Novena Prayers
Novena Prayers
What are Novenas?
If you mention Novenas, you're likely to get mixed reactions, with extremes at both end of the scale.
Some view Novenas as extraordinarlily powerful prayers with guaranteed results - like a legal contract with God: if you fulfill the
conditions, God grants your request.mply Others feel at Novenas a waste of time - and an outdated form of prayer practiced by overly pious people looking for
spiritual magic.
As is often the case, neither extreme is accurate, though each reflects some truth. Making a novena is indeed a valid, powerful way
to pray, but is misunderstood can become at act of superstition rather than prayer.
What it is
The word "Novena" comes from the Latin meaning "nine each". It is a prayer or Holy Mass that is offered for nine consecutive days.
Scripturally, novenas take their origin from the nine days of prayer before Pentecost. After the Ascension, the Apostles and Deciples,
in obedience to the Lord, gathered in the upper room and devoted themselves to constant prayer, together with Mary, the mother of
Jesus (Acts 1:4-5)
The nine days of prayer can also be considered as a representation of the nine months of Jesus in the womb of Mary. Like Jesus our
Head, we His Body are also to be born of Mary and the Holy Spirit. The nine days of prayer were gestation prior to the birth of the
Church on Pentecost. Since then, each Novena can be considered as a time of gestation before a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
What it is not
Over the Centuries, the practice of making Novenas grew in popularity, and inevitably, abused developed like weeds in a garden.
One abuse is absolute guarantees of positive results. There are no absolute guarantees. Prayer must always be made according to
the will of God. Even Christ Himself prayed, "Not my will, Father, but yours be done."
We pray with trust that God will give us what he know is best for us.
Another abuse is the guarantee that a particular novena will never fail if we publish the novena prayer. These mistaken ideas can
often cause great confusion and lead to superstition.
Persistant prayer
Novenas should be considered persistant prayer. Jesus exhorted us to continually ask, seek, and knock for what we need
(Lk 11:5-10), and he gave us strong examples of the value of persistancein prayer - like the widow who kept pleading with the judge
(Lk 18:1-8) and the man who woke his neighbor in the middle of the night to give him bread (Lk 11:5-9).
St. Fraustina also gives us a powerful example of persistance in prayer. Novenas were an important and regular part of her spiritual
life. She made Novenas of different kinds and for various needs. For her they were times of intense and perservering prayers.
For us, too, can be times of perservering prayer for special needs and of perparation of solemn feasts.
Novenas can also help us to focus our intentions so that we can more effectively give thanks for God's response to our needs -
whatever they are - placing ever greater trust in the Lord Jesus.
Oh, most flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splender of Heaven. Blessed Mother of the Son of God; Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me you are my Mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. (Mention your request here). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, Mary, I place this prayer in your hands. (3 times) (Say this Novena Prayer for 3 consective days)
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 that you are our Mother!
(Mention your request here)
Say: 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 prayer of your chosen son Saint Simon Stock. Help now to wear it faithfully and with devotion. May it be a sign to us of our desire to grow in holiness. (Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be - Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.
Third Day
O Queen of Heaven you gave 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. (Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be - Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.
Forth Day
When you gave us, Gracious Lady, the Scapular as our Habit, you called us not to only be servants, but also your own childern. We ask you to gain for us from your Son the grace to live as your children in joy, peace and love. (Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be - Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.
Fifth Day
Our 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 on another, prayerful as Elijah of old, and mindful of our call to minister to God's people. (Mention your request here)
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 sheild of defense agains the Evil One. Through your assistance, may we bravely struggle against the powers of evil, always open to your Son Jesus Christ.
(Mention your request here)
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. (Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be - Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.
Eighth Day
You gave 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 the death the blessed company of Jesus and the saints. (Mention your request here)
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! (Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be - Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.
Good St. Joseph, providential guardian of Jesus and Mary, you who in you fatherly love cannot refuse the supplication of your devoted children, to you do I come with my troubles and needs. Dear St. Joseph make this important request your own (Mention your request here), that Jesus may grant it through you. You who are so powerful with Jesus and Mary, let it not be said that I invoke you in vain. Amen.
O Blessed St. Joseph, tenderhearted father, faithful guardian of Jesus, chaste spouse of the Mother of God, I pray you to join with me in praising God the Father through his divine Son who died on the cross and rose again to give us sinners new life. Through the Holy Name of Jesus, pray with me may obtain from the eternal Father the favor we ask for (state intention).
We have been unfaithful to the unfailing love of God the Father; beg of Jesus mercy for us his brothers and sisters. Amid the splendors of God's loving presence, do not forget the sorrows of those who weep. By your prayers and those of your most holy spouse, our blessed Lady, may the love of Jesus answer our call of confident hope. Amen
Novena Prayer
Saint Joseph, I , your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are specially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the devine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Devine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request here).
Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
Saint Joseph, you were privileged to share in the mystery of the Incarnation as the foster-father of Jesus. Mary alone was directly connected with the mystery, in that she gave her consent to Christ's conception and allowed the Holy Spirit to form the sacred humanity of Jesus from her blood. You had a part in this mystery in an indirect manner, by fulfilling the condition necessary for the Incarnation -- the protection of Mary's virginity before and during your married life with her. You made the virginal marrage possible, and this was a part of God's plan, forseen, willed, and decreed from all eternity.
In a more direct manner you shared in the support, upbringing, and protection of the devine Child as His foster-father. For this purpose the Heavenly Father gave you a genuine heart of a father -- a heart full of love and self-sacrifice. With the toil of your hands you were obliged to offer protection to the Devine Child, to procure for Him food, clothing, and a home. You were truly the saint of the holy childhood of Jesus -- the living created providence which watched over the Christ-Child.
When Herod sought the Child to put Him to death, the Heavenly Father sent an angel but only as a messenger, giving orders for the flight; the rest He left entirely in your hands. Then it was that fatherly love was the only refuge which received and protected the Devine Child. Your fatherly love carried Him through the desert into Egypt till all enemies were removed. Then on your arms the Child returned to Nazareth to be nourished and provided for during many years by the labor of your hands. Whatever a human son owes to a human father for all the benefits of his up-bringing and support, Jesus owed to you, because you were to Him a foster-father, teacher and protector.
You served the Devine Child with a singular love. God gave you a heart filled with heavenly, supernatural love -- a love far deeper and more powerful than any natural father's love could be.
You served the Devine Child with great unselfishness, withour any regard to self-interest, but not without sacfifices. You did not toil for yourself, but you seemed to be an instument intended for the benefit of others, to be put aside as soon as it had done its word, for you disappeared from the scene once the childhood of Jesus had passed.
You were the shadow of the Heavenly Father not only as the earthy representative of the authority of the Father, but also by means of your fatherhood -- which only appeared to be natural -- you were to hide for awhile the divinity of Jesus. What a wonderfully sublime and devine vocation was yours -- the loving Child which you carried in your arms , and loved and served so faithfully, had God in Heaven as Father and was Himself God!
Yours is a very special rank among the saints of the Kingdom of God, because you were so much a part of the very life of the Word of God made man. In your house at Nazareth and under your care the redemption of mankind was prepared. What you accomplished , you did for us. You are not only a powerful and great saint in the Kingdom of God, but a benefactor of the whole Christendom and mankind. Your rank in the Kingdom of God, surpassing far in dignity and honor of all the angels, deserves our very special veneration, love and gratitude.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of having been chosen by God to be the foster-father of His Devine Son. As a token of your own gratitude to God for this your greatest privilege, obtain for me the grace of a very devoted love for Jesus Christ, my God and my Savior. Help me to serve Him with some of the self sacrificing love and devotedness with which you have done so. Grant that through your intercession with Jesus, your foster-Son, I may reach the degree of holiness God has destined for me, and save my soul.
(Say the Novena Prayer)
Saint Joseph, I honor you as the true husband of Mary. Scripture says: "Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, and of her was born Jesus who is called Christ" (Matt. 1:16). Your marriage to Mary was a sacred contract by which you and Mary gave yourselves to each other. Mary really belonged to you with all she was and had. You had a right to love her and obedience; and no other person so won her esteem, obedience and love.
You were also the protector and witness of Mary's viginity. By your marriage you gave to each other your virginity, and also the mutual right over it -- a right to safeguard the other's virtue. This mutual virginity also belonged to the devine plan of the Incarnation, for God sent His angel to assure you that motherhood and virginity in Mary could be united.
This Union of Marriage not only brought you into daily familiar association with Mary, the loveliest of God's creatures, but also enabled you to share with her a mutual exchange of spiritual goods. And Mary found her edification in your calm, humble, and deep virtue. purity, and sanctity. What a great honor comes to you from this close union with her whom the Son of God calls Mother and whom He declared the Queen of Heaven and earth! Whatever Mary had belonged by right to you also, and this included her Son, even though he had been given to her by God in a wonderful way. Jesus belonged to you as His legal father. Your marriage was the way which God chose to have Jesus introduced into the world, a great devine mystery from which all benefits have come to us.
God the Son confided the guardianship and the support of His Immaculate Mother to your care. Mary's life was that of the Mother of the Savior, who did not come upon earth to enjoys honors and pleasures, but to redeem the world by hard work, suffering, and the cross. You were the faithful companion, support, and comfort of the Mother of Sorrows. How loyal you were to her poverty, journeying, work, and pain. Your love for Mary was based upon your esteem for her as Mother of God. After God and the Devine Child, you loved no one as much as her. Mary responded to this love. She submitted to your guidence with naturalness and easy grace and childlike confidence. The Holy Spirit Himself was the bond of the great love which united your hearts.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the virginal husband of Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to love Jesus with all my heart, as you did, and you love Mary with some of the tenderness and loyalty with which you loved her.
(Say the Novena Prayer)
Saint Joseph, you were the man chosen by God the Father. He selected you to be his representative on earth, hence He granted you all the graces and blessing you needed to be His worthy representative.
You were the man chosen by God the Son. Desirous of a worthy foster-father, He added His own riches and gifts, and above all, His love. The true measure of your sanctity is to be judged by your imitation of Jesus. You were entirely consecrated to Jesus, working always near him, offering Him your virtues, your work, your sufferings, your very life. Jesus lived in you perfectly so that you were transformed into Him. In this lies your special glory, and the keynote of your sanctity. Hence, after Mary, you are the holiest of the saints.
You were chosen by the Holy Spirit. He is the mutual Love of the Father and the Son -- the heart of the Holy Trinity. In His wisdom he drew forth all creatures from nothing, guides them to their end in showing them their destiny and giving them the means to reach it. Every vocation and every fulfillment of a vocation proceeds from the Holy Spirit. As a foster-father of Jesus and head of the Holy Family, you had an exalted and most responible vocation -- to open the way for the redemption of the world and to prepare for it by the education and guidance of the youth of the God-Man. In this work you cooperated as the instrument of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the guide; you obeyed and carried out the works. How perfectly you obeyed the guidance of the God of Love!
The words of the Old Testament which Pharaoh spoke concerning Joseph of Egypt can well be applied to you: "Can we find such another man, that is full of the spirit of God, or a wise man like him?" (Gen. 41:38) No less is your share in the devine work of God than was that of Egypt. You now reign with your foster-Son and see reflected in the mirror of God's Wisdom the Devine Will and what is of benefit to our souls.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for having made you the man specially chosen by Him. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to imitate your virtues so that I too may be pleasing to the Heart of God. Help me to give myself entirely to His service and to the accomplishment of His Holy Will, that one day I may reach heaven and be eternally united to God as you are.
(Say the Novena Prayer)
Saint Joseph, you lived for one purpose -- to be the personal servant of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Your noble birth and ancestry, the graces and gifts, so generously poured out on you by God -- all this way yours to serve our Lord better. Every thought, word, and action of yours was a homage to the love and glory of the Incarnate Word. You fulfilled most faithfully the role of a good and faithful servant who cared for the House of God.
How perfect was your obedience! Your postion in the Holy Family obliged to command, but besides being the foster-father of Jesus, you were also His deciple. For almost thirty years, you watched the God-Man display a simple and prompt obedience, and you grew to love and practice it very perfectly yourself. Without exception you submitted to God, to the civil rulers, and to the voice of your conscience.
When God sent and angel to tell you to care for Mary, you obeyed in spite of the mystery which surrounded her motherhood. When you were able to flee into Egypt under painful conditions, you obeyed without the slightest word of complaint. When God advised you in a dream to return to Nazareth, you obeyed. In every situation your obedience was as simple as your faith, as humble as your heart, as prompt as your love. It neglected nothing; it took in every command.
You had the virtue of perfect devotedness, which marks a good servant. Every moment of your life was consecrated to the service of our Lord: sleep, rest, work, pain. Faithful to your duties you sacrificed everything unselfishly, even cheerfully. You would have of sacrificed even the happiness of being with Mary. The rest and quiet of Nazareth was sacrificed to the call of duty. Your entire life was one generous giving, even to the point of being ready to die in proof of your love for Jesus and Mary. With true unselfish devotedness you worked without praise or reward.
But God wanted you to be in a certain sense a cooperator in the Redemption of the world. He confided to you the care of nourishing and defending the Devine Child. He wanted you to be poor and suffer because He destined you to be the foster-father of His Son, who came into the world to save men by His sufferings and death, and you were to share in His sufferings. In all of these important tasks, the Heavenly Father always found you a faithful servant!
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being God's faithful servant. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to be a faithful servant of God as you were. Help me to share, as you did, the perfect obedience of Jesus, who came not to do His Will, but the Will of His Father, to trust in the providence of God, knowing that if I do His Will, He Will provide for all my needs of soul and body: to be calm in my trials and to leave it to our Lord to free me from them when it pleases Him to do so. And help me to imitate your generosity, for there can be no greater reward here on earth than the joy and honor of being a faithful servant to God.
(Say the Novena Prayer)
Saint Joseph, God has appointed you patron of the Catholic Church because you were the head of the Holy Family, the type and starting-point of the Church. You were the father, protector, guide and support of the Holy Family. For that reason you belong in a particular way to the Church, which was the purpose of the Holy Family's existence.
I believe that the Church is the family of God on earth. Its government is represented in priestly authority which consists above all in its power over the true Body of Christ, really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, thus continuing Christ's life in the Church. From this power, too, comes authority over the Mystical Body of Christ, the members of the Church -- the power to teach and govern souls, to reconcile them with God, to bless them, and to pray for them.
You have a special relationship to the priesthood because you possessed a wonderful power over our Savior Himself. Your life and office were of a priestly functions are especially connected with the Blessed Sacrament. To some extent you were the means of bringing the redeemer to us -- as it is the priest's function to bring Him to us in Mass -- for you reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. You were prefigured by the patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. But how much greater than he were you! Joseph of old gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. You nourished with tenderest care preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal life in Holy Communion.
God has appointed you patron of the Church because the glorious title of patriarch also falls by special right to you. The patriarchs were the heads of families of the Chosen People, and theirs was the honor to prepare for the Savior's Incarnation. You belonged to this line of patriarchs, for you were one of the last descendents of the family of David and one of the nearest forebears of Christ according to the flesh. As husband of Mary, the Mother of God, and as the foster-father of the savior, you were directly connected with Christ. Your vocation was especially concerned with the person of Jesus; your entire activity centered about Him. You are, therefore, the closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, which took its rise with the Holy Family of Nazareth. Because the New Testament surpasses the Old in every respect, you are the patriarch of partiarchs, the most venerable, exalted, and amiable of all patriarchs.
Through Mary, the Church received Christ, and therefore the Church is indebted to her. But the Church owes her debt of gratitude and veneration to you also, for you were the chosen one who enabled Christ to enter into the world according to the laws of order and fitness. It was by you that the patiarchs and the prophets and the faithful reaped the fruit of God's promise, alone among them all, you saw with your own eyes and possessed the Redeemer promised to the rest of men.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the Patron of the Church. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to live always as a worthy member of this Church, so that through it I may save my soul. Bless the Priests, the religious, and the laity of the Catholic Church, that they may ever grow in God's love and faithfulness in His service. Protect the Church from the evils of our day and from the persecution of her enemies. Through your powerful intercession may the Church successfully accomplish its mission in this world -- the glory of God and the salvation of souls!
(Say the Novena Prayer)
Saint Joseph, I venerate you as the gentle head of the Holy Family. The Holy Family was the scene of your life's work in its origin, in its guidance, in its protection, in your labor for Jesus and Mary, and even in your death in their arms. You lived, moved, and acted in the loving company of Jesus and Mary. The inspired writer describes your life at Nazareth in only afew words: "And (Jesus) went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them" (Luke, 2:51). Yet these words tell of your high vocation here on earth, and the abundance of graces which filled you soul during those years spent in Nazareth.
Your family life at Nazareth was all radiant with the light of devine charity. There was an intimate union of heart and mind among the members of your Holy Family. There could not of been a closer bond than that uniting you to Jesus, your foster-Son and to Mary, your most loving wife. Jesus chose to fulfill toward you, His foster-father, all the duties of a faithful son, showing you every mark of honor and affection due to a parent. And Mary showed you all the signs of respect and love of a devoted wife. You responded to this love and veneration of both Jesus and Mary for you with feelings of deepest love and respect. You had for Jesus a true fatherly love, enkindled and kept aglow in your heart by the Holy Spirit. And you could not cease to admire the workings of grace in Mary's soul, and this admiration caused the holy love which you had consecrated to her on the day of your wedding you grow stronger every day.
God has made a heavenly partron of family life because you sanctified yourself as head of the Holy Family and thus by your beautiful example sancfified family life. How peacefully and happily the Holy Family rested under the care of your fatherly rule, even in the midst of trials. You were the protector, counselor, and consolation of the Holy Family in every need. And just as you were the model of piety, so you gave us by you zeal, your earnestness and devout trust in God's providence, and especially by your love, the example of labor according to the will of God. You cherished all the experiences common to family life and the sacred memories of the life, sufferings, and joys in the company of Jesus and Mary. Therefore the family is dear to you as the work of God, and it is of the highest importance in your eyes to promote the honor of God and the well-being of man. In your loving fatherliness and unfailing intercession you are the patron and intercessor of families, and you deserve a place in every home.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of living in the Holy Family and being its head. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain God's blessing upon my own family. Make our home the kingdom of Jesus and Mary -- a kingdom of peace, of joy, and love.
I also pray for all Christian families. Your help is needed in our day when God's enemy has directed his attack against the family in order to descrate and destroy it. In the face of these evils, as patron of families, be pleased to help; and as of old, you rose to save the Child and His Mother, so today arise to protect the sanctity of the home. Make our homes sanctuaries of prayer, of love, of patient sacrifice, and of work. May they be modeled after your own at Nazareth. Remain with us with Jesus and Mary, so that by your help we may obey the commandments of God and of the Church, receive the holy sacraments of God and of the Church, live a life of prayer, foster religious instruction in our homes. Grant that we may be reunited in God's Kingdom and eternally live in the company of the Holy Family in Heaven.
(say the Novena Prayer)
Saint Joseph, you devoted your time at Nazareth to the work of a carpenter. It was the Will of God that you and your foster-Son should spend your days together in manual labor. What a beautiful example you set for the working classes!
It is especially for the poor, who compose the greater part of mankind, that Jesus came upon earth, for in the synagogue of Nazareth He read the words of Isaiah and referred them to Himself: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He has anointed me; to bring good news to the poor He has sent Me" (Luke 4:18). It was God's Will that you should be occupied with work common to poor people, that in this way Jesus Himself might ennoble it by inheriting it from you, His foster-father, and by freely embracing it. Thus our Lord teaches us that for the humbler class of workmen, He has in store His richest graces, provided they live in content in the place God's Providence has assigned them, and remain poor in spirit for He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The kind of work to which you devoted your time in the workshop of Nazareth offered you many occasions of practicing humility. You were privileged to see each day the example of humility which Jesus practiced -- a virtue most pleasing to Him. He chose for His earthly surrounding not the courts of princes nor the halls of the learned, but a little workshop of Nazareth. Here you shared for many years the humble and hidden toiling of the God-Man. What a touching example for the worker of today!
While your hands were occupied with manual work, your mind was turned to God in prayer. From the Devine Master, who worked along with you, you learned to work in the presence of God in the spirit of prayer, for as He worked He adored His Father and recommended the welfare of the world to Him, Jesus also instructed you in the wonderful truths of grace and virtue, for you were in close contact with Him who said of Himself, " I am the Way and the Truth and the Life."
As you were working at your trade, you were reminded of the greatness and majesty of God, who, as a most wise Architect, formed this vast universe with wonderful skill and limitless power.
The light devine faith that filled your mind, did not grow dim when you saw Jesus working as a carpenter. You firmly beleived that the saintly Youth working beside you was truly God's own Son.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to work side by side with Jesus in the Carpenter shop of Nazareth. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to respect the dignity of labor and ever to be content with the position in life. however lowly, in which it may please Divine Providence to place me. Teach me to work for God with God in the spirit of humility and prayer, as you did, so that I may offer my toil in union with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass as a reparation for my sins, and gain rich merit for heaven.
(Say the Novena Prayer)
Saint Joseph, your share of suffering was very great because of your close union with the Devine Savior. All the mysteries of His life were more or less mysteries of suffering. Proverty pressed upon you, and the cross of labor followed you everywhere. Nor were you spared domestic crosses, owing to misunderstandings in regard to the most holiest and most cherished of all beings, Jesus and Mary, who were all to you. Keen must of been the suffering caused by the uncertainty regarding Mary's virginity; by the bestowal of the name of Jesus, which pointed to future misfortune. Deeply painful must of been the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the disappearance of Jesus at the Paschal feast. To these sufferings were surely added interior sorrow at the sight of the sins of your own people.
You bore all this suffering in a truly Christ-like manner, and in this you are our example. No sound of complaint or impatience escaped you -- you were, indeed, the silent saint! You submitted to all in the spirit of faith, humility, confidence, and love; and cheerfully bore all in union with and for the Savior and His Mother, knowing well that true love is a crucified love. But God never forsook you in your trials. The trials, too, disappeared and were changed at last into consolation and joy.
It seems that God had purposely intended your life to be filled with suffering as well as consolation to keep before my eyes the truth that my life on earth is but a succession of joys and sorrows, and that I must gratefully accept whatever God sends me, and during the time of consolation perpare for suffering. Teach me to bear my cross in the spirit of faith, of confidence, and of gratitude toward God. In a happy eternity, I shall thank God fervently for the sufferings which He deigned to send me during my pilgrimage on earth, and which after your example I endure with patience and heartfelt love for Jesus and Mary.
You were truly the martyr of the hidden life. This was God's will, for the holier a person is, the more he is tried for the love and glory of God. If suffering is the flowering of God's grace in a soul and the triumph of the soul's love for God, being the greatest of saints after Mary, you suffered more than any of the martyrs.
Because you have experienced the sufferings of this valley of tears, you are most kind and sympathetic toward those in need. Down through the ages souls have turned to you in distress and have always found you a faithful friend in suffering. You have graciously heard their prayers in their needs even though it demanded a miracle. Having been so intimately united with Jesus and Mary in life, your intercession with them is most powerful.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to suffer for Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to bear my sufferings patiently for love of Jesus and Mary. Grant that I may unite the sufferings, works and disappointments of life with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass, and share like you in Mary's spirit of sacrifice.
(Say the Novena Prayer)
Saint Joseph, how fitting it was that at the hour of your death Jesus should stand at your bedside with Mary, the sweetness and hope of all mankind. You gave your entire life to the service of Jesus and Mary; at death you enjoyed the consolation of dying in Their loving arms. You accepted death in the spirit of loving submission to the Will of God, and this acceptance crowned your hidden life in virtue. Yours was a merciful judgement, for your foster-Son, for whom you had cared for so lovingly, was your judge, and Mary was your advocate. The verdict of the judge was a word of encouragement to wait for His coming to Limbo, where he would shower you with the choicest fruits of the Redemption, and an embrace of grateful affection before you breathed forth your soul into eternity.
You looked into eternity and to your everlasting reward with confidence. If our Savior blessed the shepherds, the Magi, simeon, John the Baptist, and others, because the greeted His presence with devoted hearts for a brief passing hour, how much more did He bless you who have sanctified yourself for so many years in His company and that of His Mother? If Jesus regards every corporal and spiritual work of mercy, performed in behalf of our fellow men our of love for Him, as done to Himself, and promises heaven as a reward, what must have been the extent of His gratitude to you who in the truest sense of the word have received Him, given Him shelter, clothed, nourished and consoled Him at the sacrifice of your strength and rest, and even your life, with a love which surpassed the love of all fathers.
God really and personally made Himself your debtor. Our Divine Savior paid that debt of gratitude by granting you many graces in your lifetime, especially the grace of growing in love, which is the best and most perfect of all gifts. Thus at the end of your life your heart became filled with love, the fervor and longing of which your frail body could not resist. Your soul followed the triumphant impulse of your love and winged its flight from earth to bear the prophets and patriarchs in Limbo the glad tidings of the advent of the Redeemer.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to die in the arms of Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace of a happy death. Help me to spend each day in preparation for death. May I, too accept death in the spirit of resignation to God's Holy Will, and die, as you did, in the arms of Jesus, strengthened by Holy Viaticum, in the arms of Mary, with her rosary in my hand and her name on my lips.
(Say the Novena Prayer)
First, recite this prayer:
Glorious St. Anne , filled with compassion for those who invoke you, with love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my troubles. I kneel at your feet and humbly beg you to take my present need under you special protection. (State your intention here).
Vouchsafe to recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and lay it before the throne of Jesus. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. Above all, obtain for me the grace to one day meet God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the angels and saints praising Him through all eternity. Amen
(Next recite the prayer that relates to the day that you are at).
Great Saint Anne, engrave endelibly on my heart and in my mind the words that have reclaimed and sanctified so many sinners: "What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world if he lose his own soul?" May this be the principle fruit of these prayers by which I will strive to honor you during this novena. At your feet renew my resolution to invoke you daily, not only for the success of my temporal affairs and to be perserved from sickness and suffering, but above all, that I may be preserved from all sin, that I may succeed in working out my eternal salvation and that I will receive the special grace of (State your intention here). O most powerful Saint Anne, do not let me lose my soul, but obtain for me the grace of winning my way to heaven, there with you, your blessed spouse, and your glorious daughter, to sing the praise of the most holy and adorable Trinity forever and ever. Amen.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be to the Father)
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Glorious Saint Anne, how can you be otherwise than overflowing with tenderness toward sinners like myself, since you are the grandmother of Him who shed His blood for them, and the mother of her whom the saints call advocate of sinners? To you, therefore, I address my prayers with confidence. Vouchsafe to commend to Jesus and Mary so that, at your request, I may be granted remission of my sins, perseverance, the love of God, charity for all mankind and the special grace of ...(State your intention here.) which I stand in need at the present time. O most powerful protectress, let me not lose my soul, but obtain for me that through the merits of Jesus Christ and the intercession of Mary, I may have happiness of seeing them, of loving and praising them with you through all eternity. Amen.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be to the Father.)
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Beloved of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, mother of the Queen of Heaven, take us and all who are dear to us under your special care. Obtain for us the virtues you instilled in the heart of her who was destined to become the Mother of God, and the graces with which you were endowed. Sublime model of Christian womanhood, pray that we may imitate your example in our homes and families, listen to our petitions, (State your intention here.) Guardian of the infancy and childhood of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain the graces necessary for all who enter the marriage state, that imitating your virtues they may sanctify their homes and lead the souls entrusted to their care to eternal glory. Amen.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be to the Father.)
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Glorious Saint Anne, I kneel in confidence at your feet, for you have also tasted the bitterness and sorrow of life. My necessities, the cause of my tears, are...(State your intention here.) Good Saint Anne, you who did suffer much during the twenty years that proceded your glorious maternity, I beseech you, by all your sufferings and humiliations to grant my prayer. I pray to you, through your love for your glorious spouse Saint Joachim, through your love for your Immaculate Child, through the joy you did feel at the moment of her happy death, not to refuse. Bless me, bless my family and all who are dear to me, so that some day we may all be with you in the glory of Heaven, for all eternity. Amen.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be to the Father.)
Pray for us , Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Great Saint Anne, how far am I from resembling you. I so easily give away to impatience and discouragement; and so easily give up praying when God does not at once answer my request. Prayer is the key to all heavenly treasures and I cannot pray, because my weak faith and lack of confidence fail me at the slightest delay of devine mercy. O my powerful protectress, come to my aid, listen to my petition ...(State your intention here.) Make my confidence and fervor, supported by the promise of Jesus Christ, redouble in proportion as the trial to which God in His goodness subjects me in prolonged, that I may obtain like you more than I can venture to ask for. In the future I will remember that I am made for Heaven and not for earth; for eternity and not for time; that consequently I must ask, above all, the salvation of my soul which is assured to all who pray properly and who persevere in prayer. Amen.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be to the Father.)
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Glorious Saint Anne, Mother of the Mother of God, I beg you to obtain through your powerful intercession the pardon of my sins and the assistance I need in my troubles...(State your intention here.) What can I hope for if you deign to take me under your protection? The Most High has been pleased to grant the prayers of sinners, whenever you have been charitable enough to be their advocate. Kneeling at your feet, I beg you to help me in all spiritual and temporal dangers; to guide me in the true path of Christian perfection, and finally to obtain for me the grace of ending my life with the death of the just, so that I may contemplate face to face your beloved Jesus and Daughter Mary in your loving companionship throughout eternity. Amen.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be to the Father.)
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
O Good Saint Anne, so justly called the Mother of the infirm, the cure for those who suffer from disease, look kindly on the sick for whom I pray; alleviate their sufferings; cause them to sanctify their sufferings by patience and complete submission to the Devine Will; finally deign to obtain health for them and with it the firm resolution to honor Jesus, Mary and yourself by the faithful performance of duties. But, merciful Saint Anne, I ask you above all for the salvation of my soul rather than bodily health, for I am convinced that this fleeting life if given us solely to assure us a better one. Now, we cannot obtain that better life without the help of God's graces. I earnestly beg them of you for the sick and for myself, especially the petition for which I am making this novena...(State your intention here.) through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of His Immaculate Mother, and through the efficacious and powerful meditation. O Glorious Saint Anne, Amen.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be to the Father.)
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Remember, O Saint Anne, you whose name signifies grace and mercy, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, and sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you, good, and kind Mother; I take refuge at you feet, burdened with the weight of my sins. O Holy Mother of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, despise not my petition...(State your intention here.) But hear me and grant my prayer. Amen.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be to the Father.)
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Most Holy Mother of the Virgin Mary, glorious Saint Anne, I am a miserable sinner, confiding in your kindness, choose you today as my special advocate, I offer and consecrate my person and all my interests to your care and maternal solicitude. I hope to serve you and honor you all my life for the love of your Most Holy Daughter and to do all in my power to spread devotion to you. O my Mother and very good advocate, deign to accept me as your servant, and to adopt me as your child. O glorious Saint Anne, I beg you, by the passion of my most loving Jesus, the Son of Mary, you Most Holy Daughter, to assist me in all my necessities both my body and my soul Vernerable Mother, I beg you to obtain for me the favor I seek in this novena...(State your intention here.) and the grace of healing a life perfectly conformable in all things to the Devine Will. I place my soul in your hands and in those of your kind Daughter. I confide it to you, above all at the moment when it will be to separate itself from my body in order that, appearing under your patronage before the Supreme Judge, He may find it worthy of enjoying His Devine Presence in your holy companionship in Heaven. Amen.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be to the Father.)
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
O wonderful St. Anthony, glorious on account of the fame of your miracles, and through the condescension of Jesus is coming in the form of a little child to rest in your arms, obtain for me of His bounty the grace which I ardently desire from the depths of my heart.
(State your intention)
You who were so compassionate toward miserable sinners, regard not the unworthiness of those who pray to you, but the glory of God that it may once again be magnified by the granting of the particular request (state your intention) which I now ask for with perserving earnestness. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
O holy St. Anthony, gentlest of saints, your love for God and charity for his creatures made you worthy while on earth to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me the favor I seek in this novena (state your intention). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle; even so, you are the saint of miracles. O gentle and loving Saint Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms, and thee gratitude of my heart will always be yours.
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
O miracle-working St. Anthony, remember that it never has been heard that you left without help or relief anyone who is in need had recourse to you. Animated now with the most lively confidence, even with full conviction of not being refused, I fly for refuge to thee, O most favored friend of the Infant Jesus. O eloquent preacher of the devine mercy, despise not my supplications but, bringing them before the throne of God, strengthen them by your intercession and obtain for me the favor I seek in this novena(state your intention).
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
O purest St. Anthony, who through your angelic virtue was made worthy to be caressed by the divine Child Jesus, to hold him in your arms and press him to your heart. I entreat you to cast a benevolent glance upon me. O glorious St. Anthony, born under the protection of Mary Immaculate, on the Feast of Her Assumption into Heaven, and consecrated to her and so powerful an intercessor in Heaven, I beseech you to obtain for me the favor I ask in this novena (state your intention). O great wonder-worker, intercede for me that God may grant my request.
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
I salute and honor you, O powerful helper, St. Anthony. The Christian world confidently turns to you and experiences your tender compassion and powerful assistance in so many necessities and sufferings that I am encouraged in my need to seek your help in obtaining a favorable answer to my request for the favor I seek in this novena (state your intention). O holy St. Anthony, I beseech you, obtain for me the grace that I desire.
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
I salute you St. Anthony, lily of purity, ornament and glory of Christianity. I salute you, great saint, cherub of wisdom and seraph of devine love. I rejoice at the favors our Lord has so liberally bestowed upon you. In humility and confidence I entreat you to help me, for I know that God given you charity and pity, as well as power. I ask you by the love you did feel toward the Infant Jesus as you held Him in your arms to tell Him now of the favor I seek through your intercession in this novena (state your intention).
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
O glorious St. Anthony, chosen by God to preach His word, you received from Him the gift of tongues and the power of working the most extraordinary miracles. O good St. Anthony, pray that I may fulfill the will of God in all things so that I may love Him, with you, for all eternity. O kind St. Anthony, I beseech you, obtain for me the grace that I desire, the favor I seek in this novena (state your intention).
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of St. Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray ofr us!
O reowned champion of the faith of Christ, most holy St. Anthony, glorious for your many miracles, obtain for me the bounty of my Lord and God the grace which I ardently seek in this novena (state your intention). O holy St. Anthony, ever attentive to those who invoke you, grant me that aid of your powerful intercession.
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of St. Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
O holy St. Anthony, you have shown yourself so powerful in your intercession, so tender and so compassionate towards those who honor you and invoke you in suffering and distress. I beseech you most humbly and earnestly to take me under your protection in my present necessities and to obtain for me the favor I desire (state your intention). Recommend my request to the merciful Queen of Heaven , that she may plead my cause with you before the throne of her Devine Son.
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of St. Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
Saint Anthony, servant of Mary, glory of the church, pray for our Holy Father, our Bishop, our Priests, our Religious Orders, that, through their pious zeal and apostolic labors, all may be united in faith and give greater glory to God. St. Anthony, helper of all who invoke you, pray for me and intercede for me before the throne of Almighty God that I be granted the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena(state your intention).
Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of St. Anthony.
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
May the divine assistance remain always with us. Amen.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
O God, may the votive commemoration of blessed Anthony, your confessor, be a source of joy to our church, that she may always be fortified with spiritual assistance, and deserve to enjoy eternal rewards. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Jude Novena Prayer:
St. Jude glorious apostle, faithful friend and servant 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 dispaired 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 dispaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and succor of heaven in my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly, (Mention your request) and that I my 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 Jesus, intercede for us!
O blessed apostle St. Jude, who labored zealously among the Gentiles in many lands, and performed numerous miracles in needy and dispairing 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 necessities especially.(Mention your request). 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. (Say the St. Jude Novena Prayer)
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 petitiions which we entrust to your care and for which we entrust to your care and for which we as you to plead for us. (Mention your request) 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. (Say the St. Jude Novena Prayer)
O holy St. Jude apostle of Jesus Christ, you 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. (Mention your request) May it also please our Lord to lend and ear to your supplications in our behalf. Grant that we may ever pray with fervor and devotion , resigning ourselves humbly to the devine 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. (Say the St. Jude Novena Prayer)
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. (Mention your request) 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. (Say the St. Jude Novena Prayer)
O holy St. Jude, apostle and companion of Christ Jesus, you have shown us example how to leas 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. (Mention your request) Grant that in praying for present and future favors we may not forget the innumberable ones granted in the past but often return to give thanks. Humbly we resign ourselves to God's holy will, knowing that he alond knows what is best for us especially in our present needs and necessities. Amen.
St. Jude pray for us. My Jesus, mercy. (Say the St. Jude Novena Prayer)
St. Jude, apostle of Christ and helper in dispairing cases, hear the prayers and petitions of those who are gathered together in your honor. In all our needs and desires may we seek what is pleasing to God and what is best for our salvation. These, our petitions (Mention your request) 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 to us. Amen.
St. Jude pray for us. My Jesus, mercy. (Say the St. Jude Novena Prayer)
O holy apostle St. Jude, in whose honor we are gathered together today, may we never forget that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ chose you to be one of the 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. (Mention your request) 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. (Say the St. Jude Novena Prayer)
O holy St. Jude , apostle of Christ, pray that we may ever imitate the Devine 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. (Mention your request) 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 devine 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. (Say the St. Jude Novena Prayer)
O holy St. 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. (Mention your request) May we not so much seek temporal good but rather what will avail our souls, knowing 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 devine will, seeing God's good and gracious purpose in all ours trials. Amen.
St. Jude pray for us. My Jesus, mercy. (Say the St. Jude Novena Prayer)
First recite this prayer:
O St. Therese of the Child Jesus, who during your short life on earth became a mirror of angelic purity, of love strong as death, and of wholehearted abandonment to God, now that you rejoice in reward of your virtues, cast a glance of pity on me as I leave all things in your hands. Make my troubles your own, speak a word for me to our Lady Immaculate, whose flower of special love you were to that Queen of Heaven "who smiled on you at the dawn of life." Beg her powerful intercession the grace I yearn for so ardently at this moment, (State your intention here) and that she join with it a blessing that may strenghten me during life, defend me at the hour of death, and lead me straight own to a happy eternity. Amen.
O God who did inflame with the Spirit of Love, the soul of your servant Therese of the Child Jesus, grant that we also may love you and make you much loved. Amen.
O Therese of the Child Jesus, well beloved and full of charity, in union with you, I reverently adore the majesty of God, and since I rejoice with exceeding joy in the singular gifts of grace bestowed upon you during your life, and your gifts of glory after death, I give Him deepest thanks for them; I beseech you with all my heart's devotion to be pleased to obtain for me (State your intention here)
But if what I ask of you so earnestly does not tend to the glory of God and the greater good of my soul, do you, I pray, obtain for me that which is more profitable to both these ends. Amen. St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
Almighty God, giver of all good gifts, who did will that Blessed Therese, being watered by the heavenly dew of your guiding grace, should bloom in Carmel with the beauty of virginity and patience in suffering, grant that I your servant may go forward in the order of your sweetness and may be found worthy to become a devoted and loyal follower of Christ. Amen.
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
O Therese of the Child Jesus, lily of purity, ornament and glory of Carmel, I greet you, great saint, seraph of devine love. I rejoice in the favors our Lord so liberally destowed upon you. In humility and confidence I ask you to help me, for I know God as given you love and pity as well as power. Tell, Him, now , I beseech you, of the favor I seek in this novena (State your intention here) Your request will crown my petiton with success and bring joy to my heart. Remember your promise to do good here on earth. "I shall spend my heaven doing good on Earth." After death I shall let fall a shower of roses." St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
O Little Flower of Jesus, who at an early age had your heart set on Carmel and in your brief earthy life did become the mirror of angelic purity, of courageous love and of whole hearted surrender to Almighty God, turn your eyes of mercy upon me who trust in you. Obtain for me the favor I seek in this Novena (State your intention here) and the grace to keep my heart and mind pure and clean, O dear saint, grant me to feel in every need the power of your intercession; help to comfort me in all the bitterness of this life and especially at its end, that I may be worth to share eternal happiness with you in heaven. Amen.
St.Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
O Little Flower of Carmel, Almight God endowed you, consumed by love for him, with wonderous spiritual strength to follow the way of perfection during the days of your short life. Sickness touched you early but you remained firm in faith and prayer was your life. O pray for me that I may benefit by your intercession and be granted the favor I ask in this novena (State your intention here) Vouchsafe to recommend my request to Mary, the merciful Queen of Heaven, that she may plead my cause with you before the throne of Jesus, her devine Son. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. Amen. St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
O Little Flower of Jesus, you have shown yourself so powerful in your intercession, so tender and compassionate toward those who honor you and invoke you in suffering and distress, that I kneel at your feet with perfect confidence and beseech you most humbly and earnestly to take me under your protection in my present necessity and obtain for me the favor I ask in this novena, (State your intention here) Vouchsafe to recommend my request to Mary, the merciful Queen of Heaven, that she may plead my cause with you before the throne of Jesus, her devine Son. Cease not to intercede for me for me until my request is granted.
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
Therese of the most loving Jesus, most loving Saint, in union with you, I adore the Devine Majesty. My heart is filled with joy at rememberance of the marvelous favors, with which God blessed you on earth and of the great glory that came to you after death. In union with you, I praise God, and offer him my humble tribute of thanksgiving. I implore you to obtain for me, through your powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings that of living and dying in the state of grace. I also beg of you to secure for me the special favor I seek in this novena. (State your intention here) , St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us
.
O glorious St. Therese, who, burning with the desire of increasing the glory of God, invariably attended to the sanctification of your soul by the constant practice of prayer and charity so that, becoming in the Church a model of holiness, you are now in Heaven the protector of all those who have recourse to you in faith, look down upon me who invokes your powerful patronage and join your petition to mine that I be granted the favor I seek in this novena. (State your intention here) St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
O St. Therese, seraphic virgin, beloved spouse of our Crucified Lord, you who on earth did burn with love so intense toward your God and my God, and now glow with a bright and purer flame in paradise, obtain for me, I beseech you, a spark of that same holy fire which shall help me to put things of the world in their proper place and live my life always conscious of the presence of God. As I conclude my novena I also beg of you to secure me the special favor I seek at this time. (State your intention here)
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
