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HOLY SPIRIT

MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP

SUFFERING

ST. JOSEPH

ABOUT DEATH

ST. JUDE

ST. ANTHONY

ST. ANNE

ST. THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS

ST. PHILOMENA

ST. BENEDICT

NOVENA OF GRACE

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A NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

This novena to the Holy Spirit covers many important aspects of our relationship to the “third Person of the Blessed Trinity” as He is called below.

Holy Spirit, third Person of the Blessed Trinity, Spirit of truth, love and holiness, proceeding from the Father and the Son, and equal to Them in all things, I adore You and love You with all my heart.

Dearest Holy Spirit, confiding in your deep, personal love for me, I am making this novena for the following request, if it should be Your holy Will to grant it: (mention your request).

Teach me, Divine Spirit, to know and seek my last end; grant me the holy fear of God; grant me true contrition and patience. Do not let me fall into sin. Give me an increase of faith, hope, and charity, and bring forth in my soul all the virtues proper to my state of life.

Make me a faithful disciple of Jesus and an obedient child of the Church. Give me efficacious grace sufficient to keep the commandments and to receive the sacraments worthily. Give me the four Cardinal Virtues, Your Seven Gifts, Your Twelve Fruits. Raise me to perfection in the state of life to which You have called me and lead me through a happy death to everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Praying a novena to the Holy Spirit is also an important devotion in preparation for Pentecost. Indeed, Mary, the apostles, and the disciples spent nine days between our Lord’s Ascension into heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in “constant prayer” (Acts 1:12-14). Some see this as the model not only for the novena to the Holy Spirit but for all other novenas as well.

The graces, gifts, and virtues mentioned in the novena to the Holy Spirit above are meant to instill in us the wonderful heavenly attributes necessary for our salvation as we seek to imitate Christ and show others His love in our daily lives.

The seven gifts are wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord. These tie in well with the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit mentioned above, many of which were well articulated by St. Paul in one of his letters (Gal 5:22-23): charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.

This long list of seemingly overlapping yet quite distinct merits can strengthen in us the four cardinal virtues so necessary for us to grow in holiness on the path to our salvation as we follow Christ: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Note that all of these qualities are meant to bring us closer to God as we reflect His peace and goodness.

Jesus told His disciples before His Passion that He would send the Holy Spirit to "remind you of all that I taught you” as He put it in John’s gospel (John 14:26). It is important that we listen to and act on our Lord’s inclinations for us through His Spirit as we seek His sanctifying Grace in our lives.

Christ once said that unless we become like little children we cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matt 18:3). When we adopt that spirit of childlike faith and trust in Him we are better able to listen to His Spirit.

Keep in mind that God has given us not only His Spirit and His gifts of sanctifying Grace but also the free will to choose to accept them. Each of us must play an active part in our own salvation by listening to and acting on His divine inspirations for us. Our relationship with our Creator in His three Persons is indeed a partnership!

We must listen to His voice through prayer, the sacraments, and seeking His word in Scripture and spiritual reading. As St. Augustine once said “He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.” This novena to the Holy Spirit can help us not only with our requests, if they are in line with God’s will for us, but also in uniting our will with His!

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “offer it up” about a problem? Offering up our troubles to God is a great way to remember that, in our faith, suffering is never wasted or meaningless when it’s united with Christ’s suffering on the Cross, for atonement for sins. 

Many people find it helpful to start the day with a morning offering. These prayers we present here for offering up suffering can help you and others as well.

We start first with this well-known prayer Our Lady taught the three Fatima visionaries, the children Lucia Dos Santos, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, in 1917, to be said when offering up sufferings, sacrifices, or penances:

Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In a similar vein, we offer this prayer:

Dear Lord,
Help me to remember in these troubled times
The cross you carried for my sake,
So that I may better carry mine
And to help others do the same,
As I offer up (whatever your concern or problem here) to you
For the conversion of sinners
For the forgiveness of sins
In reparation for sins
And for the salvation of souls. Amen

Here’s a shorter version that expresses the same sentiment:

Dear Lord,
I offer you (whatever your concern or problem here)
For the conversion of sinners
For the forgiveness of sins
In reparation for sins and
For the salvation of souls. Amen.

As the well-known Catholic author Peter Kreeft once wrote, our suffering can help both ourselves and others we may not even know. As he put it "If we are 'in Christ', we, like him, can offer up our sufferings to the Father—and he uses them. They become seeds, or rainwater, and something beautiful springs up that we seldom see in this life."

This concept of redemptive suffering is one of those wonderful divine mysteries, much like our Lord’s Incarnation and His Resurrection that we as human beings will never fully be able to explain but that can give our lives so much meaning. Our sufferings can have a purpose!

God has given us free will to choose to follow Him or not. We’ve abused it many times because of our own sinful nature. And yet He can not only forgive our sins through the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) but also, if we stay close to Him in prayers of offerings, He can take our troubles of any size and use them to make amends for our sins or those of others. (Think of this like paying to fix a window you or someone else broke!)

As Bishop Fulton Sheen once wrote “Pain, agony, disappointments, injustices-all these can be poured into a heavenly treasury from which the anemic, sinful, confused, ignorant souls may draw unto the healing of their wings.”

Think of your sufferings and prayer offerings such as these as contributions into an “Atonement Bank.” It’s not in danger of needing a bailout, and it can give you quite a high rate of return! Your “deposits” can help you, your loved ones or people you don’t even know attain salvation and Eternal Life!

We’d also like to share with you this prayer to offer up sufferings related to confusion, doubt or despair you might naturally feel in bad times:

Dear Lord, during this trial,
I offer up to you my confusion
Give me clarity
I offer up to you my despair
Give me hope
I offer up to you my weakness
Give me strength
I offer up to you my pettiness
Give me generosity of spirit.
I offer up to you all my
Negative thoughts from Satan
So that when he asks ‘Where is Your God now?”
I may respond “Right here with me, giving me His grace
As a Heavenly beam of light penetrating your darkness!"

Remember that in God’s eyes, not one of us is useless. He doesn’t want to lose one sheep in His flock, not one! The one we call the devil, Lucifer, or Satan, however, would like nothing better than to see our destruction.

For most of us, the devil doesn’t turn us into Linda Blair types in need of an Exorcist (as in the movie of that title). His approach is more subtle but it can be deadly nonetheless.

Satan, the father of lies as our Lord referred to him once (John 8:44), tries to play on our weaknesses, our doubts and fears, even in good times, much less in the bad! Don’t let him get you down!

Do you feel like a failure? Frustrated beyond belief? At your wit’s end? Offer all that baggage up to our Lord. Give Him your frustrations and failures. Don't give them to the devil and his forces of darkness.

Do you feel lost? Think of people you look up to, or who inspire you. You think they’ve all had it easy? Look at Jesus. He was born in a cave to die on a cross between two thieves. He was abandoned as a common criminal by his disciples! He must have been a total failure, right? Not at all!

Our Lord came down on earth to share in our sufferings and to give His life not just for our Eternal Life but also so that we may see just how much He loves each of us. This love can strengthen us in our struggles and also help us to share our sufferings with His on Calvary. We can also get His grace, guidance and help through the Eucharist in Holy Communion and in Confession as well!

So, remember, as Blessed Robert Southwell, a 16th Century martyr for Christ once said "God gave Himself to Thee; give Thyself to God."

Mother of Perpetual Help

 A NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

In this novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Mother of Perpetual Help) we pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary in asking for her assistance. The picture of the Blessed Mother with her Divine Son has helped her provide strength, comfort and even miracles to the faithful for centuries! 

Oh Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation, what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name. Let my love for you prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help. Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me the favor I confidently ask of you.
(Then say three Hail Marys).

First placed in the Church of San Matteo in Rome in 1499, the picture was thought to be lost at one point after Napoleon’s armies sacked that church in 1798. Fortunately, however, it was in the care of the Augustinian fathers until Pope Pius IX ordered that the icon be given to the Redemptorist order at the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome in 1866 for public viewing once again. Since then it has been copied and venerated in churches and homes all over the world.

Note in this picture how Jesus, while safely cradled in his mother’s arms, looks anxiously at St. Gabriel the Archangel, who holds the cross and nails for His Crucifixion. (St. Michael the Archangel, at left, holds the lance, spear, and the vessel of vinegar and gall for our Lord's Passion as well.) The Blessed Mother looks at us solemnly, perhaps as if in contemplation of her beloved Son’s future Passion and death for our salvation!

Remember that when we pray this novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help, that we are not choosing to worship her over her Divine Son. She is "our Mother on the order of grace,” according to a Vatican II document, and all the graces Mary gives us come directly from our Lord. She is always ready to intercede with Him on our behalf, but never for anything contrary to His wishes.

As long as we approach her as we do Him, with sincerely humble and contrite hearts, we can count on her aid and guidance. Mary’s last spoken words in the Gospels concerned her Son when she said at the wedding feast at Cana “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5). If we persevere in our intentions to do Christ’s will for us, we are doing hers as well.

St. Joseph

A NOVENA TO ST. JOSEPH

This novena to St. Joseph requests divine assistance from someone close to our Lord, quite close indeed: His foster-father! Although he was from royal ancestry, a descendant of King David, St. Joseph has inspired the faithful for generations as a model of humility and service as a carpenter caring for his Holy Family. St. Bernard called him “the faithful and prudent servant whom the Lord appointed master over His household—His foster-father [and] the comfort and support of His Mother.”

Glorious St. Joseph, foster-father and protector of Jesus Christ! To you do I raise my heart and hands to implore your powerful intercession. Please obtain for me from the kind Heart of Jesus the help and graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare. I ask particularly for the grace of a happy death, and the special favor I now implore (name it).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel animated with confidence that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.

V. O glorious St. Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ, and for the glory of His name,
R. Hear my prayers and obtain my petitions.

St. Thomas Aquinas, the preeminent 13th century theologian, and St. Teresa of Avila, the celebrated 16th century Carmelite nun, both praised St. Joseph’s ability to assist us in all our needs before God. Is it any wonder then that he is a patron saint of the Church, workers, families, home buyers and sellers, and, as we read in this novena, the grace of a happy death? Don’t be afraid to ask for his aid!

A HAPPY DEATH

Is death getting too close for you or for a loved one? These prayers about death can help bring you strength at the time you need it most! Although Jesus spoke of our sharing Eternal Life with Him if we have faith and keep His commandments, His wonderful promise of Heaven may seem like some vague dream when you or a family member are suddenly facing end-of-life questions and concerns. Can we trust in God to see us through these last days or hours? Is there really an afterlife?

Our pains and sufferings can still keep us from seeing the bigger picture, that God values each and every soul enough to have died for us Himself so that we might have a place in Heaven with Him.

"Death" and "happy" are two words that don’t often go together, after all! What we’re referring to here is being able to die peacefully and in a state of grace.

The importance of prayer as an important part of this is seen also in the Hail Mary where we pray “Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen!”

Think also of the moving appeal made to Jesus in the famous Anima Christi prayer: “In the hour of my death call me. And bid me come unto Thee, that with all Thy saints, I may praise thee, forever and ever. Amen.”

Our Lord never promised that this life would be easy for any of us in on our Earthly journey. It certainly wasn’t for Jesus.

As we pray in the Hail Holy Queen, our time here on earth is “our exile” (as in banishment from Paradise) and a “vale of tears” for most of us at one time or another. And yet, while we are here but an instant in relation to Eternity, our conduct in this life determines our Eternal destiny nonetheless!

We've also included here some prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, a vital aspect of praying for the souls of the dead, for those who have been saved from Hell (which we must remember does indeed exist!) but are not quite ready for Heaven. After all, we should never take our salvation for granted.

Praying for the souls of the departed is quite proper, and Biblical, in any case. As we read in the famous quote from the book of Maccabees in the Old Testament it is “a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins” (2 Macabees 12:46).

It is a tragic temptation in moments of crisis, such as when a spouse or child is taken from us in pain after a long bout with cancer, for example, to want to turn away from God, or worse, to turn against Him completely, as if to say perhaps, as Mary said to our Lord at her brother Lazarus’ death “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32).

Or perhaps our grief at the approaching death of a loved one keeps us for attending to their needs properly. We have these prayers against despondency that might help!

What’s worth keeping in mind when facing death is that, as St. Paul tells us, Christ conquered death for us in His Passion (Rom 6:8; 1 Cor 15:20-26). His Resurrection, foretells ours as well at the Final Judgment when our souls will be united with our Glorified bodies, which will not be subject to decay and the corruption of our earthly concupiscent desires (1 Cor 15:51-53)

As St. Paul once wrote “Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is thy victory? Where, O death, is thy sting?” (1 Cor 15:55)

The Paschal mystery gives us the glorious hope that each of us can experience an Easter Sunday following our particular Good Friday. We have the hope of Eternal Life not only in spirit but in body as well! (And with a body that won’t break down or give us earthly vexations and temptations.)

These prayers along with those prayers from a priest at the Anointing of the Sick, (what used to be called the Last Rites, or Extreme Unction), can make all the difference for one’s Eternity!

Prayers about death have two valuable effects: First: they can help souls make a smoother transition to Eternal Life with God in Heaven, either shortening, or perhaps even eliminating, whatever Purgatory they might have needed. (Such prayers might even save the more immoral among us from Hell!)

Second: They can bring comfort and strength for those who mourn for the dead and dying, either by their bedside or graveside. We hope these prayers can give you the grace you need to cope with death and the trying situations that accompany it!

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PRAYERS FOR A HAPPY DEATH

 A happy death is being able to die peacefully in a state of grace so as to be able to meet our Lord with great joy upon passing away.

The goal is to be among those mentioned in this scripture verse, which is read often at funerals as and on All Soul’s Day as well: “The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them…they are in peace” (Wisdom 3:1, 3).

We can think of Simeon for some inspiring words in this regard. We read in Luke’s Gospel that he, like so many other devout Jews, was eagerly awaiting the Messiah and the consolation of Israel, that is to say the restoration of God’s rule there.

The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that should not see death until He had seen the Christ of the Lord. When he saw the baby Jesus being presented in the Temple for the first time he knew this was the promised Messiah and said “Now you can dismiss your servant, O Lord, according to your word in peace [Italics added]” (Lk 2:29). He truly experienced what we would all like in our final days on this earth: the peace of Christ!

The first of our prayers for a happy death was written by Blessed John Cardinal Henry Newman, the famous Catholic priest, theologian, and Anglican convert to our faith who was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in September, 2010. Note how he stresses the importance of receiving the Sacrament of Extreme Unction (what we now call the Anointing of the Sick):

O my Lord and Savior, support me in my last hour by the strong arms of Thy sacraments and the fragrance of thy consolations. Let Thy absolving words be said over me, and the holy oil sign and seal me; and let Thine own body be my food and Thy blood my sprinkling; and let Thy Mother Mary come to me, and my angel whisper peace to me, and Thy glorious saints and my own dear patrons smile on me, that in and through them all I may die as I desire to live, in Thy Church, in Thy faith, and in Thy love. Amen.

This next prayer is moving in its request for our Blessed Mother’s assistance for a peaceful transition to an Eternity of Happiness.  

The author is clearly aware of his need for Mary’s intercession for his “poor soul”, conscious of the fact that he is a sinner who has been redeemed by Christ’s Passion (hence the reference to the “precious blood”) but who nonetheless should never take his salvation for granted!

O Dearest Lady, sweet Mother mine, watch the hour when my departing soul shall lose its hold on all earthly things, and stand unveiled in the presence of its Creator. Show thyself my tender Mother then, and offer to the Eternal Father the precious blood of thy Son Jesus for my poor soul, that it may, thus purified, by pleasing in His sight. Plead for thy poor child at the moment of his (or her) departure from this world, and say to the heavenly Father: Receive him (her) this day into Thy kingdom! Amen.

Incidentally, along these lines, St. Alphonsus Liguori composed this moving prayer to Our Lady, a portion of which we excerpt below. This great saint once wrote about Mary “Oh, how great is her fidelity in consoling her faithful servants at the hour of death!” Such is the glorious efficacy of our Blessed Mother’s help in our attaining Eternal Life with her Divine Son! Note the plea for her assistance in dying a “happy death”.

Through your help I hope to die a happy death. O my Mother I beg you, by the love you bear my God, to help me at all times, but especially at the last moment of my life. Do not leave me, I beseech you, until you see me safe in Heaven, blessing you and singing your mercies for all eternity. Amen, so I hope, so may it be.

Finally, we have these three shorter prayers for a happy death. The first of these also touches on assistance from the Holy Family (including Mary’s “most chaste spouse” St. Joseph, who is the patron of a happy death, among other things)!

Grant unto us, Lord Jesus, ever to follow the example of Thy holy Family, that in the hour of our death Thy glorious Virgin Mother together with blessed Joseph may come to meet us and we may be worthily received by Thee into everlasting dwellings: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Lord Jesus, pour into us the spirit of Thy love, that in the hour of our death we may be worthy to vanquish the enemy and attain unto the heavenly crown: Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that in the hour of our death we may be refreshed by Thy holy Sacraments and delivered from all guilt, and so deserve to be received with joy into the arms of Thy mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

The last of these prayers brings up the Sacraments, as in Cardinal Newman’s prayer, this time as a source of “refreshment”. The dying person, if conscious, often makes a confession before receiving the Anointing of the Sick (mentioned above) which is administered with oil by a priest.

This is followed by one’s last communion, also called viaticum, which means “food for the journey”, God willing, to Heaven! God, in His mercy, allows us to partake of three sacraments as a “send off” into the next life. These will hopefully provide the serenity in our last moments here on earth we think of as being part of a “happy death”!

St. Jude Thaddeus

This Novena to St. Jude, the famous patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes, helps us to remember that, as our Lord Himself put it, “all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).

St. Jude, an apostle also called “Thaddeus,” is known as the brother of another apostle, St. James the Less. Tradition credits him with having written one of the letters of the New Testament, although this is not certain. Countless people have long sought St. Jude’s help from novenas such as this one:

Glorious Apostle, St. Jude Thaddeus, I salute you through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through His Heart I praise and thank God for all the graces he has bestowed on you. I implore you, through His love to look upon me with compassion. Do not despise my poor prayer. Do not let my trust be confounded! God has granted to you the privilege of aiding mankind in the most desperate cases. Oh come to my aid that I may praise the mercies of God! All my life I will be your grateful client until I can thank you in heaven. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us,
And for all who invoke your aid.

St. Jude is said to have helped spread the gospel not just in Judea and Samaria, but as far away as Mesopotamia and Persia, where he was apparently martyred, as well.

Tradition has it that, among the many he converted to Christianity was the King of Edessa, a city in Mesopotamia, after curing him of leprosy with an image of Jesus that our Lord had pressed on a cloth.

He is often shown holding an image of Jesus in one hand and a club (a symbol of his martyrdom) in the other, with the Holy Spirit over his head as a tongue of fire (in remembrance of His appearance to the apostles at Pentecost).

St. Jude continues to help those most in need among the faithful, to good effect, judging from his continued popularity as an intercessor. Don’t be afraid to seek his assistance. As we read in the prayer above his ability to help us comes, as do all good things, from our Creator!

St. Anthony of Padua

This novena to St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) is one of many prayers to this great Franciscan preacher, instructor, and Doctor of the Church that touches on his aid being sought frequently to find lost items. It also mentions a great miracle attributed to him, one of many, when he was seen one night bathed in light in a room with the Child Jesus in his arms.

I greet you, Saint Anthony, lily of purity, ornament and glory of Christianity. I greet you, great saint, filled with divine love. I rejoice at the favors our Lord has so generously bestowed on you. I humbly and confidently entreat you to help me, for I know that God has given you charity and pity, as well as power.

Good Saint Anthony, meek and humble in spite of your great gifts, and whom we invoke so confidently to help us find that which is lost, pray, I beg of you, that I may never lose my faith, the gift that I cherish most.

Behold my needs: (mention your request). I beg of you, by the love you felt toward the little Jesus when He embraced you so lovingly, to tell Him now of my wants. Remember how complete your happiness was when you held Him in your arms.

I venerate you, glorious favorite of God, and bow my guilty head before you in humble reverence, while I raise my sad heart full of hope toward the throne of divine mercy, and to you, my intercessor. He who placed Himself in your arms will now fill your hands with all I ask of you.

Obtain for me what I desire, if it be God’s holy Will, and I will make known the wondrous power of your intercession for the greater glory of God. Amen.

St. Anthony was known in his short but quite memorable life as an eloquent speaker whose sermons defending the truths of the Catholic Church strengthened countless people in their faith. He became celebrated throughout France and Italy and was known as the “hammer of heretics.”

St. Anthony’s impact was such that he was canonized as a saint only a year after his death by Pope Gregory IX in 1232! He is revered today as a patron saint of, among others, the poor, travelers, and, most famously, those looking for missing items. His feast day is June 13th.

This novena to St. Anthony reminds us of the most important thing we should never lose: our faith! May he inspire you never to lose heart as well in the saving power of God’s love and grace, especially in difficult times!

St. Anne

In this novena to St. Anne we ask for help from our Blessed Mother’s mother! St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary has long been honored by the faithful, including such illustrative figures in our church as St. Augustine, St. John Damascene, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Indeed, a renowned religious historian, the Italian cardinal Caesare Baronius, once wrote that “veneration of St. Anne is as ancient as the Church itself.”

Glorious St. Anne, we think of you as filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer. Heavily laden with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present affair which I commend to you under your special protection (name it).

Deign to commend it to your daughter, our Blessed Lady and lay it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy conclusion. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. Above all, obtain for me the grace of one day beholding my God face to face. With you and Mary and all the saints, may I praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen. Good St Anne, mother of her who is our life, our sweetness and our hope, pray for me.

Although she is not mentioned in the Bible, St. Anne appears in the Protoevangelium of James, a second century account of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s conception, birth and early life.

St. Alphonsus Liguori relates, following tradition, that St. Anne, along with her husband St. Joachim, vowed to consecrate Mary to God’s service in the Temple. The child, conceived in St. Anne’s womb without the stain of Original Sin in what we refer to as the Immaculate Conception, readily assented at the tender age of three!

St. Teresa of Avila often said “We know and are convinced that our good mother St. Anne helps in all needs, dangers, and tribulations, for our Lord wishes to show us that He will do in Heaven what she asks of Him for us.” Mary herself once said that those who honor her mother “will obtain great aid in every need, especially at the hour of death.”

When we pray a novena to St. Anne we are enlisting the aid of one of our most beloved saints. Many churches and chapels have been dedicated to her, and numerous miracles have been ascribed to her over the centuries. She is the patron saint, of among others, mothers, pregnant women and childless couples as well. Her feast day is July 26th.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

Would you like roses from “the Little Flower”? This novena to St. Therese sums up her celebrated promises very nicely in its first sentence.

Most gracious Little Rose Queen, remember your promises of never letting any request made to you go unanswered, of sending down a shower of roses, and of coming down to earth to do good. Full of confidence in your power with the Sacred Heart, I implore your intercession in my behalf and beg of you to obtain the request I so ardently desire: (mention it).

Holy “Little Therese,” remember your promise “to do good upon earth” and shower down your “roses” on those who invoke you. Obtain for us from God the graces we hope for from His infinite goodness. Amen.

There have been many miracles attributed to St. Therese since her death. Some of these have indeed included showers of roses!

St. Therese, born Therese Martin in 1873, served our Lord with great humility during her 9 years as a Carmelite nun. Her autobiography Story of a Soul, published shortly after her death from tuberculosis in 1897, made her famous around the world!

While she had thought of herself as just a “little white flower” in our Lord’s “living garden” of souls, Pope Pius X referred to her as “this lily of delicious perfume.” In her famous memoir, she invites us to follow her “Little Way” to please God by doing our daily chores and activities as best we can out of love for Him.

May this novena to St. Therese help you to follow in her footsteps as she followed in His! You don’t need to be a hero to serve our Lord well. You just have to approach Him with a loving, humble and trusting heart. As Jesus said once in Luke’s Gospel (16:10) “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much.”

St. Philomena

 This novena to St. Philomena, printed below, pays tribute to a saint whose miracles speak volumes about her powerful intercession! Although little is known about her, tradition has it, from the private revelations given a Dominican nun by Saint Philomena herself in the 19th century, that she was killed at the age of 13 by the Roman Emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century when she would not give into his advances and become his wife. (Diocletian is most infamously known for his savage persecution of Christians.) This great saint’s patronage includes children, Children of Mary, priests, and desperate or lost causes!

We beseech Thee, O Lord, to grant us the pardon of our sins by the intercession of Saint Philomena, virgin and martyr, who was always pleasing in Thy sight by her eminent chastity and by the profession of every virtue. Amen. Illustrious virgin and martyr, Saint Philomena, behold me prostrate before the throne whereupon it has pleased the Most Holy Trinity to place thee. Full of confidence in thy protection, I entreat thee to intercede for me with God, from the heights of Heaven deign to cast a glance upon thy humble client! Spouse of Christ, sustain me in suffering, fortify me in temptation, protect me in the dangers surrounding me, obtain for me the graces necessary to me, and in particular (Here specify your request). Above all, assist me at the hour of my death. Saint Philomena, powerful with God, pray for us. Amen. O God, Most Holy Trinity, we thank Thee for the graces Thou didst bestow upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, and upon Thy handmaid Philomena, through whose intercession we implore Thy Mercy. Amen.

St. Philomena remained unknown until the remains of someone supposedly named Filumena (from the Latin inscription marking the tomb “Lumena Pax Te Cum Fi”; in English “Peace be with you, Philomena” ) were discovered in 1802 in the catacombs of St. Priscilla in Rome. Along with this inscription were the symbols of a lily, an anchor, and a lance, indications of both virginity and martyrdom, as shown in this depiction of her.

St. Philomena’s story then becomes intriguing, indeed! In 1805, her relics were transferred from Rome to a chapel in the village of Mugnano de Cardinale, Italy and soon after various “favors, graces and even miracles” started occurring, including “cures of cancer and healing of wounds”.

Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot, foundress of the Association of the Living Rosary, was miraculously cured of a severe heart ailment in 1835 at St. Philomena’s shrine in Mungano. Soon afterwards, in 1837 Pope Gregory XVI, authorized public veneration of St. Philomena and canonized her. She became the only person the Church recognized as a saint solely on the basis of her intercessory miracles.

Pauline Jaricot was so impressed with her cure that she brought a relic of St. Philomena to her friend the famous Cure of Ars, Jean-Marie Vianney. He enshrined it in an altar in his church, which led to numerous miracles, conversions, and cures for those invoking St. Philomena’s assistance. He himself was blessed with mystical gifts, most famously, with the ability to read souls, much like another famous confessor, St. Padre Pio.

Jean-Marie Vianney nonetheless gave the credit for many miracles attributed to him to St. Philomena, saying with characteristic humility, “I do not work miracles.. I am but a poor ignorant man who once upon a time tended sheep. Address yourselves to St. Philomena; I have never asked anything through her without being answered.” He himself received apparitions from her and attributed his own cure from a grave illness in 1843 to her intercession.

And yet, the Cure wasn’t the only member of the clergy to sing her praises, not by any means! Pope Pius IX, who was himself cured of an illness by her intercession, made her “Patroness of the Children of Mary”, as mentioned earlier. Pope Leo XIII made two pilgrimages to her shrine before he became Pontiff and supported the Archconfraternity of St. Philomena, as did his successor, Pope Pius X.

Saints who were devoted to her included St. Peter Julian Eymard, St. Damien de Vesteur, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini and St. John Nepomucene Neumann, among others.

Although some scholars in the last century tried to discount that the relics discovered in 1802 were really those of St. Philomena, the Church wisely acknowledges her sainthood and sanctity nonetheless. As professor Mark Miraville put it  “popular devotion to Saint Philomena, virgin and martyr, is presently alive and well amidst the People of God….The wisdom of past popes and saints recognized that the ‘history’ of Philomena’s powerful supernatural intercession for the Church was more important than the ‘history’ of her earthly life.” And he concludes, quite rightly “may the young virgin martyr, powerful with God, become, once again, a favored patroness of sanctity and purity, particularly for the youth of today.”

St. Benedict

This novena to St. Benedict (c.480-c.547) reflects the father of Western monasticism’s goodness and devotion to God. St. Benedict is best known for his Rule for monks (and nuns as well) living in monastic communities devoted to lives of prayer, solitude and contemplation.

Glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne Of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayer and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore (name it).

Help me, great St. Benedict. to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.

Born in Nursia, Italy and educated in Rome, Benedict left that city around the age of 20 for a more sanctified life. He wound up living for three years in a cave in Subiaco, a town southeast of Rome.

The second paragraph of this novena to St. Benedict mentions some of his qualities, such as his great compassion for the afflicted. These saintly attributes, along with the miracles he performed, brought him many followers in Subiaco. He established 12 monastic communities there before leaving to found a monastery in Monte Cassino, where he wrote his Rule and lived for the rest of his life.

The Rule of St. Benedict has been used by monasteries all throughout the West for centuries. It champions listening to God’s word and doing His work through a life of prayer, temperance, charity, obedience, patience and humility. The Rule was considered rigorous, yet not unbendingly so, when Benedict first introduced it in his writings.

In addition to praying a novena to St. Benedict, many people wear a St. Benedict medal for spiritual protection. The wearing and use of the medal has been called “a silent prayer to God to grant us, through the merits of St. Benedict, the favors we request.” St. Gregory the Great, who chronicled some of Benedict’s miracles a few years after his death, called him “a shining light to the world.”

It is a fitting tribute to this saint that he himself did not found, but rather inspired the religious order (the Order of Saint Benedict, also known as the Benedictines) that bears his name and follows his Rule today.

Cardinal Ratzinger was thinking of him in part when he was elected Pope in 2005 and chose the name Benedict XVI. As the Pope has said, may St. Benedict encourage us all (as he sought to do with his Rule and his life) to put Christ first in our thoughts and in our actions!

St. Francis Xavier

The Novena of Grace, printed below, is addressed to one of the Church’s most famous missionaries, Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), who was also one of the first members, along with Saint Ignatius Loyola and five others, of the Society of Jesus (better known today as the Jesuits). This celebrated religious order was founded in the 16th century to serve the Pope and the Church through education and missionary work.

O Saint Francis Xavier, well beloved and full of charity, in union with thee, I reverently adore the Majesty of God; and since I rejoice with exceeding joy in the singular gifts of grace bestowed upon thee during thy life, and thy gifts of glory after death, I give Him hearty thanks therefore; I beseech thee with all my heart’s devotion to be pleased to obtain for me, by thy effectual intercession, above all things, the grace of a holy life and a happy death. Moreover, I beg of thee to obtain for me…(here mention the spiritual or temporal favor to be prayed for). But if what I ask of thee so earnestly doth not tend to the glory of God and the greater good of my soul, do thou, I pray obtain for me what is more profitable to both these ends. Amen.

Saint Francis Xavier helped to convert thousands of people to Christianity (such as members of the Paravas community in Southern India, throughout parts of India, Malacca (known today as part of Malaysia), the Moloccan Islands (now part of Indonesia), and even Japan! (He baptized as many as 10,000 in a single month according to one account!)

The saint had a unique ability to convey God’s word with great charity and grace to many different kinds of people in different situations, from poor children in Indian slums to Japanese noblemen.

What’s more, he did all this in the ten years between his arrival in Goa, India (after having undergone a rigorous thirteen month journey by ship to get there from Portugal!), and his untimely death from an illness while en route to mainland China. Is it any wonder then that he is revered today as a Patron Saint of missionaries?

The history of the Novena of Grace is intriguing. One night in Naples in early January 1634, Saint Francis Xavier appeared in a vision to Father Marcello Mastrilli, a Jesuit priest near death from an accident, and requested that he renew a vow he had made earlier to go to Japan for missionary work, foretelling his martyrdom there. (This was quite a dangerous undertaking at that time!)

The saint promised Father Mastrilli that “All those who implore my help daily for nine consecutive days, from the fourth to the twelfth of March inclusive and worthily receive the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion on one of the nine days will experience my protection and may hope with entire assurance to obtain from God any Grace they ask that is for the good of their souls and the glory of God."

Father Mastrilli was cured so quickly and so completely that night after this vision that he widely spread the news of his recovery and of St. Francis Xavier’s promises to him, quoted above, before leaving for Japan, where he was indeed martyred for the faith in October 1637.

The Novena of Grace given above, attributed to Father Mastrilli, has successfully helped many of the faithful for centuries. You can pray this novena any time during the year, not just on the dates specified by St. Francis Xavier. However, it is worth noting that March 12th marks the anniversary of his canonization by Pope Gregory XV in 1622.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to be a famous missionary to receive God’s grace. Just follow our Lord with faith, devotion, and humility, and show others His love in how you treat them. St. Francis Xavier did! It is fitting that his novena should be called the Novena of Grace.