Blessed Catholic Saints and Angels

Today Double of the Second Class Feast of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin, Religious and Missionary

2011-12-22T14:46:00.001-06:00

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who to win souls for Thyself didst conduct the Holy Virgin Frances Xavier, aflame with the fire of love from Thy most Sacred Heart, on her long and repeated journeys and through her didst raise up a new family within Thy Church: grant us, we beseech Thee, by her intercession, the grace to put on the virtues of that same Heart of Thine and to arrive safely at the Heavenly port, there to be happy forever. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end. Amen.

This pioneering educator and missionary Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, better known to all her followers as Mother Cabrini is one of our most modern saints and yet the first American citizen to be canonized a saint. She was canonized by Pope Pius XII on June 7, 1947, only 30 years after her death in Chicago, Illinois in 1917. On November 13, 1950 the Holy Father proclaimed Mother Cabrini "Patroness of Immigrants." Maria Francesca, as she was christened at baptism, was born prematurely on July 15, 1850 as the youngest of 13 children to Augustine and Stella Oldini Cabrini at Sant' Angelo Lodigiano in Italy. She had always had the inborn desire to do something special for God. Though she was on her way to becoming a school teacher, her parents both died in 1868 and she decided to become a nun. After two communities turned her down, the bishop of her diocese Msgr. Serrati asked her to take over a poorly run orphanage in Codogno, Italy which was called House of Providence. Naturally resentment arose from the original foundress Antonia Tondini and the tension-filled conflict caused the bishop of Todi to shut it down. But he realized Frances' zeal and talents and invited her to found a religious organization of nuns devoted to teaching young girls. With seven other young women, Francis remodeled an abandoned Franciscan friary which served as the mother house for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart which the bishop approved in 1880. Vocations became plentiful and soon the order had spread to Milan, Rome and other parts of Italy. Soon word reached across the sea.

Realizing the need to minister to the Italians who had immigrated to the United States, the bishop of New York Archbishop Corrigan invited Mother Cabrini to come to America to help the immigrants. She accepted and arrived at the portals of Ellis Island in 1889. For the next 27 years she would establish numerous schools, hospitals, convents and orphanages throughout the vast United States from New York to Denver despite great obstacles.

In 1907 her congregation received papal approval. Two years later she became an American citizen. America was definitely the better for it as the Church grew rapidly through the works of those inspired by this Italian saint. Mother Cabrini founded over 67 charitable organizations and houses for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. While still alive she was able to obtain countless special favors through her prayerful intercession. Many accounts of spiritual phenomena accompanied Mother Cabrini. One such account relates to her founding a house just outside of Denver in what is today Golden, Colorado. Surveying the hilly and rocky land above Denver, the owner sold it to her dirt-cheap so-to-speak because there was no water on the land and nothing would grow there. This did not daunt the staunch saint. She took her wooden staff and trekking up the hill, poked at the earth and water gushed forth where it still flows freely today. Returning to Chicago, she fell ill and died on December 22 in the same year as the Fatima apparitions of 1917. Many who come to America's shores from all over the world invoke the intercession of Mother Cabrini today as the "Patroness of Immigrants."

~ Saint Frances Cabrini , ora pro nobis ~

Today Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle

2011-12-21T08:12:00.000-06:00

We render to Thee, O Lord, the homage due Thee, earnestly entreating that by the prayers of Thy blessed Apostle Thomas, on whose Feast we offer these sacrifices of praise, that Thou guard Thy gifts to us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God
forever and ever.Amen.

The feast of Saint Thomas was inserted in the Roman calendar in the 9th century and it was assigned to 21 December (until the 1969 when the reformist and liberal Second Vatican Council changed and assigned on July 3 ), but the true Catholics and the Remnant are celebration the Feast today ( not even a Vatican 2 invented optional memorial..)
Thomas is listed in the Synoptic gospels and in the Acts as one of the Twelve Apostles. (His name in Aramaic, Te’oma, means ‘twin’, as does Didymus in Greek) What we know of Thomas comes mostly from the New Testament, although there are many other legends about him. He is mentioned just once in each of the Synoptic gospels and always in the same context – he is listed as one of the Twelve Apostles chosen from among the disciples of Jesus. There is no other mention of him in these gospels. He is also mentioned just once in the Acts of the Apostles where he is simply listed among the Apostles who gather in the “upper room” immediately after the Ascension of Jesus.

However, he is mentioned four times in John’s gospel where something of his character appears. He comes across as somewhat aggressive and argumentative. In chapter 11, we are told that Jesus has just received word that his friend Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, is seriously ill. But Jesus waits for two days before deciding to go to Bethany. The disciples are somewhat alarmed because there are people who are threatening the life of Jesus and try to dissuade him from going. But, when it is clear that Jesus has made up his mind, Thomas says to his companions, “Come, let us also go to die with him.”

Later, during the Last Supper, while Jesus speaks of leaving his disciples but that he will come back to take them to himself, he says: “Where I am going, you know the way.” It is then that Thomas indignantly blurts out, “Master, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” And we can be thankful to Thomas for eliciting one of Jesus’ most beautiful and meaningful statements: “I AM the Way, the Truth and Life.”

We next meet Thomas in chapter 20 of John. Jesus is risen. He has appeared to his disciples on Easter Sunday but Thomas is not there and, when told of the meeting, refuses to believe. “Unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” On the following Sunday, Jesus appears again and tells Thomas to examine his hands and put his hands in Jesus’ side. “Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Again, the impulsive Thomas goes to the other extreme. He falls to his knees and exclaims: “My Lord and my God!” He is the only person in the Gospel to address Jesus as ‘God’. It was an expression of deep faith.

In the Gospel for today the response of Jesus to the doubt which Thomas had expressed concerning His resurrection is related, with the answer of Thomas, "My Lord and my God." St. Thomas is said to have planted the standard of the cross among the Medes, Persians, and neighboring nations. He is called the Apostle of India. He is said to have been slain for the faith at Calamina in India; and there is a legend to the effect that he was executed by the sword or by a lance.

Oremus. Adésto nobis, miséricors Deus: et intercedénte pro nobis beáto Thoma Apóstolo, tua circa nos propitiátus dona custódi. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Qui vivis et regnas in cum Deo Patri in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, unum Deum , per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Let us pray. O merciful God, do Thou abide with us, and, with the blessed apostle Thomas interceding for us, mercifully watch over Thy gifts made for our welfare. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God ,for ever and ever. Amen.

Feast of Saint Lucy , Virgin och Martyr

2011-12-13T13:03:00.000-06:00

We present ourselves before thee, O virgin Martyr, beseeching thee to obtain for us that we may recognize in His lowliness that same Jesus Whom thou now seest in His glory.
Take us under thy powerful patronage. Thy name signifies Light; guide us through the dark night of this life.
O fair Light of virginity! enlighten us; evil concupiscence has wounded our eyes: pray for us that our blindness be healed, and that rising above created things, we may be able to see that true light, which shineth in darkness, but which darkness cannot comprehend.
Pray for us, that our eye may be purified, and may see, in the Child who is to be born at Bethlehem, the new Man, the second Adam, the model on Which the life of our regeneration must be formed.
Pray too, O holy virgin, for the Church of Rome and for all those which adopt her form of the Holy Sacrifice; for they daily pronounce at the altar of God thy sweet name; and the Lamb, Who is present, loves to hear it.
Heap thy choicest blessings on the fair Isle, which was thy native land, and where grew the palm of thy Martyrdom. May thy intercession secure to her inhabitants firmness of faith, purity of morals, and temporal prosperity, and deliver them from the disorders which threaten her with destruction. Amen

( Taken From The Liturgical Year, Dom Guéranger OSB, Book I )
There comes to us, today, the fourth of our wise virgins, the valiant Martyr, Lucy.
Her glorious name shines on the sacred diptych of the Canon of the Mass, together with those of Agatha, Agnes, and Cecily [Cecilia]; and as often as we hear it pronounced during these days of Advent, Saint Lucy's name reminds us and signifies Light) that He who consoles the Church, by enlightening her children, is soon to be with us. Lucy is one of the three glories of the Church of Sicily; as Catania is immortalized by Agatha, and Palermo by Rosalia, so is Syracuse by Lucy. Therefore, let us devoutly keep her Feast: she will aid us by her prayers during this holy season, and will repay our love by obtaining for us a warmer love of that Jesus, Whose grace enabled her to conquer the world. Once more let us consider, why our Lord has not only given us Apostles, Martyrs, and bishops as guides to us on our road to Bethlehem, but has willed also that we should be accompanied thither by such virgins as Lucy. The children of the Church are forcibly reminded by this, that, in approaching the crib of their sovereign Lord and God, they must bring with them, besides their faith, that purity of mind and body without which no one can come near to God. Let us now read the glorious acts of the virgin Lucy.

Lucy, a virgin of Syracuse, illustrious by birth and by the Christian faith, which she had professed from her infancy, went to Catania, with her mother Eutychia, who was suffering from a flux of blood, there to venerate the body of the blessed Agatha. Having prayed fervently at the tomb, she obtained her mother's cure, by the intercession of St. Agatha. Lucy then asked her mother that she would permit her to bestow upon the poor of Christ the fortune which she intended to leave her. No sooner, therefore, had she returned to Syracuse, than she sold all that was given to her and distributed the money amongst the poor.
When he, to whom her parents had against her will promised her in marriage, came to know what Lucy had done, he went before the prefect Paschasius and accused her of being a Christian. Paschasius entreated and threatened, but could not induce her to worship the idols; nay, the more he strove to shake her faith, the more inflamed were the praises which she uttered in professing its excellence. He said, therefore, to her: We shall have no more of thy words, when thou feelest the blows of my executioners. To this the virgin replied: Words can never be wanting to God's servants, for Christ our Lord has said to them:
When you shall be brought before kings and governors, take no thought how or what to speak; for it shall be given to you in that hour what to speak; for it is not you that speak, but the holy Spirit that speaketh in you. Paschasius then asked her:
Is the Holy Ghost in thee? She answered: They who live chastely and piously, are the temple of the holy Spirit. He said: I will order thee to be taken to a brothel, that this Holy Ghost may leave thee. The virgin said to him: The violence wherewith thou threatenest me would obtain for me a double crown of chastity. Whereupon Paschasius being exceedingly angry, ordered Lucy to be dragged to a place where her treasure might be violated; but, by the power of God, so firmly was she fixed to the place where she stood, that it was impossible to move her. Wherefore the prefect ordered her to be covered over with pitch, resin, and boiling oil, and a fire to be kindled round her. But seeing that the flame was not permitted to hurt her, they tormented her in many cruel ways, and at length ran a sword through her neck. Thus wounded, Lucy foretold the peace of the Church, which would come after the death of Diocletian and Maximian, and then died. It was the Ides of December (Dec. 13). Her body was buried at Syracuse, but was translated thence first to Constantinople, and afterwards to Venice.

~ Saint Lucy , ora pro nobis ~

Today is the Feast of Saint Peter Chrysologus , Doctor of the Church and the archbishop of Ravenna

2011-12-04T15:00:00.000-06:00

Saint Peter Chrysologus is the Doctor of Homilies. His words helped to defeat the attack on Christ's humanity. No doctor said so much in his homilies in fewer words. To hear his sermons after nearly 1500 years is a blessing, each and every time.
He was the archbishop of Ravenna, Italy as a young priest and he expended his energies neutralizing the last forces of paganism of his day.
Chrysologus is a hard name to pronounce, let alone to remember. The name means "The Golden-Worded". His prayer when he spoke is taken from Sermon 96 and it states:
May our God deign to give me the grace of speaking and you the desire of hearing.
To really benefit fruitfully from any conversation or homily, one's heart and mind must be open to receive the communication. Peter was filled with all the gifts and fruits of the Spirit but even his best efforts to impart his wisdom and knowledge would not benefit anyone unless his listeners were truly docile to grace through their hearts and attentive with their eyes and minds, both exteriorly and interiorly. Our souls have eyes and powerful perceptions that are drawn to God's message when we are good, sincere and desire to learn.
St Peter's heart went out to all of his members and to those who he addressed through his homilies. He told us:

The devil does not wish to possess a man, but to destroy him. Why? Because he does not wish, he does not dare, he does not allow the man to arrive at the Heaven from which the devil fell. Jealousy, envy, pride and anger, to name only a few capital sins, rage in lucifer, the prince of devils.

St Peter Chrysologus has been declared a Doctor of the Church after nearly 1500 years. Unfortunately, many have nearly forgotten him. But the church in her wisdom through Benedict XIII in 1729 has entered his name into the august class of doctors.

Saint Peter Chrysologus , pray for us and save the Church

St. Andrew The Apostle's Feast day

2011-11-30T08:46:00.000-06:00

Prayer from the Liturgical Year, 1901

God grants us to meet thee, O Blessed Saint Andrew, at the threshold of the mystic Season of Advent, on which we are so soon to enter. When Jesus, our Messias, began His public life, thou hadst already become the obedient disciple of the Precursor, who preached His coming: thou wast among the first of them who received the Son of Mary as the Messias foretold in the law and the prophets. But thou couldst not keep the heavenly secret from Him who was so dear to thee; to Peter, then, thou didst bear the good tidings, and didst lead him to Jesus.

O blessed Apostle! we also are longing for the Messias, the Saviour of our souls; since thou hast found him, lead us also unto Him. We place under thy protection the holy period of expectation and preparation, which is to bring us to the day of our Saviour's Nativity, that divine mystery in which He will manifest Himself to the world. Assist us to render ourselves worthy of seeing Him on that great night. The baptism of penance prepared thee for receiving the grace of knowing the Word of life; pray for us that we may become truly penitent and may purify our hearts, during that holy time, and thus be able to behold Him, who has said: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.

Thou hast a special power of leading souls to Jesus, O glorious Saint! for even Peter, who was to be made the pastor of the whole flock, was presented to the Messias by thee. By calling thee to Himself on this day, our Lord has given thee as the patron of Christians who, each year, seeking again that God in whom thou art now living, pray to thee to show them the way which leads to Jesus.

Thou teachest us this way; it is that of fidelity, of fidelity even to the Cross. In that way thou didst courageously walk: and because the Cross leads to Jesus Christ, thou didst passionately love the Cross. Pray for us, O holy Apostle! that we may begin to understand this love of the Cross; and that having understood it, we may put it in practice. Thy brother Peter says to us in his Epistle : Christ having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed with the same thought.
Thy feast, O blessed Andrew! shows us thee as the living commentary of this doctrine. Because thy Master was crucified, thou wouldst also be crucified. From the high throne to which thou hast been raised by the Cross, pray for us, that the Cross may be unto us the expiation of the sins which are upon us, the quenching of the passions which burn within us, and the means of uniting us by love to Him, who, through love alone for us, was nailed to the Cross.Amen

Novena to Saint Nicholas Feast ( December 6 )

2011-11-28T16:54:00.000-06:00

All-praised and all-honored hierarch,
Great wonderworker, Saint of Christ.
Father Nicholas, Man of God and faithful servant,
Man of love, Chosen vessel, Strong pillar of the Church,
Most-brilliant lamp, Star that illumines and enlightens the whole world;
Thou art a righteous man , that did flourish like a palm tree
Planted in the courts of the Lord;
Dwelling in Myra thou hast diffused the fragrance of myrrh,
And thou pourest out the ever-flowing myrrh of the grace of God.

By thy presence most-holy Father, the sea was sanctified
When your most-miraculous relics were carried to the city of Bari,
From the East to the West to praise the name of the Lord.

O most-superb and most-marvellous wonderworker,
Speedy helper, fervent intercessor,
Good shepherd that saveth the rational flock from all dangers
We glorify and magnify thee as the hope of all Christians,
A fountain of miracles, a defender of the faithful,
A most wise teacher, a feeder of the hungry,
The gladness of those that mourn, clothing of the naked,
Healer of the sick, pilot of those that sail the sea,
Liberator of prisoners,
Nourisher and protector of widows and orphans,
Guardian of chastity, gentle tutor of children,
Support of the aged, guide of fasters,
Rest of those that labor,
Abundant riches of the poor and needy.

Hearken unto us that pray unto thee and flee to thy protection,
Show thy mediation on our behalf with the Most High,
And obtain through thy God-pleasing intercessions
All that is useful for the salvation of our souls and bodies;
Keep this holy habitation (or this temple), every city and town,
And every Christian country, and the people that dwell therein,
From all oppression through thy help;
For we know that the prayer of a righteous man
Availeth much for good;
And after the most-blessed Virgin Mary,
We have thee as a righteous mediator
With the All-Merciful God,
And to thy fervent intercession
And protection we humbly hasten.

Do thou, as a watchful and good shepherd,
Keep us from all enemies and pestilence,
Earthquake and hail,
Famine, flood and fire,
The sword and invasions,
And in all our misfortunes and affliction
Do thou give us a helping hand
And open the doors of God’s compassion;
For we are unworthy
To look upon the height of heaven
Because of the multitude of our sins;
We are bound by the bonds of sin
And have not done the will of our Creator
Nor kept His commandments.

Wherefore, we bow the knees
Of our broken and humble heart to our Maker,
And we ask thy fatherly intercession with Him;
Lest we perish with our sins,
Deliver us from all evil,
And from every adverse thing,
Direct our minds and strengthen our hearts
In the Catholic Faith and Traditions,
Which, through thy mediation and intercession,
Neither wounds, nor threats, nor plague,
Nor the wrath of our Creator shall lessen;
But vouchsafe that we may live a peaceful life here
And see the good things in the land of the living,
Glorifying the Father,
And the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
One God glorified and worshipped in Trinity,
Now and ever,
And unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Novena of Grace ( Novena to the Feast of Saint Francis Xavier December 3rd )

2011-11-24T14:23:00.001-06:00

Most amiable and most loving Saint Francis Xavier, in union with thee I reverently adore the Divine Majesty.
I rejoice exceedingly on account of the marvelous gifts which God bestowed upon thee.
I thank God for the special graces He gave thee during thy life on earth and for the great glory that came to thee after thy death.
I implore thee to obtain for me, through thy powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings -- that of living and dying in the state of grace.
I also beg of thee to secure for me the special favor I ask in this novena.
( our prayer intention here..)
In asking this favor, I am fully resigned to the Divine Will.
I pray and desire only to obtain that which is most conducive to the greater glory of God and the greater good of my soul.

Pray for us, Saint Francis Xavier.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Oremus/Let us pray
O God, Who didst vouchsafe, by the preaching and miracles of Saint Francis Xavier, to join unto Thy Church the nations of the Indies, grant, we beseech Thee, that we who reverence his glorious merits may also imitate his example, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

We pray 3 Our Father's and 3 Hail Mary's in memory of Saint Francis Xavier's devotion to the Most Holy Trinity , and Glory be 10 times in thanksgiving for the graces received during his 10 years of apostleship.

This Novena prayer was passed down through the ages ( In Naples in 1633 there lived Fr. Marcello Mastrilli, S.J. He had taken the vow to ask to be assigned to the Japan Mission, then the most difficult; for at that time the Buddhist persecution was most cruel against the Catholic religion and the new form of martyrdom introduced was most excruciating. The torture was so horrible that in 1633 the Provincial of the Japan Mission Fr. Ferrara after five days of agony over the "Pit" apostatized. But hundreds of others, priests and laymen, Europeans and Japanese in holy emulation reached the martyr's crown through the terrible "Pit".
When the news of the unfortunate Ferrara's apostasy reached Europe, many Jesuits vowed themselves to the Japan Mission to replace their martyred brethren and to atone for the apostate. Marcello Mastrilli was one of them. Fr. Ferrara was subsequently reconverted and atoned for his fall by dying a martyr's death over the "Pit" in 1652. The feast over, Fr. Mastrilli was supervising the removal of the temporary structure when a heavy hammer slipped from the hands of a worker and fell with deadly precision on Fr. Mastrilli's head. The injury caused thereby was severe, and Fr. Mastrilli was on the verge of death. Just when the crisis was on, St. Francis Xavier appeared to Fr. Mastrilli and bidding him renew the vow to go to Japan, said to him:

"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."

The vision vanished and Fr. Mastrilli arose entirely cured. Faithful to his vow, he led a band of thirty-three Jesuits to Japan. He had hardly landed there when he was seized and condemned to the "Pit" where he suffered from October 5 to 17 and died a glorious martyr.

But before leaving for Japan, Fr. Mastrilli widely published the news of his cure and the promises of Saint Francis Xavier. The Saint himself kept his words and very many experienced his protection after making this "Novena of Grace". Thus the devotion spread far and wide and it has been instrumental in obtaining many favors, spiritual and temporal.

Though St. Francis Xavier mentioned the time when the Novena should be made, yet its efficacy is not restricted to those days, but it may be made any time, and forms a fitting preparation for the feast of the saint, November 24 to December 2, with his feast being on December 3.

( Novena Prayer and about Origins of Novena to Saint Francis Xavier - via America Needs Fatima.org )

Today Feast of St. Gregory, Thaumaturgus

2011-11-17T17:22:00.000-06:00

Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus (Wonder-Worker), Bishop and Confessor (†270, Feast—November 17)

Moses, instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, mighty in his words and in his deeds (Acts 7:22), retired into the desert: St. Gregory, adorned with the best gifts of birth and nature, brilliant in rhetoric, rich in every science, hid himself from men in the flower of his youth, and hastened to offer to God in solitude the holocaust best pleasing to the Lord. Each was the hope of his race: yet each turned away to lose himself in the contemplation of heavenly mysteries. Meanwhile the yoke of Pharaoh lay heavy upon Israel; meanwhile souls were perishing, whom one of St. Gregory’s burning words might have snatched from the empire of idolatry: was not such a flight, then, desertion?

Is it for man to proclaim himself a savior, when Jesus did not arrogate that title to Himself? And when evil was rife all around, did the Carpenter of Nazareth do wrong to remain in the shade for thirty years previous to His short period of ministry? O ye teachers of our excited, fevered times, who dream of a new hierarchy among the virtues, and understand divine charity far otherwise than did our fathers: not those are of the race of Israel’s saviors whose ideas concerning social good differ from those of the Redeemer of the world.

St. Gregory, like Moses, was of that blessed race. His friends and enemies agreed in saying that he resembled the Hebrew legislator in the excellence of his virtue, and in the splendor of the prodigies wrought by his word. Both were actuated by the desire of knowing God, and manifesting Him to the men they were called to lead: the fullness of doctrine is the gift most necessary to the guides of the people, and their want of it the greatest penury. I am Who am was the answer to Moses’ enquiry; and this sublime formula, confided to him from the midst of the burning bush, authenticated the mission which called him forth from the desert. When St. Gregory was commanded by God to go out into the world, the Blessed Virgin Mary, of whom the burning bush was a figure, appeared before his dazzled eyes in the dark night when he was praying for light. And St. John the Baptist, following the Mother of God, let fall from his lips this other formula, completing the former for the disciples of the Law of love:

One only God, Father of the Living Word, of that substantial and mighty Wisdom Who is the eternal expression of Himself; the perfect principle of the only and perfect Son begotten by Him. One only Lord, sole-begotten of the Only One; God of God, efficacious Word, Wisdom embracing and containing the world, creative power of all creation, true Son of a true Father. One only Holy Ghost, holding of God His divine existence, revealed to men by the Son of Whom He is the perfect likeness, life and life-giving, holy and imparting holiness. The perfect Trinity, immutable, inseparable in glory, in eternity, in dominion. (St. Gregory of Nyssa, Life of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus)

This was the message the Saint was to communicate to his country, the creed that was to bear his name in the Church. Born into paganism, he was converted to Christianity by the illustrious Origen. By his faith in the Most Holy Trinity he was to remove mountains and set limits to the waves, to drive out Satan and eradicate infidelity from Pontus. When, towards the year 240, St. Gregory, then a Bishop, was on his way to Neocaesarea (which corresponds to Niksar, in modern-day Turkey), he saw on all sides the temples of idols, and stopped for the night at a famous sanctuary. In the morning all the "gods" had taken to flight and refused to come back; but the Saint gave to the pagan "priest" of the oracle a note thus worded: "Gregory to Satan: Return." A more bitter defeat awaited the demons; forced to stay their precipitate retreat, they were compelled to witness the ruin of their empire over the souls they had abused. The "priest" was the first to give himself up to the Bishop, and became his deacon; and soon, upon the ruins of the temples everywhere overthrown, arose the Church of Christ, the only God.

Happy was that Church, so firmly founded that heresy was powerless against it in the following century, when so many others bowed before the storm of Arianism. On the testimony of St. Basil, the successors of St. Gregory, themselves eminent men, were as an adornment of precious stones, a crown of stars, to the Church of Neocaesarea. Now all these illustrious pontiffs, says he, considered it an honor to keep up the memory of their great predecessor; they would never suffer that any act, word, or movement other than his, in performing the sacred rites, should prevail over the traditions he had left. (St. Basil, De Spiritu Sancto, xxix)

When Pope Clement XII established in the Church the Feast of St. Gertrude the Great, he at first decreed that it should be kept on this day, on which it was celebrated by the Order of St. Benedict. But as November 17 had been for long centuries assigned to St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, it seemed unfitting, said Pope Benedict XIV, that he who moved mountains should himself by moved from his place by the holy virgin, Gertrude. Accordingly the Feast of St. Gertrude was transferred. It is now kept on the day before today’s Feast.

Let us read the Breviary account of the great Thaumaturgus:

The Wonder-worker St. Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea in Pontus, was illustrious for his holiness and learning, but still more for his miracles, which were so startling and so numerous that he was call the Thaumaturgus; and, according to St. Basil, he was considered comparable to Moses, the prophets, and the Apostles. By his prayer he removed a mountain, which was an obstacle to the building of a church. He also dried up a lake which was a cause of dissension between two brothers. The river Lycus, which was inundating and devastating the fields, he restrained by fixing in the bank his stick, which immediately grew into a tree, and served as a limit which the river henceforth never surpassed.

He frequently expelled the devils from idols and from men’s bodies, and worked many other miracles, by means of which he led multitudes to the Faith of Christ. He also foretold future events by the spirit of prophecy. When he was dying, he asked how many infidels remained within the city of Neocaesarea; and on being informed that there were only seventeen, he gave thanks to God, and said: When I was made Bishop, there were only seventeen believers. He wrote several works, by which, as well as by his miracles, he adorned the Church of God.

O holy Pontiff, thy faith, removing mountains and commanding the waves, was a justification of Our Lord’s promise. Teach us in our turn to do honor to the Gospel, by never doubting of Our Lord’s word and of the help He promises us against satan, whom the Church points out to us as the proud mountain that is to be cast into the sea (Homily of St. Bede on the Gospel of St. Mark); and also against the overflowing tide of our passions, and the enticements of the world, of which thy writings teach us the vanity.
After the victory let us not forget that the aid came to us from Heaven; preserve us from ingratitude, which thou didst so detest. We still possess the touching eulogy dictated by thy gratitude toward the illustrious master (Origen) to whose teachings, after God, thou didst owe the glorious strength and splendor of thy Faith. Here is a precious and practical lesson for all: while praising Divine Providence in the man who was His predestined instrument in thy regard, thou didst not forget the homage due to the Angel of God, who had preserved thee from falling into they abyss during the darkness of infidelity in which thy first years were spent; that heavenly Guardian who, ever watchful in his active, enlightened, persevering devotedness, supplies for our insufficiencies, nourishes and instructs us, leads us by the hand, and secretly arranges for our souls those blessed circumstances and occasions, which transform our life and secure eternal happiness. Amen

Vigil of All Saints Feast

2011-10-31T17:16:00.001-05:00

May All Saints Help us .

Did you ever wish you had friends in high places? Someone to help you out in a bind? Perhaps a buddy to give you a boost? A special guide?

Stop wishing and know that you do! You have friends in the highest of positions, and these are people who will not turn their backs on you when the going gets tough. In fact, they are especially pleased to smile on you and lift you up when you are down. They are the saints, and they’re planning a place among themselves for you.

Every day in the Church calendar is a Saint day, but the Solemnity of All Saints is when the Church honors all saints, known and unknown. On All Saints Day, we celebrate these saints of the Lord, and ask for their prayers and intercessions. The whole concept of All Saints Day is tied in with the concept of the Communion of Saints. This is the belief that all of God's people, on heaven, earth, and in the state of purification ( in Purgatory ).

Christians have been honoring their saints and martyrs since at least the second century AD.
Let us pray an Eve of All Saints Prayer

God Eternal Father,
All-Powerful and Ever-Living God,
Today we rejoice
in the holy men and women
of every time and place
May their prayers
bring us your forgiveness and love
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
( from the Liturgy of the Hours )

Novena for the Feast of Saint Jude Thaddeus 28th October

2011-10-19T18:04:00.000-05:00

~~ Day 1 ~~

The word Apostle means a messenger. The Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ were the messengers He sent throughout the world to tell all mankind the glad tidings, the good news of the Gospel.
Ordinary men from the fishing crafts of small inland seas, from the tax-collectors' benches, from the homes of the less than middle class, they were normally destined for obscure lives and unhonored graves.
But they met the Saviour of the world. He spoke the compelling words, "Come, follow me." They could have ignored His invitation and returned to their nets, to their coins, to their mediocrity. Wisely they accepted His invitation. They lived for three years with the Master, received from Him incredible power and authority, and went out to be His spokesmen.
Among this historic Twelve the least known was the Apostle Jude. Today however he is loved and honored by millions, who call him the Saint of the impossible.

In his honor we pray:

The Prayer of Saint Jude
[To be recited at the end of each day's meditation.]

God, Who through Thy blessed Apostle Jude hast brought us into the knowledge of Thy Name, grant that by advancing in virtue we may set forth his everlasting glory, and by setting forth his glory we may advance in virtue. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

This prayer is from the Collect, the Traditional Mass, said on the Feast of Saint Jude and carries a partial indulgence for that day.
Blessed Apostle, with confidence we invoke thee!
St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid us in our distress!
Pray for us, / that before death / we may expiate all our sins / by sincere repentance / and the worthy reception fo the Holy Sacraments!
Pray for us, / that we may appease the Divine Justice / and obtain a favorable judgement!
Pray for us, / that we may be admitted / into the company of the blessed / to rejoice in the pressence of our God forever. Amen
St. Jude, Pray for Us! And for those who invoke thy aid!
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

St. Francis Borgia, Confessor

2011-10-10T16:07:00.001-05:00

St. Francis Borgia, a bright example of virtue, both for ecclesiastics and laymen, was born in 1510, at Gandia, in Spain. His father was John Borgia, the third Duke of Gandia; and his mother, Joanna of Aragon, grand-daughter to Ferdinand the Catholic. Francis, when only a child, was already remarkable for his virtue and piety. When scarcely seventeen years, old he came to the Court of the Emperor Charles V., where, notwith standing the many and great dangers to which he was exposed, he preserved his innocence by frequently partaking of the Blessed Sacrament, by great devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and the practice of mortification. His talents and his edifying life gained him the esteem of the Emperor; hence the Empress gave him in marriage a very virtuous lady, who was a great favorite of hers. Francis was then made chief equerry to the Emperor, and created Marquis of Lombay. The court which Francis kept after he was married might have served as a model to all Christian princes. He distributed the hours of the day, so that certain times were devoted to prayer, to business, and to recreation. He, at the same time, began the praiseworthy practice of selecting every month a Saint for especial veneration.

He was much opposed to gaming, and did not allow his servants to indulge in it. He used to say: "Gaming is accompanied by great losses; loss of money, loss of time, loss of devotion, and loss of conscience." The same aversion he had for the reading of frivolous books, even if they were not immoral. He found his greatest delight in reading devout books, and said: "The reading of devout books is the first step towards a better life." At the period in which he lived the principal enjoyments of the higher classes were music and hawking; and, as he could not abstain from them entirely, he took care, at such times, to raise his thoughts to the Almighty, and to mortify himself. Thus, when he went hawking, he closed his eyes at the very moment when the hawk swooped; the sight of which, they say, was the chief pleasure of this kind of hunting.

The Almighty, to draw His servant entirely away from the world, sent him several severe maladies, which made him recognize the instability of all that is earthly. He became more fully aware of this after the death of the Empress, whose wondrous beauty was everywhere extolled. By the order of the Emperor, it became the duty of Francis to escort the remains to the royal vault at Granada. There the coffin was opened before the burial took place, and the sight that greeted the beholders was most awful. Nothing was left of the beautiful Empress but a corpse, so disfigured, that all averted their eyes, whilst the odor it exhaled was so offensive that most of the spectators were driven away.

Novena to St Michael the Archangel

2011-09-20T18:21:00.003-05:00

St. Michael the Archangel, loyal champion of God and His Catholic people, I turn to thee with confidence and seek thy powerful intercession. For the love of God, Who hast made thee so glorious in grace and power, and for the love of the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of the Angels, be pleased to hear my prayer. Thou knowest the value of my soul in the eyes of God. May no stain of evil ever disfigure its beauty. Help me to conquer the evil spirit who tempts me. I desire to imitate thy loyalty to God and Holy Mother Church and thy great love for God and men. And since thou art God's messenger for the care of His people, I entrust to thee this special request:
(here our prayer intention)
St. Michael, since thou art, by the will of the Creator, the powerful intercessor of Christians, I have great confidence in thy prayers. I earnestly trust that if it is God's holy will, my petition will be granted.
Pray for me, St. Michael, and also for those I love. Protect us in all dangers of body and soul. Help us in our daily needs. Through thy powerful intercession, may we live a holy life, die a happy death and reach Heaven where we may praise and love God with thee forever. Amen.

In thanksgiving to God for the graces bestowed on St. Michael:

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Prayer to St. Michael

Glorious Prince of the Heavenly hosts and victor over rebellious spirits, be mindful of me who am so weak and sinful and yet so prone to pride and ambition. Lend me, I pray, thy powerful aid in every temptation and difficulty, and above all do not forsake me in my last struggle with the powers of evil. Amen.

The Angelic Trisagion

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts, Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in the battle, that we may not perish in the dreadful judgment. Amen

Novena to Saint Pope Pius X ( Day 1 )

2011-08-25T18:23:00.002-05:00

Today starts the Novena to Saint Pope Pius X's Feast ( August 25 ends September 2 )

Glorious Pope of the Eucharist, Saint Pius X, who sought "to restore all things in Christ."
Obtain for me a true love of Jesus so that I may live only for Him.
Help me to acquire a lively fervor and a sincere will to strive for sanctity of life,
and that I may avail myself of the riches of the Holy Eucharist in sacrifice and sacrament.
By your love for Mary, mother and queen of all, inflame my heart with tender devotion to her.

(Here we mention our prayer intention ).

Blessed model of the priesthood, obtain for us holy, dedicated priests, and increase vocations to the religious life.
Dispel confusion and hatred and anxiety, and incline our hearts to peace and concord.
so that all nations will place themselves under the sweet reign of Christ. Amen.

Saint Pius X, ora pro nobis

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 9 ~

2011-08-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

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

Our Father..Hail Mary..Glory Be

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

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 8 ~

2011-08-06T14:41:00.000-05:00

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

Recite the following prayers
Our Father..Hail Mary..Glory Be..

Novena in Honor of Saint John Vianney Day 7

2011-08-05T11:33:00.000-05:00

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

( our prayer intention here)

Recite the following prayers
Our Father..Hail Mary..Glory Be

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 6 ~

2011-08-04T15:31:00.000-05:00

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

( our prayer intention here )

Recite the following prayers

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

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 5 ~

2011-08-03T15:15:00.000-05:00

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

Recite the following prayers..

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

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 4 ~

2011-08-02T15:36:00.000-05:00

Saint John Mary Baptist Vianney,
you were so adamant against sin,
yet so sympathetic and so ready to welcome the sinner.

I come to you today as if you were still alive,

as if I were kneeling at your feet and you could hear me.
Bend towards me,
listen to the repentant confidence
for the weaknesses and miserable deeds of mine.
Priest of the Lord,
inexhaustible Confessor,
obtain for me the horror for sin.
You wanted us First to avoid the occasion of sin.
I want to take your advice
and make the resolution to break bad habits
and to avoid the dangerous occasions of sin.
Help me today to examine my conscience.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for..
( our prayer intention here..)

Recite the following prayers...

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

Blessed Feast of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

2011-08-02T15:30:00.000-05:00

Saint Alphonsus Mary Liguori Feast ( meditation taken from the Liturgical Year, 1909 )

Yesterday we admired, in Saint Peter's miraculous liberation from chains and the Machabees, the substructure of the palace built by Wisdom in time to endure for eternity. Today, in conformity with the divine ways of that Wisdom, who in her playing reaches from end to end, we are suffered to contemplate the progress of the glorious building, to behold the summit of the work, the last row of stones actually laid. Now, summit and foundation, the work is all one; the materials are all priceless: witness the diamond of fine water which displays its luster today.

To this great Saint, Saint Alphonusus de Liguori , great both in works and in doctrine, are directly applied these words of the Holy Ghost: they that instruct many to justice shall shine as stars for all eternity (Dan. xii. 3). At the time he appeared, an odious sect was denying the mercy and the sweetness of our heavenly Father; it triumphed in the practical conduct of even those who were shocked by its Calvinistic theories. Under pretext of a reaction against an imaginary school of laxity, and denouncing with much ado some erroneous propositions made by obscure persons, the new Pharisees had set themselves up as zealous for the law. Stretching the commandments, and exaggerating the sanction, they loaded the conscience with the same unbearable burdens which the Man-God reproached the ancient Pharisees with laying on the shoulders of men; but the cry of alarm they had raised in the name of endangered morals, had none the less deceived the simple, and ended by misleading even the best.

Thanks to the show of austerity displayed by its adherents, Jansenism, so clever in veiling its teachings, had too well succeeded in its designs of forcing itself upon the Church in spite of the Church. Unsuspecting allies within the holy city gave up to its mercy the sources of salvation. Soon in too many places, the sacred Keys were used but to open hell; the Holy Table, spread for the preservation and increase of life in all, became accessible only to the perfect; and these latter were esteemed such, according as, by a strange reversion of the Apostle's words, they subjected the spirit of adoption of sons to the spirit of servitude and fear. As to the faithful who did not rise to the height of this new asceticism, "finding in the tribunal of penance, instead of fathers and physicians, only exactors and executioners (Supplices litterae Episopatus pro concessioine tituli Doctoris S. Alphonso Mariae)," they had but to choose between despair and indifference. Everywhere legislatures and parliaments lent a hand to the so-called reformers, without heeding the flood of odious unbelief that was rising around them, without seeing the gathering storm-clouds.

Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter. . . . Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you go round about the sea and the land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, you make him the child of hell twofold more than yourselves (St. Matth. xxiii. 13, 15). Not of your conventicles was it said that the sons of Wisdom are the Church of the just, for it was added: Their generation is obedience and love (Eccli. iii. 1). Not of the fear which you preached did the Psalmist sing: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom (Ps. cs. 10); for even under the law of Sinai the Holy Spirit said: Ye that fear the Lord, believe him: and your reward shall not be made void. Ye that fear the Lord, hope in him: and mercy shall come to you for your delight. Ye that fear the Lord, love him: and your hearts shall be enlightened (Eccli. ii. 8-10). Every deviation, whether towards rigour or weakness, offends the rectitude of justice; but, especially since Bethlehem and Calvary, no sin so wounds the divine Heart as distrust; no fault is unpardonable except in the despair of a Judas, saying like Cain: My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon (Gen. iv. 13).

Who then, in the sombre quietism into which the teachers then in vogue had led even the strongest minds, could find once more the key of knowledge? But Wisdom, says the Holy Ghost, kept in her treasures the signification of discipline (Eccli i. 31). Just as in other times she had raised up new avengers for every dogma that had been attacked: so now, against a heresy which, in spite of the speculative pretensions of its beginning, had only in its moral bearing any sort of duration, she brought forth Alphonsus Liguori as the avenger of the violated law and the Doctor by excellence of Christian morality. A stranger alike to fatal rigorism and baneful indulgence, he knew how to restore to the justices of the Lord their rectitude, and at the same time their power of rejoicing hearts, to his commandments their luminous brightness, whereby they are justified in themselves, to his testimonies the purity which attracts souls and faithfully guides the simple and the little ones from the beginnings of Wisdom to its summits (Ps. xviii. 8-10). It was not only in the sphere of casuistry that Alphonsus succeeded, in his Moral Theology, in counteracting the poison which threatened to infect the whole Christian life. Whilst on the one hand he never left unanswered any attack made at the time against revealed truth, his ascetic and mystical works brought back piety to its traditional sources, the frequentation of the Sacraments, and the love of our Lord and His Blessed Mother.

The Sacred Congregation of Rites, after examining in the name of the Holy See the works of our Saint, and declaring that nothing deserving of censure was to be found therein (Decretum, 14 and 18 Maii. 1803), arranged his innumerable writings under forty separate titles. Alphonsus, however, resolved only late in life to give to the public, through the press, the lights which flooded his soul; his first work, the golden book of Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin, did not appear till the author was nearly fifty years of age. Though God prolonged his life beyond the usual limits, he spared him neither the double burden of the episcopate and the government of the Congregation he had founded, nor the most painful infirmities, nor still more grievous moral sufferings.

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 3 ~

2011-08-01T14:22:00.000-05:00

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

(our prayer request here )

Recite the following prayers.

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

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 2 ~

2011-07-31T14:11:00.000-05:00

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

(our prayer intention here )

Recite the following prayers..

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

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 1 ~

2011-07-30T17:53:00.001-05:00

- to be prayed July 30-Aug 7 -

Saint John Marie Baptist Vianney you were born of a deeply religious mother; from her you received the Holy Faith; you learned to love God and to pray. At a young age, you were seen kneeling in the front of the statue of Mary. Your soul was supernaturally carried towards the things on High. Despite the high cost, you answered your vocation!

Against many obstacles and contradictions, you had to fight and suffer to become the perfect priest which you were. But your deep spirit of faith supported you in all these battles. 0 Great Saint you know the desire of my soul; I would like to serve God better; from Him I have received so many good things. For this, obtain for me more courage and especially the depth of faith.

Many of my thoughts, words, and actions are useless for my sanctification and for my salvation, because this supernatural spirit does not stir up my life. Help me to be better in the future. Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence in your intercession. Pray for me during this novena especially for ... (here we mention silently our special intentions).

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, and 1 Glory Be

Novena to St. Anne , Mother of the Blessed Virgin -Day 9 -

2011-07-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

( everyone is welcome to join in praying St. Anne Novena daily until the feast day of 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 (pictured with Mary above), 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.”

Daily Prayer

O glorious St. Anne,
you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you
and with love for those who suffer!
Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles,
I cast myself at your feet
and humbly beg of you to take the present intention
which I recommend to you in your special care.
Please recommend it to your daughter,
the Blessed Virgin Mary,
and place it before the throne of our Lord Jesus,
so that He may bring it to a happy issue.
Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted.
But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day
to see my God face to face,
and with you and Mary and all the saints and angels
to praise and bless Him for all eternity.Amen.
( here our prayer intention )
Our Father..Hail Mary..Glory Be

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann,
help me now and at the hour of my death.
Good St. Ann, intercede for me.Amen

Ninth Day

Good St. Ann,

I have reached the end of this novena in your honor.

I have asked and ask again.

Good mother, let not your kind ear grow weary of my prayers,

though I repeat them so often.

Bounteous Lady,
implore for me from Divine Providence all the help I need through life.
May your generous hand bestow on me the material means
to satisfy my own needs and to alleviate the plight of the poor.

Good St. Ann,
fortify me by the sacraments of the Church at the hour of my death.
Admit me into the company of the blessed in the kingdom of heaven,
where I may praise and thank the adorable Trinity,
your grandson Christ Jesus,
your glorious daughter Mary,
and yourself, dear St. Ann,
through endless ages. Amen

Novena to St. Anne , Mother of the Blessed Virgin -Day 8 -

2011-07-25T15:03:00.001-05:00

Daily Prayer

Eighth Day

Hail, St. Ann!
I rejoice at your exalted glory.
You gave birth to Mary,
whose Divine Son brought salvation to our lost world
by conquering death
and restoring life and hope to sinners.
Pray to Him who,
for love of us,
clothed Himself with human flesh
in the chaste womb of your daughter.

Glorious St. Ann,
with your blessed daughter,
deliver me from everything that is displeasing in the sight of God.
Pray to your gentle and powerful Grandson
that He may cleanse my soul in His precious blood,
that He may send His Holy Spirit
to enlighten and direct me in all that I do,
always obedient to His holy inspirations.

Good mother,
keep a watchful eye on me.
Help me bear all my crosses.
Give me the fullness of your bounty
and sustain me with courage.Amen

Blessed Catholic Saints and Angels

Today Double of the Second Class Feast of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin, Religious and Missionary

Today Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle

Feast of Saint Lucy , Virgin och Martyr

Today is the Feast of Saint Peter Chrysologus , Doctor of the Church and the archbishop of Ravenna

St. Andrew The Apostle's Feast day

Novena to Saint Nicholas Feast ( December 6 )

Novena of Grace ( Novena to the Feast of Saint Francis Xavier December 3rd )

Today Feast of St. Gregory, Thaumaturgus

Vigil of All Saints Feast

Novena for the Feast of Saint Jude Thaddeus ~~ 28th October ~~

St. Francis Borgia, Confessor

Novena to St Michael the Archangel

Novena to Saint Pope Pius X ( Day 1 )

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 9 ~

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 8 ~

Novena in Honor of Saint John Vianney ~~ Day 7 ~~

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 6 ~

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 5 ~

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 4 ~

Blessed Feast of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 3 ~

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 2 ~

Novena In Honor Of Saint John Vianney ~ Day 1 ~

Novena to St. Anne , Mother of the Blessed Virgin -Day 9 -

Novena to St. Anne , Mother of the Blessed Virgin -Day 8 -

Novena for the Feast of Saint Jude Thaddeus 28th October

Novena in Honor of Saint John Vianney Day 7