NOVENA PRAYERS
1⃣ NOVENA TO ST. SEBASTIAN
2⃣ NOVENA TO ST. VINCENT PALLOTTI
3⃣ NOVENA TO ST. FRANCIS DE SALES
4⃣ NOVENA IN PREPARATION FOR THE FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL
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1⃣ NOVENA TO ST. SEBASTIAN
DAY 8 - JANUARY 18
A LIFE BY FAITH BEARS MANY FRUITS
Martyr, St. Sebastian, glorified by the holy lives of so many whom thou hast inspired and animated to follow thee to martyrdom, I resolve today to follow and to undergo voluntarily the unbloody martyrdom of dying to myself, that Christ may live in me and in the souls of my brethren. Continue thy soul-saving and sanctifying apostolate from heaven and shield us against the many enemies that surround us, that the number of Christ-loving souls may increase. Keep us, O holy Martyr and powerful Protector, from pestilence and contagious diseases of body and soul, and prevent us from descending into the pit of burning fire and brimstone when the end comes; make us enjoy then with thee the glories of heaven.
(State your intentions here…)
PRAYER: My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ see me humbly prostrate before Thee to implore Thy mercy. I am a wretched sinner who has lived hitherto in ease and wanton negligence of my Christian duties. How dangerously close have I been in the past to becoming a traitor to Thee! Pardon me, good and merciful Jesus. I will change my life: with ardent love I will adhere to Thee in future and prove myself worthy of being Thy disciple and follower of St. Sebastian. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
St. Sebastian: Pray for us!
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2⃣ NOVENA TO ST. VINCENT PALLOTTI
DAY 6 - JANUARY 18
FOR RECONCILIATION AND UNITY
Almighty and ever living God, you glorified Vincent Pallotti and made him a powerful intercessor in heaven. We come before you with our petitions and place before you all our needs and cares. We declare our readiness to accept whatever you send us. Trusting in your divine providence, we cast ourselves like Vincent Pallotti in your loving arms seeking your protection. O God of all consolations, have compassion on all those who suffer and are in need. We beg you today through the intercession of St. Vincent Pallotti to inspire us to create unity and harmony in our communities and homes. Give us a profound feeling that we are all members of the same family of God, the Mystical Body of Christ. Above all we place before you this our special need...
(State your intentions here…)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
O glorious St. Vincent, intercede for us before the Lord and obtain for us all the graces we ask for. Merciful Father, St. Vincent glorified you before men while here on earth. Now glorify him, by answering his prayers on our behalf. We make this prayer through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
St. Vincent Pallotti: Pray for us!
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3⃣ NOVENA TO ST. FRANCIS DE SALES
DAY 4 - JANUARY 18
Self-love dies only when our body dies, so we must, while we live in this land of exile, continue to counter attack its assaults on our senses and its underhanded tactics. It is enough if we firmly withstand, giving no willful or deliberate consent … When we feel within ourselves the first movements of self-love or of other passions, let us prostrate ourselves immediately before the heart of God and tell Him, in a spirit of confidence and humility, “Lord, have mercy on me because I am a very weak creature.” Then let us tranquilly rest in peace and put ourselves at God's disposal.
PRAYER: O Blessed Francis, who in your life did excel in all virtues, especially in your love of God and of your neighbour, I earnestly ask you to take me under your immediate protection, to obtain from God my perfect conversion, and that of all sinners. Teach me, O Father, to fix my eyes on heaven, that I may generously trample under foot every obstacle that presents itself in my way, and attain that degree of glory which you in your mercy hold out to me. Obtain also the favour for which I now pray…
(State your intentions here…)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
Assist us O Lord, we beseech you, through the merits of St. Francis de Sales that, what our endeavours cannot obtain may be given to us by his intercession. Amen.
St. Francis de Sales: Pray for us!
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4⃣ NOVENA IN PREPARATION FOR THE FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL
DAY 3 - JANUARY 18
“Suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him…. (he) heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?…I am Jesus….” They led (Saul) by the hand” (Acts 9:3,4,5,8)
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI speaks of conversion as an act of obedience toward a reality that does not originate from us, that precedes us: the concrete God. (Joseph Ratzinger – The Nature and Mission of Theology {Ignatius, 1995 p 58})
PRAYER: Glorious St. Paul, your conversion is a powerful witness to the world that God loves us and does not give up on us, no matter how far we stray. Help me to live a life of ongoing obedience to God and conversion of my wilful heart. Pray that I may renounce self-will and surrender myself to my Creator who has a plan to make me a saint. May faith move me to believe that God can and will, change the things in me that seem insurmountable. Pray that I may love God's will and providence for me. In this confidence, I entrust to you, St. Paul, these, my intentions…
(State your intentions here…)
I ask this through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...
St. Paul: Pray for us!