Category: NOVENAS

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NOVENA from ASCENSION to PENTECOST DAY ONE – FRIDAY 26 MAY

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NOVENA from
ASCENSION to PENTECOST
DAY ONE – FRIDAY 26 MAY

novena day one ascension to prentecost

The following Three Prayers to be recited daily during the Novena

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

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 inspirations.   I give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion, to watch over me in my weakness.   Mindful of the wounds of Jesus and with trust in His Precious Blood I implore You, Holy Spirit, Helper in my need, 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 your servant is listening.” Amen

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful
and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created,
and You will renew the face of the earth.

Father, You taught the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the light of the Holy Spirit.   In that Spirit give us right judgement and the joy of His comfort and guidance.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Lord Jesus Christ, before you ascended into heaven You promised to send the Holy Spirit to bring to completion Your work in the hearts, minds and lives of Your Apostles and Disciples.   Fill me with the presence of the same Holy Spirit that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love.   Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may never be bound to the passing things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal.
Fill me with:

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 the crosses of my life 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 imitation of the Saints,
the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God joyful and desirable and
the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and avoid all that would displease Him.
Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and help me to grow and live in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

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 the love of God.   To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, because the Spirit comes to us in our needs.   When we don’t know what to say, it is the Spirit who speaks within us.

Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, You have given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit and You have given us forgiveness of all sins.    We ask You to pour 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 Adoration and Reverence. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to the Uganda Martyrs Day Two – 26 May

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Novena to the Uganda Martyrs Day Two – 26 May

O God, who in Your love and mercy
was pleased to send missionaries to Uganda
to bring the light of Christ to all the peoples,
we thank You for the gift of the
Holy Martyrs of Uganda, our ancestors in faith,
whom You gave the strength to overcome sin and the
anguish of torture and to bear witness to the truth.
Mary, Queen of Peace!
To you we commend the men,
women and children of Uganda.
Through your prayers,
may the Spirit of God grant lasting peace
and prosperity to their nation.
May the light of Christ cast out the spiritual darkness
which breeds selfishness,
violence, hatred for others
and contempt for their rights.
May all hearts be opened to the power of God’s love.
To the Holy Martyrs, we beg for intercession,
be pleased to hear our prayer and pray for us that this,
our special request may be granted
(make your intention)
Holy Martyrs of Uganda, we honour and praise you!
Please pray for us!
O heavenly Father, we make our prayer
through our Lord, Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever, amen.

DAY TWO - UGANDA MARTYRS 26 MAY

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Novena to the Uganda Martyrs Day One – 25 May

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Novena to the Uganda Martyrs Day One – 25 May

O God, who in Your love and mercy
was pleased to send missionaries to Uganda
to bring the light of Christ to all the peoples,
we thank You for the gift of the
Holy Martyrs of Uganda, our ancestors in faith,
whom You gave the strength to overcome sin and the
anguish of torture and to bear witness to the truth.
We ask You O Lord,
through the intercession of St Charles Lwanga
and his companions, that we may imitate their deep faith,
hope, ardent charity, spirit of prayer, heroic chastity
and constant fidelity to Christ and to Your Church.
Grant us Your grace, that we may too, courageously witness to Christ.
To the Holy Martyrs, we beg for intercession,
be pleased to hear our prayer and pray for us that this,
our special request may be granted
(make your intention)
Holy Martyrs of Uganda, we honour and praise you!
Please pray for us!
O heavenly Father, we make our prayer
through our Lord, Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever, amen.

day one - uganda martyrs

 

Posted in NOVENAS

Announcing a Novena to the Uganda Martyrs also known as St Charles Lwanga and Companions – beginning 25 May

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Announcing a Novena to the Ugandan Martyrs also known as St Charles Lwanga and Companions – beginning 25 May

The Uganda Martyrs are a group of 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic converts to Christianity in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda, who were executed between 31 January 1885 and 27 January 1887.

They were killed on orders of Mwanga II, the Kabaka (King) of Buganda.   The deaths took place at a time when there was a three-way religious struggle for political influence at the Buganda royal court.   The episode also occurred against the backdrop of the “Scramble for Africa” – the invasion, occupation, division, colonisation and annexation of African territory by European powers.   The Catholic Church beatified the martyrs of its faith in 1920 and canonised them in 1964.

announcing-a-novena-uganda-martyrs-23 may 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Announcing a Novena from Ascension to Pentecost Beginning Friday 26 May – the Day after Ascension Thursday

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Announcing a Novena from Ascension to Pentecost
Beginning Friday 26 May – the Day after Ascension Thursday

The novena in honour 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 that 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.

announcing - entecost novena

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, Uncategorized

Novena to St Joseph the Worker – Day Nine – 30 April

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Novena to St Joseph the Worker – Day Nine – 30 April

“It is we, men walking in the street, ordinary Christians immersed in the bloodstream of society, whom Our Lord wants to be saints and apostles, in the very midst of our professional work; that is, sanctifying our job in life, sanctifying ourselves in it and, through it, helping others to sanctify themselves as well. Be convinced that it is there that God awaits you, with all the love of a Father and Friend. Consider too that, by doing your daily work well and responsibly, not only will you be supporting yourselves financially; you will also be contributing in a very direct way to the development of society, you will be relieving the burdens of others and maintaining countless welfare projects, both local and international, on behalf of less privileged individuals and countries.”
St Josemaria Escriva – Friends of God, 120

Let us Pray:

DAY NINE

DAY NINE - NOVENA ST JOSEPHTHEWORKER

Dear Saint Joseph,
you were yourself once faced
with the responsibility of providing
the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary.
Look down with fatherly compassion upon me
in my present need and with this my special intention
(make your intention)
Please help me to fulfil God’s plan for my life
please help me in my anxiety
so that this great burden of concern will be lifted from my heart .
Help me to guard against discouragement,
so that I may emerge from this trail spiritually enriched
and with even greater blessings from God. Amen.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph the Worker – Day Eight – 29 April

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Novena to St Joseph the Worker – 29 April

“In our ordinary behavior we need a power far greater than that of the legendary King Midas, who changed all he touched to gold.
We have to change, through love, the human work of our usual working day into the work of God: something that will last for ever.”
St Josemaria Escriva – The Forge, 742

Let us Pray:

DAY EIGHT

day eight-novena st josephthe worker

Glorious St Joseph,
in your diligent daily labour,
you provided for the household
of the Holy Family.
Patron of all workers,
you model how work is a
participation in God’s own activity.
Our Lord Jesus Christ declared:
“My food is to do the will of him
who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
I pray for the sanctification of all human labour.
Through it, God never ceases to perfect
and govern the immense work of creation.
St Joseph, by your intercession,
protect the rights of all workers.
Enable all to find work that befits their dignity.
Do not let those who are unemployed become
discourage but aid them in obtainng fitting work.
United in your powerful help and intercession,
I offer you my own intentions……
(make your intention)
I pray you, dear St Joseph, through our Lord,
Jesus Christ, your dearly beloved foster Son,
in union with the Holy Spirit.
Amen

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph the Worker – Day Seven – 28 April

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Novena to St Joseph the Worker – Day Seven – 28 April

“Persevere in the exact fulfillment of the obligations of the moment. That work – humble, monotonous, small – is prayer expressed in action that prepares you to receive the grace of the other work – great and wide and deep – of which you dream.”
St Josemaria Escriva – The Way, 825

Let us Pray:

DAY SEVEN

day seven novena st joseph the worker

Good Saint Joseph,
ever watchful guardian of the Holy Family,
model of all those who are devoted to labour,
obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously,
putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations,
to work with gratitude and joy,
in a spirit of penance for the remission of my sins,
considering it an honour to employ and develop
by means of labour the gifts received from God.
Keep us one and all under your continual protection,
so that by your help and example, we may lead a holy life,
die a happy death and come to possess eternal life in heaven.
Humbly we ask of you dear St Joseph,
to intercede for all workers, in the difficulties
of their daily lives especially for the unemployed,
in their anxieties for tomorrow,
so that through the guidance of God,
the great Architect and Builder, they all
may use their strength and talents
to make visible God’s new creation,
to offer a concrete service to society
and to earn wages worthy of their efforts.
With confidence and trust
we make our intention
(make your intention)
I pray to you, dear St Joseph, through our Lord,
Jesus Christ, your dearly beloved foster Son,
in union with the Father and the Holy ,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph the Worker – Day Six – 27 April

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Novena to St Joseph the Worker – Day Six – 27 April

“Your ordinary contact with God takes place where your fellow men, your yearnings, your work and your affections are. There you have your daily encounter with Christ. It is in the midst of the most material things of the earth that we must sanctify ourselves, serving God and all mankind. “

St Josemaria Escriva – Conversations, 113

Let us Pray:

DAY SIX

DAY SIX NOVENA ST JOSEPH THE WORKER

O Glorious St. Joseph,
model of all those who are devoted to labour,
obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously,
putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations,
to work with gratitude and joy,
in a spirit of penance for the remission of my sins,
considering it an honour to employ and develop
by means of labour the gifts received from God,
to work with order, peace, moderation and patience,
without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties,
to work above all with purity of intention
and detachment from self, having always death
before my eyes and the account that I must render of time lost,
of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success,
so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus, all through Mary,
all after thine example, O Patriarch, St. Joseph.
Such shall be my watchword in life and in death.
Humbly we ask of you dear St Joseph,
to intercede for all workers, in the difficulties
of their daily lives especially for the unemployed,
in their anxieties for tomorrow,
so that through the guidance of God,
the great Architect and Builder, they all
may use their strength and talents
to make visible God’s new creation,
to offer a concrete service to society
and to earn wages worthy of their efforts.
With confidence and trust
we make our intention
(make your intention)
I pray to you, dear St Joseph, through our Lord,
Jesus Christ, your dearly beloved foster Son,
in union with the Father and the Holy ,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph the Worker – Day Five – 26 April

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Novena to St Joseph the Worker – 26 April

For Christianity then, “human work represents the gradual beginnings of man’s dominion over things, of a governance to which he aspires by realising the image of God.” (Servant of God Fr Luigi Giussanti)

Let us Pray:

DAY FIVE

DAY FIVE NOVENA STJOSEPHTHEWORKER

Glorious St Joseph, patron saint of workers,
blending skill with charity,
silent carpenter, we praise you!
Joining work with honesty,
you taught Christ with joy to labour,
sharing His nobility.
Joseph, close to Christ and Mary,
lived with them in poverty,
shared with them their home and labour,
worked with noble dignity.
May we seek God’s will as you did,
leader of His family!
Joseph, inspiration for workers,
man of faith and charity,
make us honest, humble, faithful,
strong with Christ’s true liberty,
Make our labour and our leisure
fruitful to eternity!
Humbly we ask of you dear St Joseph,
to intercede for all workers, in the difficulties
of their daily lives especially for the unemployed,
in their anxieties for tomorrow,
so that through the guidance of God,
the great Architect and Builder, they all
may use their strength and talents
to make visible God’s new creation,
to offer a concrete service to society
and to earn wages worthy of their efforts.
With confidence and trust
we make our intention
(make your intention)
I pray to you, dear St Joseph, through our Lord,
Jesus Christ, your dearly beloved foster Son,
in union with the Father and the Holy ,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph the Worker – Day Four – 25 April

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Novena to St Joseph the Worker – 25 April

“We are often called upon to do ‘mindless’ work.   But our spiritual task is to transform it.   Emptying the trash can be considered mindless but if I see it as a contribution to the well-being of my family, it can be immensely significant to me.”

Msgr Lorenzo Albacete

Let us Pray:

DAY FOUR

DAY 4 NOVENA STJOSEPHTHEWORKER

Glorious St Joseph,
in your diligent daily labour,
you provided for the household
of the Holy Family.
Patron of all workers,
you model how work is a
participation in God’s own activity.
Silent and glorious carpenter of Nazareth,
model of workers, by the work of your
hands you gave your contribution to the work of the Creator,
you earned your living, and
you provided for the needs of the Holy Family.
Intercede for all workers, in the difficulties
of their daily lives especially for the unemployed,
in their anxieties for tomorrow,
so that through the guidance of God,
the great Architect and Builder, they all
may use their strength and talents
to make visible God’s new creation,
to offer a concrete service to society
and to earn wages worthy of their efforts.
With confidence and trust
we make our intention
(make your intention)
I pray to you, dear St Joseph, through our Lord,
Jesus Christ, your dearly beloved foster Son,
in union with the Father and the Holy ,
one God for ever and ever.
Amen

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph the Worker- Day Three – 24 April

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Novena to St Joseph the Worker- Day Three – 24 April

“It is only by confronting the daily demans of work that we deepen our interior dynamism….Work itself is meant to become a spiritual act and this happens when it is experienced as being at the service of the quest for the Infinite.”

Msgr Lorenzo Albacete

Let us Pray: DAY THREE

day three novena st josephtheworker

Glorious St. Joseph,
model of all those who are devoted to labour,
obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously,
putting the call of duty above my many sins;
to work with thankfulness and joy,
considering it an honour to employ and develop,
by means of labour,
the gifts received from God;
to work with order,
peace, prudence and patience,
never surrendering to weariness or difficulties;
to work, above all,
with purity of intention,
and with detachment from self,
having always death before my eyes
and the account which I must render of time lost,
of talents wasted,
of good omitted,
of vain complacency in success
so fatal to the work of God.
I offer to you today my special intention for this novena
(mention your intention)
knowing that by your powerful intercession
you will assist me and all workers,
especially those seeking employment.
All for Jesus,
all for Mary,
all after thy example,
O Patriarch Joseph.
Such shall be my motto in life and death.

Amen

 

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph the Worker – 23 April – Day Two

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Novena to St Joseph the Worker – 23 April

Work positively affects the worker’s family, the whole of society and the worker personally.   “It forms the person in the process of transforming things;  it humanises and spiritualises the person in the process of modifying material objects.   And finally, it draws men together in the purusit of a goal that is visible to all and in the construction of the world in which they are called to live” (Louis Lavelle).

Thus when a worker offers to God not only the firstfruits of his labour but his labour itself, human labour “can become a great liturgy of worship” (M D Philippe).

Day Two

day two st jospeh novena

Let us Pray:

Glorious St Hoseph,
foster-father and protector of Jesus Christ,
spouse of the blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of God,
powerful protector of the Holy Church,
to you do I raise my heart and implore your powerful intercession.
You gave yourself completely to the Saviour,
it was cause for joy to pray, to work, to sacrifice yourself,
to suffer, to die for Him.
You were unknown in this world even though Jesus knew you very well,
He would look at your simple and hidden life with love.
We are called to contribute by our diligient industry
to the unfolding of the Creator’s plan in history.
Protect the rights of all workers.
Enable people to find work that befits their dignity.
Do not let those who are unemployed become discouraged
but them them in finding fitting employment.
May I too approach my work as an act of worship.
United in your powerful intercession,
I offer you my intentions
(make your intention)
I commend to your fatherly solicitude this specific task.
I am placing it in your hands.
I ask for the grace to never separate myself from God,
to know Christ ant love Him even more and His blessed Mother,
and to always live in the presence of God,
to do all for His glory and the good of other souls
and one day to reach the beatific vision of God
to praise Him eternally with you. Amen.

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, Uncategorized

NOVENA to ST JOSEPH, THE WORKER – DAY ONE – 22 APRIL

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NOVENA to ST JOSEPH, THE WORKER

The Liturgical Memorial of St Joseph, the Worker (1 May) was established by Venerable Pope Pius XII (d.1958), to highlight the importance of work and of the presence of Christ and the Church in the working world.   It provides an occasion to reflect on – and witness to – the “Gospel of Work.”   In a particular way St Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, stands as Patron of all workers and craftsmen, revered as a singular model.   St John Paul, in his encyclical on human work, encourages us to live with the awareness that “work is a participation in God’s activity” – an awareness that “ought to permeate….even the most ordinary everyday activities.”   By our labour and personal industry, we “are unfolding he Creator’s work…..and contributing to the realisation in history of the Divine plan.”

Let us pray:

day one novena st joseph the worker

~~This image is by Pietro Annigoni (1910-1988)~~

DAY ONE

Glorious St Joseph,
in your diligent daily labour,
you provided for the household
of the Holy Family.
Patron of all workers,
you model how work is a
participation in God’s own activity.
Our Lord Jesus Christ declared:
“My food is to do the will of him
who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
I pray for the sanctification of all human labour.
Through it, God never ceases to perfect
and govern the immense work of creation.
St Joseph, by your intercession,
protect the rights of all workers.
Enable all to find work that befits their dignity.
Do not let those who are unemployed become
discourage but aid them in obtainng fitting work.
United in your powerful help and intercession,
I offer you my own intentions……
(make your intention)
I pray you, dear St Joseph, through our Lord,
Jesus Christ, your dearly beloved foster Son,
in union with the Holy Spirit.
Amen

 

Posted in EASTER, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, Uncategorized

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – DAY NINE – Easter Saturday – Seventh Day of the Octave

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DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – DAY NINE – Easter Saturday – Seventh Day of the Octave

VILNIUS IMAGE - DAY NINE DM NOVENA

“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. 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – Day Eight – Sixth Day of the Octave

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DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – Day Eight – Sixth Day of the Octave

day 8 dm novena

“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.

Posted in EASTER, NOVENAS, Uncategorized

Divine Mercy Novena – 20 April Easter Thursday – Fifth Day of the Octave

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Divine Mercy Novena – 20 April
Easter Thursday – Fifth Day of the Octave

DAY SEVEN

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.”

day seven dm novena

Posted in NOVENAS

Divine Mercy Novena – DAY SIX – Easter Wednesday – 19 April 4th Day of the Octave

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Divine Mercy Novena – DAY SIX – Easter Wednesday – 19 April
4th Day of the Octave

DAY SIX DM NOVENA

“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 favour 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.

Posted in EASTER, NOVENAS

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – DAY FIVE – EASTER TUESDAY 3rd Day of the Octave

Posted on by AnaStpaul

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – DAY FIVE – EASTER TUESDAY 3rd Day of the Octave

DAYFIVE-DMNOVENA

“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.

Posted in EASTER, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – DAY FOUR -EASTER MONDAY 2nd DAY OF THE OCTAVE

Posted on by AnaStpaul

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – DAY FOUR -EASTER MONDAY 2nd DAY OF THE OCTAVE

DAY FOUR DMNOVENA

“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

Posted in EASTER, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Divine Mercy Novena – Day Three – Easter Sunday – 16 April 2017

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Divine Mercy Novena – Day Three – Easter Sunday

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.”
During the Solemn Novena leading to Divine Mercy Sunday,
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy should be offered each day for the
day’s intentions.

DMNOVENA-DAY THREE

DAY THREE – EASTER SUNDAY

“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.

PRAY THE CHAPLET here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/divine-mercy-novena-day-one-good-friday/

 

Posted in NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Divine Mercy Novena – Day Two – Holy Saturday

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Divine Mercy Novena

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.”
During the Solemn Novena leading to Divine Mercy Sunday,
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy should be offered each day for the
day’s intentions.

DVMERCYNOVEA-DAY TWO

DAY TWO:  HOLY SATURDAY

“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.

PRAY THE CHAPLET here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/divine-mercy-novena-day-one-good-friday/

 

Posted in NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Divine Mercy Novena – Day One – Good Friday

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Divine Mercy Novena

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.”
During the Solemn Novena leading to Divine Mercy Sunday,
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy should be offered each day for the
day’s intentions.

DIVINE MECY NOVENA - DAY ONE GOOD FRIDAY

DAY ONE:  GOOD FRIDAY

“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

THE CHAPLET

chapmap.jpg

1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

 

 

 

 

Posted in NOVENAS, Uncategorized

Novena to St Joseph – Day Nine – Patron of a Happy Death

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Joseph

Day Nine
PATRON OF A HAPPY DEATH

ST JOSEPH 20 MARCH 2017 (NOT 19 MARCH 2017) 3RD SUNDAY OF LENT

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 of virtue.   Yours was a merciful judgment, for your foster-Son, for whom you had cared 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 Saviour blessed the shepherds, the Magi, Simeon, John the Baptist and others because they 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 out 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 Saviour 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 fervour 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, and in the arms of Mary, with her rosary in my hand and her name on my lips!

DAY 9 NOVENA ST JOSEPH
*NOVENA PRAYER

*NOVENA PRAYER   *(prayer to be said at the end of each day’s devotion)

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 especially 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 divine 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 Divine 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)

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer but graciously receive them. Amen.

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph – Day Eight – Friend in Suffering

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Joseph

Day Eight
FRIEND IN SUFFERING

Saint Joseph, your share of suffering was very great because of your close union with the Divine Saviour.   All the mysteries of His life were more or less mysteries of suffering. Poverty pressed upon you and the cross of labour followed you everywhere.   Nor were you spared domestic crosses, owing to misunderstandings in regard to the holiest and most cherished of all beings, Jesus and Mary, who were all to you.   Keen must have 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 have 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.   You 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 prepare 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 endured 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 suffering 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.

DAY 8 NOVENA ST JOSEPH

*NOVENA PRAYER   *(prayer to be said at the end of each day’s devotion)

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 especially 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 divine 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 Divine 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)

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer but graciously receive them. Amen.

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph – Day Seven – 17 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Joseph – Day Seven – 17 March

Day Seven
PATRON OF WORKERS

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 was 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…” (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 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” (Matt. 5:3).

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 surroundings 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 Divine 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 of divine faith that filled your mind, did not grow dim when you saw Jesus working as a carpenter.   You firmly believed 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 labour 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 and 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.

DAY SEVEN - PATRON OF WORKERS

*NOVENA PRAYER   *(prayer to be said at the end of each day’s devotion)

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 especially 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 divine 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 Divine 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)

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer but graciously receive them. Amen.

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph – Day Six – Patron of Families

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Day Six
PATRON OF FAMILIES

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 labour 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 a few 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 your soul during those years spent in Nazareth.

Your family life at Nazareth was all radiant with the light of divine charity.   There was an intimate union of heart and mind among the members of your Holy Family.   There could not have 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 honour 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 from Jesus and Mary 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 grow stronger every day.

God has made you a heavenly patron of family life because you sanctified yourself as head of the Holy Family and thus by your beautiful example sanctified 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 your zeal, your earnestness and devout trust in God’s providence and especially by your love, the example of labour 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 honour 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 desecrate and destroy it.   In the face of these evils, as patron of families, be pleased to help and as of old, you arose 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 and 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.

DAY SIX-NOVENASTJOSEPH

*NOVENA PRAYER  *(prayer to be said at the end of each day’s devotion)

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 especially 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 divine 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 Divine 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)

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer but graciously receive them. Amen.

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph – Day Five – 15 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Joseph

Day Five
PATRON OF THE CHURCH

Saint Joseph, God has appointed you patron of the Catholic Church because you were the head of the Holy Family, the 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 Saviour Himself.   Your life and office were of a priestly function and 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 the 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, and with the most tender 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 honour to prepare for the Savior’s incarnation.   You belonged to this line of patriarchs, for you were one of the last descendants 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 Saviour, 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 patriarchs, the most venerable, exalted and amiable of all the 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 patriarchs 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, both within and without her.   Through your powerful intercession may the church successfully accomplish its mission in this world — the glory of God and the salvation of souls!

DAY 5 -NOVENASTJOSEPH

*NOVENA PRAYER    *(prayer to be said at the end of each day’s devotion)

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 especially 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 divine 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 Divine 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)

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer but graciously receive them. Amen.

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph – Day Four – 14 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Joseph

Day Four
FAITHFUL SERVANT

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 was 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 position in the Holy Family obliged you to command but besides being the foster-father of Jesus, you were also His disciple.   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 an angel to tell you to care for Mary, you obeyed in spite of the mystery which surrounded her motherhood.   When you were told 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 sacrificed even the happiness of being with Mary.   The rest and quiet of Nazareth was sacrificed at 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 Divine Child.   He wanted you to be poor and to 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 suffering.   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 honour of being a faithful servant of God.

DAY FOUR-NOVENASTJOSEPH

*NOVENA PRAYER  *(prayer to be said at the end of each day’s devotion)

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 especially 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 divine 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 Divine 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)

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer but graciously receive them. Amen.

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Joseph – Day Three – 13 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Joseph

Day Three
MAN CHOSEN BY THE BLESSED TRINITY

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 blessings 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 draws 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 responsible 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 to him?” (Gen. 41:38).   No less is your share in the divine 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 Divine 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.

day three-novenastjoseph

*NOVENA PRAYER  *(prayer to be said at the end of each day’s devotion)

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 especially 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 divine 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 Divine 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)

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

MEMORARE
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer but graciously receive them. Amen.