself in his own eyes. The farmer's calling is among the noblest in all the world. The Lord considered it so, and the farmer must think of it in the same terms. With God he lives and works in the vast realms of His bountiful and beautiful nature. He is not one of the millions who in thick formations swarm through factory gates. He is a free man as he strides through his fields guiding a plow, sowing the seed, or harvesting the crop. The farmer's calling is one that must command great respect. Much knowledge and skill are required to manage well the farmstead with its land and fences, barns and granaries, tools and machinery. Farming is among the greatest of human arts. The farmer must be an artisan and a craftsman, a capitalist, financier, manager, worker; a producer and a seller. He must know soil and seed, poultry and cattle; he must know when to till the soil, cultivate his fields, and harvest his crops. In the presence of his Lord the farmer should recall all this, not in a spirit of vainglory or pride, but in grateful appreciation of the calling that God gave him as a tiller of the soil. Praise and thanksgiving should rise in his heart as he reflects on the high regard the Lord has showered upon him and his work. (From "Partnership with God," by the Most Reverend Aloisius J. Muench.)


Say 3 Our Father...
Say 3 Hail Mary...
Say 3 Glory Be...

followed by the prayer of you choice for special needs.

SECOND DAY

FAMILY LIFE IN CHRIST

Lord, who to share creative life
Created mankind man and wife,
To be with You creators of
The objects of Your endless love;

As Jesus loves the Church His bride,
Let our love be intensified,
Let love of one another be
Our pledge of love eternally.

Through Jesus Christ let this be done,
Who lives and reigns, our Lord, Your Son,
Whom with the Spirit we adore,
One God with You forevermore.

Antiphon

P. Happy they who dwell in your house! / Continually they praise you.

(Psalm 127)

All: Happy are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways!

For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; / happy shall you be, and
favored.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine / in the recesses of your home.

Your children like olive plants / around your table.

Behold, thus is the man blessed / who fears the Lord.

The Lord bless you from Sion; / may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all
the days of your life;

May you see your children's children. / Peace be upon Israel!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be world without end.

Amen.

Antiphon

All: Happy they who dwell in your house! / Continually they praise you.

P. (Chapter--Psalm 26:4-5) One thing I ask of the Lord: this I seek: to
dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze on
the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple. For he will hide me
in his abode in the day of trouble; he will conceal me in the shelter of
his tent; he will set me high upon a rock.

R. Thanks be to God.
V. I will make all your children to be taught of the Lord.
R. And an abundance of peace to your children.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

V. We offer You the sacrifice of praise, O Lord, and humbly pray that
through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, and of Saint
Joseph, You may establish our families in peace and grace, through the same
Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.
V. St. Isidore.
R. Pray for us.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore

All:

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

Christian marriage is a union in Christ between man and woman. It is a vocation of mutual love and fidelity in which each partner helps the other to draw closer to God, and the grace received by the husband and wife in the sacrament of matrimony strengthens them toward the achievement of this end. Since the rural familv is the very foundation of the vocation of farming, it is providential that God should have raised up a holy family, St. Isidore and his wife, S. Maria de la Cabeza, to be the patrons of rural people. He wanted to teach us that the combination of the work of farming with the cares and obligations of family life can be a sure road to sanctity. St. Isidore and S. Maria de la Cabeza exemplified the Christian ideal of land-home-family-work-worship in every aspect of their daily lives.

Moreover, the Church has traditionally regarded a home on the land as the ideal place in which to develop genuine Christian family life. Pius XII gave expression to this belief in his address to farmers (November 15, 1946): "Your lives are rooted in the family--universally, deeply, and completely; consequently, they conform very closely to nature. In this fact lies your economic strength and your ability to withstand adversity in critical times. Your being so strongly rooted in the family constitutes the importance of your contribution to the correct development of the private and public order of society."

Farming is a family enterprise which tends to weld the family together. Mother and father are usually within calling distance of each other and see each other several times a day. The children can be at their parents' side to watch them and learn to work with them. There are many little tasks which children can perform that contribute to the family welfare and allow them to acquire experience and habits of responsibility. It is not without reason that the rural home has been called the "natural dwelling place for the Christian family."


Say 3 Our Father...
Say 3 Hail Mary...
Say 3 Glory Be...

followed by the prayer of you choice for special needs.

THIRD DAY

LOVE OF NEIGHBOR

Hymn

O God, who made man from the slime
According to Your form sublime,
And made Christ share our lowliness
To let us share His holiness:

Be in each brother's hand a light
To show the path through this dark night,
Be in us each the burning fire
That kindles love and kills desire.

Through Jesus Christ let this be done,
Who lives and reigns, our Lord, Your son,
Whom with the Spirit we adore
One God with You forevermore.

Antiphon

P. Everyone shall help his neighbor
and shall say to his brother:
Be of good courage.

(Psalm 132)

All:

Behold, how good it is, and how pleasant,
where brethren dwell as one!

It is as when the precious ointment upon the head
runs down over the beard, the beard of Aaron,
till it runs down upon the collar of his robe.

It is a dew like that of Hermon,
which comes down upon the mountains of Sion;

For there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
life forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be world without end.

Amen.

Antiphon

All: Everyone shall help his neighbor and shall say to his brother:
Be of good courage.

P. (Chapter--Romans 12:9-12) Let love be without pretense.
Hate what is evil, hold to what is good.
Love one another with fraternal charity,
anticipating one another with honor.
Be not slothful in zeal;
be fervent in spirit,
serving the Lord,
rejoicing in hope,
Be patient in tribulation,
persevering in prayer.

R. Thanks be to God.
V. You are citizens with the saints.

R. And members of God's household.
V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

P. O God, You make all things work together
unto good for those who love You.
Give to our hearts an abiding love for You,
so that the desires we conceive by Your inspiration
may ever remain unchanged in spite of every temptation,
through Christ Our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. St. Isidore.
R. Pray for us.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore

All:

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

To express the unity of His Mystical Body, Christ chose the striking farm symbol of the vine and the branches. And immediately thereafter, He reminded us of the hard farm reality that the barren plant must be destroyed: If anyone does not abide in me, he shall be cast outside as the branch and wither; and they shall gather them up and cast them into the fire, and they shall burn." (John 15:6) The test that our Lord applied to distinguish the good grain from the bad is love of neighbor: "This is my commandment that you love one another, as I have loved you." (John 15:12)

Each profession has its own peculiar way of helping its members to manifest love for neighbor, and it is the honorable lot of the farmer to provide the basic food and fiber and shelter for man's daily needs. From the example of St. Isidore we learn that our daily life is not to be a selfish quest for profit, but an opportunity to serve. It makes us realize that we need the help of others to continue this way of life. Rural people can well apply to themselves these words of Pope Pius XI: "All the institutions for the establishment of peace and the promotion of mutual help among men, however perfect these may seem, have the principal foundation of their stability in the mutual bond of minds and hearts whereby the members are united one with another. If this bond is lacking, the best of regulations are useless. And so, then only will true cooperation be possible for a single common good, when the various parts of society deeply feel themselves members of one great family and children of the same heavenly Father; we are one body in Christ, 'but severally members one of another,' so that 'if one member suffers anything, all the members suffer with it.'"


Say 3 Our Father...
Say 3 Hail Mary...
Say 3 Glory Be...

followed by the prayer of you choice for special needs.

FOURTH DAY

IGNITY OF WORK

Hymn

Lord, our God, whose mighty hand
Carved out the seas and built the land;
Who, by the labors of our Lord,
The honor Adam lost, restored:

Let us be joined to Christ, Your Son,
That in His work we may be one;
So we shall in our work partake
Of God, whom we by sloth forsake.

Through Jesus Christ let this be done
Who lives and reigns, our Lord, Your Son,
Whom with the Spirit we adore,
One God with You forevermore.

Antiphon

P. The work of the just is unto life:
but the fruit of the wicked unto sin.

(Psalm 126)

All: Unless the Lord built the house,
they labor in vain who build it.

Unless the Lord guard the city,
in vain does the guard keep vigil.

It is vain for you to rise early,
or put off your rest,

You that eat hard-earned bread,
for he gives to his beloved in sleep.

Behold, sons are a gift from the Lord;
the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons of one's youth.

Happy the man whose quiver is filled with them;
he shall not be put to
shame when they contend with enemies at the gate.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be world without end.

Amen.


Antiphon

All: The work of the just is unto life:
but the fruit of the wicked unto sin.

P. (Chapter--II Thessalonians 3:8-12)
Neither did we eat any man's bread at his cost,
but we worked night and day in labor and toil,
so that we might not burden any of you.
Not that we did not have the right to do so,
but that we might make ourselves an example for you to imitate us.
For, indeed when we were with you we used to charge you:
if any man will not work, neither let him eat.
For we have heard that some among you are living irregularly,
doing no work but busy at meddling.
Now such persons we charge and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ
that with quietness they work and eat their own bread.

R. Thanks be to God.
V. Honor the Lord with your substance.

R. And give him of the first of all your fruits.
V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

P. O Lord, let us follow the blessed farmer Isidore's example of patience
and humility, and walk so faithfully in his footsteps that by his
intercession in the evening of life, we can offer You a rich harvest of
merits and good works, through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. St. Isidore.
R. Pray for us.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore

All:

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

St. Paul in his first epistle to the Thessalonians (4:11) says, "Strive to live peacefully, minding your own affairs, working with your own hands, as we charged you, so that you may walk becomingly towards outsiders, and may need nothing."

The nobility of physical labor is praised both in the Old and New Testaments. The humble workshop of Nazareth and the little hillside and stony field where the Holy Family worked and earned its sustenance are shining examples of the regard in which Christ Himself held physical labor. "Christ took for granted the duty of labor. His parables presuppose the law of work. They have for their protagonist, a sower, a vineyard planter, a shepherd, a fisherman, a housebuilder, an employer, a housekeeper. They allude to their work as something natural, something presupposed." ("The Attitude Towards Labor in Early Christianity and Ancient Culture," Geohegan)

Throughout the centuries the most prominent Church writers taught the nobility of labor while great saints, by their personal example, pointed the way for all of us to follow. "Manual labor is absolutely necessary for the preservation of the human race. The earth does not give up her many fruits except by the labor of men. Since man needs the fruits of the earth to sustain life, it follows that he must work to get them." ("The Philosophy of Labor According to Thomas Aquinas," Killeen.)

One of the greatest evils in the world today is the dislike for physical labor and the effort many people make to avoid it. In so doing they go counter to the teaching and example of Christ, the saints, and the repeated urgings of our great Pontiffs in Rome.

Pius XII stated most emphatically, "As an indispensable means toward gaining over the world that mastery which God wishes, for His glory, all work has an inherent dignity and at the same time a close connection with the perfection of the person; this is the noble dignity and privilege of work, which is not in any way cheapened by the fatigue and the burden, which have to be borne as the effect of original sin, in obedience and submission to the will of God."


Say 3 Our Father...
Say 3 Hail Mary...
Say 3 Glory Be...

followed by the prayer of you choice for special needs.

FIFTH DAY

WALKING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Hymn

As we, if we should ride upon
The golden wings (O God) of dawn,
And seek the ends of earth and sky,
Could not escape Your loving eye:

We beg that we by faith may see
Your sweet and fierce ubiquity,
And may deserve at last by grace
To see You always face to face.

Through Jesus Christ let this be done,
Who lives and reigns, our Lord, Your son,
Whom with the Spirit we adore,
One God with You forevermore.

Antiphon

P. O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet:
blessed is the man who hopes in him.

(Psalm 1)

All: Happy the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked,

Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,

But delights in the law of the Lord
and meditates on his law day and night.

He is like a tree planted near running water,
that yields fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.

Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

Therefore in judgment the wicked shall not stand,
nor shall sinners, in the assembly of the just.

For the Lord watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be world without end.

Amen.

Antiphon

All: O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet
blessed is the man who hopes in him.

P. (Chapter--I Timothy 4:15-16)
Meditate on these things,
give yourself entirely to them,
that your progress may be manifest to all.
Take heed to yourself and to your teaching,
be earnest in them.
For in so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

R. Thanks be to God.
V. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

R. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.
V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

P. Breathe into our hearts, we beg You, O Lord,
a desire for heavenly glory,
and grant that we may come,
bearing in Our hands the sheaves of justice,
to where the blessed Isidore is resplendent with You in glory,
through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. St. Isidore.
R. Pray for us.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore

All:

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

"In the realm of nature, the farmer lives and works with God. He has abundant reasons to thank God for the independence and liberty granted him through the soil he calls his own. He has the right to the genuine respect of others, for without him others cannot live. And he ought to have a high sense of self-respect, based on the nobility of his work, which is so vital to humanity. Living close to nature, rural people do not find it difficult to live close to God, the Author of Nature. Moreover, they are blessed in this that they are free from so many occasions of sin and temptation which abound elsewhere. Therefore, the supernatural life should flourish best in rural surroundings. There men and women can best know, love and serve God, and save their immortal souls." (From Pastoral Letter of the Archbishops and Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Toronto and Kingston, Canada.)

However, communion with God and high esteem for their work are not enjoyed by farmers without a constant effort. Many of them seem to be unaware of the many beauties and advantages of rural living and consider their lives uninteresting and their work drudgery. It is the purpose of novenas such as this, and other prayers and rural religious customs and practices, to inspire rural people anew with the dignity of their vocation and the fruitfulness of their work, so that they can continue to be worthy of being called collaborators with God.

My farm is not where I must soil My hands in endless, dreary toil. But where, through seed and swelling pod, I've learned to walk, and talk, with God.


Say 3 Our Father...
Say 3 Hail Mary...
Say 3 Glory Be...

followed by the prayer of you choice for special needs.

SIXTH DAY

STEWARDSHIP OF THE SOIL

Hymn

O Lord, as You by Your command
For all men's use have made the land,
Yet have allowed man's wise decree Rule it be cared for privately;

Let us know that what we control
Is made for mankind as a whole,
And we must an accounting give
Of what God lends us while we live.

Through Jesus Christ let this be done,
Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your Son, Whom with the Spirit we adore,
One God with You forevermore.

Antiphon

P. And other seeds fell upon good ground, and yielded fruit,
some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.

(Psalm 64:10-14)

All: You have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.

God's watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.

Thus have you prepared the land,
drenching its furrows,
breaking up its clods.

Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.

You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;

The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.

The fields are garmented with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be world without end.

Amen.

Antiphon

All: And other seeds fell upon good ground, and yielded fruit,
some a hundred fold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.

P. (Chapter--James 5:7-10)
Be patient therefore, brethren,
until the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruits of the earth,
being patient until it receives the early and late rain.
Do you also be patient;
strengthen your hearts;
for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

R. Thanks be to God.

V. Prepare your work outdoors, and diligently till the ground.
R. That afterwards you may build your house.

Let us pray.

P. Pour down Your blessing, we beg of You, O Lord,
upon Your people, and upon all the fruits of the earth,
so that when collected they may be mercifully distributed
to the honor and glory of Your holy name,
through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. St. Isidore.
R. Pray for us.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore

All:

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

The surface of the earth is particularly within the care of the farmer. He keeps it for his own sustenance and gain, but his gain is also the gain of all the rest of us. At best, he accumulates little to himself. The successful farmer is the one who produces more than he needs for his support; and the overplus he does not keep; moreover, his own needs are easily satisfied. It is of the utmost consequence that the man next to the earth shall lead a fair and simple life; for in riotous living he might halt many good supplies that now go to his fellows.

It is a public duty so to train the farmer that he shall appreciate his guardianship. He is engaged in a quasi-public business. He really does not even own his land. He does not take his land with him, but only the personal development that he gains from it. He cannot annihilate his land, as another might destroy all his belongings. He is God's partner, the representative of society to guard and to subdue the surface of the earth. He must exercise his dominion with due regard to all these obligations. He is a trustee. The productiveness of the earth must increase from generation to generation: this also is his obligation. He must handle all his materials, remembering man and remembering God. ("The Holy Earth," by L. H. Bailey.)


Say 3 Our Father...
Say 3 Hail Mary...
Say 3 Glory Be...

followed by the prayer of you choice for special needs.

SEVENTH DAY

RURAL WORKS OF MERCY

Hymn

0 God, as Jesus by His birth
Became our fellow man on earth,
And raised man, by His brotherhood,
To His divine similitude:

We beg that we in men may see
The form of Your divinity,
What good for fellow men we do
Accept as being done for You.

Through Jesus Christ let this be done
Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your Son, Whom with the Spirit we adore,
One God with You forevermore.

Antiphon

P. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Psalm 111)

All: Happy is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commands.

His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.

Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.

He draws through the darkness, a light for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;

He shall never be moved;
the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance.

An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is steadfast;
he shall not fear till he looks down upon his foes.

Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.

The wicked man shall see it and be vested;
he shall gnash his teeth and pine away;
the desire of the wicked shall perish.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be
world without end.

Amen.

Antiphon

All: Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

P. (Chapter--Matthew 6:19-20)
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where rust and moth consume,
where thieves break in and steal;
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither rust nor moth consumes,
nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart also will be.

R. Thanks be to God.
V. He who trusts in his riches shall fall.

R. But the just shall spring up as a green leaf.
V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

P. May the grace of the Holy Spirit,
we beg You, O Lord,
enlighten our hearts,
and refresh them abundantly
with the sweetness of perfect charity,
through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. St. Isidore.
R. Pray for us.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore

All:

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

Although St. Isidore and his wife, S. Maria de la Cabeza, were very poor, they gave of what they had to those who were poorer than themselves. Every Saturday they would serve a meal to the poor whom they had met in their daily visits to the churches of Madrid. One day after all the food had been given out, a latecomer arrived, hungry and destitute. Although St. Isidore knew that his wife had already served all the food they had in the house, he asked her to look again into the kettle to see if there might not be just one more serving left. S. Maria obediently lifted up the kettle to see if there were anything remaining, and was surprised to find that it was as heavy as if nothing had been taken out of it.

Works of mercy take on different forms in different times and countries. In the frontier days in America, typical ways of helping one's neighbors were: wholehearted hospitality to strangers and travelers; quick assistance to sick and bereaved families, even to the extent of doing the plowing or harvesting for them if necessary; helping other families with greater than family-size projects like barn-raising or butchering; and special help at times of crisis like drought, hail, prairie fire, etc. Many opportunities like these still occur in rural communities, but in addition, new ways of helping one's neighbor are constantly arising. For instance, it may often be possible for older farmers to help inexperienced farmers in adopting new and better farming methods, or it may be possible to be of service to one's community as a whole by helping to organize a soil conservation district, improve the school system, or provide better roads or other means of communication. A Christian farmer will also be on the alert to help his pastor in parish projects for adult education, recreation, or in expanding parish facilities. Finally, many opportunities will arise for the modern farmer to give of his abundance to the less fortunate farmers, who comprise three-fourths of the world's population, in other lands.


Say 3 Our Father...
Say 3 Hail Mary...
Say 3 Glory Be...

followed by the prayer of you choice for special needs.

EIGHTH DAY

TRUST IN PRAYER

Hymn

O God, as You by Your pure gift
By grace our nature do uplift,
And make it possible to be
What You, God, are essentially.

We pray You then to hear our prayer,
For it is Christ's, whose life we share;
And since we share Christ's nature, we
Can pray, like Christ, almightily.

Through Jesus Christ let this be done,
Who lives and reigns, our Lord, Your Son,
Whom with the Spirit we adore,
One God with You forevermore.

Antiphon

P. Therefore I say to you, all things whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you shall receive, and they shall come to you.

(Psalm 85:1-10)

All: Incline your ear, O Lord;
answer me for I am afflicted and poor.

Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.

You are my God; have pity on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.

Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul;

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon You,

Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.

In the day of my distress I call upon you,
for you will answer me.

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
and there are no works like yours.

All the nations you have made shall come and worship you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.

For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be world without end.

Amen.


Antiphon

All: Therefore I say to you, all things whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you shall receive, and they shall come to you.

P. (Chapter--Philippians 4:47)
Rejoice in the Lord always:
again I say, rejoice.
Let your moderation be known to all men.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety,
but in every prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your petitions be made known to God.
And may the peace of God
which surpasses all understanding
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

R. Thanks be to God.

V. I will sing praise to You in the sight of the angels.
R. I will worship toward Your holy temple,
and I will give glory to Your name.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

P. O Lord Jesus Christ, You have said: Ask and you shall receive,
seek and you shall find,
knock and it shall be opened unto you.
Grant, we beg of You, to us Your supplicants,
the gift of Your most divine love,
so that we may love You with our whole heart
and in all our words and works,
and never cease praising You,
who live and are King world without end.

R. Amen.

V. St. Isidore.
R. Pray for us.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore

All:

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

A farmer daily sees the handiwork of God in the world of nature about him and recognizes that he is utterly dependent upon God's bounty for the success of his harvest and deliverance from calamities. It is therefore the most obvious and natural thing for him to call upon the Lord of the harvest to obtain His blessing upon everything he undertakes. Trust in prayer was the most distinguishing trait in the life of St. Isidore. It was his custom to rise before dawn and spend the early part of the day making visits to churches in and about Madrid.. The story is told that his employer, Master de Vargas, became disturbed about the amount of time St. Isidore was taking from his work, and decided to see for himself if reports which had come to him were as bad as they sounded. One morning he hid himself in the field where the saint was supposed to be plowing. When the saint returned even later than usual from his morning pilgrimage, the other workers had finished their jobs and had left the field, while St. Isidore's work was still untouched. Master de Vargas was about to rebuke the saint, but something told him to wait and see what would happen. The saint set to work and seemed to be making a great deal of progress. As the employer watched, he saw the reason: two angels were working side by side with the saint, each guiding a plow and racing in holy rivalry to see who could get the most done. After that whenever anyone asked the Master de Vargas about St. Isidore's work, he would answer simply, "Angels are his helpers." While rural people will follow St. Isidore's example of combining prayer with work, their religious life in general will be centered about the rural parish. The parish church is the center of life's most important moments-- baptism, confirmation, penance, marriage and, above all, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Holy Communion. The cemetery recalls the labors of the pioneers who went before, and the catechism classroom is the place of training future workers for Christ. Father of all, the rural pastor has been called "God" sacred gift to mankind sent by divine appointment on a mission whose field is not a given parish or diocese, but the world; whose end is the glory of God and the salvation of souls everywhere; whose means are the sacraments and the preaching of the Gospel; the object of whose teaching is everything knowable, from the deep things in God to all things outside of God." (Most Reverend William A. Griffin.)


Say 3 Our Father...
Say 3 Hail Mary...
Say 3 Glory Be...

followed by the prayer of you choice for special needs.

NINTH DAY

SACRIFICE OF PRAISE

Hymn

Lord, who before Your praise was heard
Were praised in silence by the Word,
And whom, from all eternity
Your Son has praised sufficiently:

Please deign to be our hallowing,
And we in Christ Your Son will sing,
Then Your poor creatures' prayers will rise
Sufficient praise before Your eyes.

Through Jesus Christ let this be done,
Who lives and reigns, our Lord, Your Son,
Whom with the Spirit we adore,
One God with You forevermore.

Antiphon

P. Whatever you do in word or in work,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

(Psalm 22)

All: The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.

Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths;
for his name's sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil;
for you are at my side

With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes; You anoint my head with oil,
my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be world without end.

Amen.

Antiphon

All: Whatever you do in word or in work,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

P (Chapter--Hebrews 10:12-14)
Jesus, having offered one sacrifice for sins,
has taken his seat forever at the right hand of God,
waiting thenceforth until his enemies
be made the footstool under his feet.
For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.

R. Thanks be to God.

V. Offer to God the sacrifice of praise.
R. And pay your vows to the Most High.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray

P. Protect us, O Lord;
who offer holocausts to You,
and sear our hearts with the flame of Your divine charity,
so that they may be ever more fervently prepared for sacrifice,
through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. St. Isidore.
R. Pray for us.

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore

All:

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil,
and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine,
revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls,
deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore,
to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer,
so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow,
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven,
through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

A farmer can justly take pride in the fact that his work is a very special contribution to the Sacrifice of the Mass, and he should meditate upon this truth with humility and gratitude. "The Lord used the product of wheat and of grapes, bread and wine, for the institution of the august sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Bread and wine are the substances changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of our blessed Savior. Their sense appearances are the carriers of the most precious gifts of our Lord's love to us. In the consecrated elements of bread and wine, Jesus Christ makes Himself present to be the spiritual food of men. He is the bread that has come down from heaven, of which if men eat they shall not die. With good reason, then, has Christian tradition used the sheaf of wheat and the vine with grapes, these precious products of the toil of the farmer, as the symbols of the Holy Eucharist. Both adorn tabernacle and altar as symbols to give vivid expression to this great and loving mystery of our Catholic faith; both play their part in beautifying art and architecture; both enrich hymns and sacred songs composed to give honor to our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. As he kneels in prayer before the tabernacle the farmer indeed has reason to glory in all this and to give profound thanks to his Lord and Master for having honored his calling in so exalted a manner." (From "Partnership with God," by the Most Reverend Aloisius J. Muench.)


Say 3 Our Father...
Say 3 Hail Mary...
Say 3 Glory Be...

followed by the prayer of you choice for special needs.

Invocation



O most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
we praise your Holy Name
and the wonders of grace
you worked in your servant, Saint Clare.
Through her powerful intercession
grant us the favours we beg in this novena,
above all the grace to live and die
as she did in your most Holy Love.

Amen.

First Day



O Seraphic Saint Clare,
first disciple of the Poor Man of Assisi,
who hast abandoned all riches and honours
for a life of sacrifice
and of highest poverty,
obtain from God for us the grace we ask
(State your intention here...),
that of always submitting to the Divine Will
and of living confidently
in the providence of our Heavenly Father.

Amen.

Second Day


O Seraphic Saint Clare who,
notwithstanding living separated from the world
hast not forgotten the poor and the afflicted,
but hast become a mother to them,
sacrificing for them your riches
and working for them innumerable miracles;
obtain from God for us the grace we implore
(State your intention here...),
Christian charity towards our brethren
in all their spiritual and temporal needs.

Amen.

Third Day


O Seraphic Saint Clare,
light of your country,
who hast delivered Italy from barbarous invaders;
obtain from God for us the grace we implore
(State your intention here...),
that of overcoming all attacks of the world
against faith and morals
thus preserving in our families
true Christian peace
with a holy fear of God
and a devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

Amen.

Fourth Day


Blessed Saint Clare,
whose very name means light,
illumine the darkness of our minds and hearts
so that we might see
what God wishes us to do
and perform it
with a willing and joyful heart.
Before your birth,
a Heavenly voice foretold
that you would be a light illuminating the world.
Be a light to us in the sorrows
and anxieties of this earthly life,
and lead us into the eternal light
of our home in Heaven.

Amen.

Fifth Day


O Seraphic Saint Clare,
whose virginal heart was great enough
to love the whole world,
take our petitions into your pure hands
and present them to God.
Pray for us that we may one day
enter joyously before the throne of God.
Let the light of your perfect purity
consume the shadows of sin
and corruption that darkens the world.
Intercede by your innocence for our youth.
Safeguard the peace of our homes
and the unity of our family.
Plead with your chaste love for all in peril.

Amen.

Sixth Day


Generous Saint Clare,
who left wealth and pleasure
and all earthly goods
to become the first spiritual daughter of Saint Francis
and to serve God in the cloister,
help us to commit our lives to God
without limit or measure
so that He may live in us
and shine forth from us
to all whose lives touch ours.
You who loved souls so much
as to make your life a continual sacrifice for them,
obtain for us the graces we now implore
and win for us the strength to praise God
in suffering as well as in joy.

Amen.

Seventh Day


Faithful Saint Clare,
loyal daughter of the Church,
friend and confidante of popes,
intercede for the holy Church
and look graciously from Heaven
on our holy Father Pope.
Enlighten us to remove from our souls
all that hinders the progress of the Church on earth.
Grant that we may share
your great love for the church of God
and spread His kingdom on earth
by a holy life. You,
who worked miracles
in the presence of the pope on earth,
obtain for us the graces we need,
now that you stand
in the presence of the most high God in Heaven.

Amen.

Eighth Day


Valiant Saint Clare,
who fearlessly stood alone
against the barbarous Saracens,
trusting in the Blessed Sacrament
as your only protection,
enkindle in us a tender love for Jesus Christ;
help us to live Eucharistic lives.
You who saved your city of Assisi
from plunder and ruin,
protect our city and archdiocese,
plead for our beloved country
and the suffering world.
A voice from the Sacred Host
rewarded your trust with a promise:
"I will always take care of you."
Glorious Saint Clare,
from your high place in Heaven,
take care of us now
in our earthly needs
and guide us by your light to Heaven.

Amen.

Ninth Day


Gracious Saint Clare,
who fulfilled your womanhood
by a life of love in prayer and penance,
help us to fulfill our destiny
that we may one day greet you in Heaven.
You who were consoled at your death
by a vision of Christ band His Mother,
obtain for us the grace that we may die
under the special protection of God
and enter into the life
and bliss you now enjoy.
Have pity on us who struggle,
on us who mourn,
and win for us the favours of God
so that after this life
we may come home to Him
who lives and reigns forever and ever.

Amen.

Closing Prayer



V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray:



We Pray You, Lord,
Grant us Your servants
who celebrate the festival of Blessed Clare your Virgin,
by her intercession,
to be partakers of the joys of heaven
and coheirs with Your only-begotten Son,
Who being God,
lives and reigns forever and ever.

Amen.

(Monasterio De Santa Clara, Quezon City, Philippines)

Opening Prayer

Most lovable St. Anthony,
we honor you as God's servant
for your fidelity and perseverance in His service.
May we always be assisted by your merits and intercession
in following your example.

Amen.

1st Day

V. O God, come to my assistance;
R. Make haste, Lord to help me.

St. Anthony, great wonder-worker,
God has honored you abundantly
by granting many miracles through your intercession.
In your goodness,
kindly come to my aid now,
and hear my request.

Amen.

2nd Day

V. Hear me, O God, and have pity on me;
R. O Lord, be my helper.

Lovable St. Anthony,
I come to you with complete confidence
in your favor before God who heeds your pleas for those in need.
Forget me not in your place of heavenly glory,
and intercede for me.

Amen.

3rd Day

V. Be not far from me, O Lord;
R. Awake, and be vigilant, O God, in my defense.

Glorious St. Anthony,
I acknowledge my weakness and my many sins against the Almighty.
Despite my unworthiness,
please assist me in my pressing necessity.
In your kindness, plead my cause.

Amen

4th Day

V. Make your ways known to me, O Lord;
R. Teach me your paths.

Zealous St. Anthony,
help me now to appreciate God's purpose in my life,
and be my powerful patron in granting my intention.
You will, I am sure,
beg God's mercy for me in my difficulties.

Amen.

5th Day

V. Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
R. Lord, hear my voice.

Most chaste St. Anthony,
by your love for Christ and His Church
I implore your aid in my anxiety,
and ask your prompt response.
You show the power of God's saints by your ready aid to His people.

Amen.

6th Day

V. My help is in the name of the Lord;
R. Who made heaven and earth.

Most humble St. Anthony,
your dedication to poverty has enriched the Church
with countless favors and blessings.
I beg your assistance in my behalf
so I may be enriched by honoring your example.

Amen.

7th Day

V. All that the Lord wills He does;
R. In heaven and on earth.

O good St. Anthony,
you comfort those like me who sorrow.
Be with me as I give solace to others in imitation of you.
Forget not my need in my difficulty,
and entreat our God for me.

Amen.

8th Day

V.The Lord defends His people;
R. He is merciful to His servants.

Blessed St. Anthony,
in your life you were a model of perfection
who worked wonders for those afflicted.
From your place in heaven,
come now to my aid,
and beg from God the answer to my petition.

Amen.

9th Day

V. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good;
R. His mercy endures forever.

Faithful St. Anthony,
my heart overflows with gratitude.
I know your power with God is great,
and that you will obtain for me my heart's desire.
Help me now, I beg you,
to serve God as faithfully as you did.

Amen.

V. St. Anthony whom the infant Jesus so much loved and honored.
R. Grant us what we ask of you.

Closing Prayer

O God, may it always be a source of joy to Your Church
that we honor the memory of St. Anthony,
Your Confessor and Doctor.
May his spiritual help make us strong,
and his assistance help us gain an everlasting reward.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Amen.

[Say this Novena beginning on the 16 th of December and ending on the 24 th of December. This Novena, though it starts one day earlier than the O Antiphons, correlates with the O Antiphons in the titles used to address Jesus between the 17 th and the 24 the of December. It would, therefore, make a good Novena to pray when your family prays the O Antiphons.]
16 December:

O Shepherd that rulest Israel,
Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep,
come to guide and comfort us.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

17 December:

O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High,
that reachest from one end to another,
and orderest all things mightily and sweetly,
come to teach us the way of prudence!

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

18 December:

O Adonai,
and Ruler of the house of Israel,
Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush,
and gavest him the law in Sinai,
come to redeem us with an outstretched arm!

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

19 December:

O Root of Jesse,
which standest for an ensign of the people,
at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths,
Whom the Gentiles shall seek,
come to deliver us,
do not tarry.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

20 December:

O Key of David,
and Sceptre of the house of Israel,
that openeth and no man shutteth,
and shutteth and no man openeth,
come to liberate the prisoner from the prison,
and them that sit in darkness,
and in the shadow of death.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

21 December:

O Dayspring,
Brightness of the everlasting light,
Son of justice,
come to give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death!

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

22 December:

O King of the Gentiles,
yea, and desire thereof!
O Corner-stone, that makest of two one,
come to save man,
whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth!

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

23 December:

O Emmanuel,
our King and our Law-giver,
Longing of the Gentiles,
yea, and salvation thereof,
come to save us,
O Lord our God!

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be...

24 December:

O Thou that sittest upon the cherubim,
God of hosts, come, show Thy face,
and we shall be saved.

Say 1 Our Father...
Say 1 Hail Mary...
Say 1 Glory Be..