NOVENA TO ST. JOSEPH- DAY 4

 

DAY 4 - NOVENA TO ST. JOSEPH

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Saint Joseph, you are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I come to you as an example for holiness, for you are especially close with God. Therefore, I humbly commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, pray for me to have a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request)

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

St. Joseph Most Strong, Pray for us!

Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

All reaction

PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPHFOR A SPECIAL INTENTION

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Saint Joseph, you are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I come to you as an example for holiness, for you are especially close with God. Therefore, I humbly commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, pray for me to have a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request)

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

St. Joseph Most Prudent, Pray for us!

Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen

SAINTS OF THE DAY 

January 2

Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church 

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Basil the Great (329-379) and St. Gregory Nazianzen (330-390), bishops and doctors of the Church.

• St. BASIL THE GREAT 

St. Basil was born about 330, the oldest of four sons; three of his brothers became bishops, one of whom was St. Gregory of Nyssa. His pious grandmother Macrina exercised a great influence upon his religious education: "Never shall I forget the deep impression that the words and example of this venerable woman made upon my soul." Between St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzen an intimate friendship existed from youth to old age. Of Western monasticism St. Benedict was the father and founder, of Eastern monasticism, St. Basil.

As bishop, Basil was a courageous and heroic champion of the Catholic faith against the Arian heresy. In 372 Emperor Valens sent Modestus, the prefect, to Cappadocia to introduce Arianism as the state religion. Modestus approached the holy bishop, upbraided him for his teaching, and threatened despoliation, exile, martyrdom, and death. To these words of the Byzantine despot, Basil replied with the peace of divine faith: "Is that all? Nothing of what you mentioned touches me. We possess nothing, we can be robbed of nothing. Exile will be impossible, since everywhere on God's earth I am at home. Torments cannot afflict me, for I have no body. And death is welcome, for it will bring me more quickly to God. To a great extent I am already dead; for a long time I have been hastening to the grave." Astonished, the prefect remarked: "Till today no one has ever spoken to me so courageously." "Perhaps," rejoined Basil, "you have never before met a bishop." Modestus hastened back to Valens. "Emperor," he said, "we are bested by this leader of the Church. He is too strong for threats, too firm for words, too clever for persuasion."

Basil was a strong character, a burning lamp during his time. But as the fire from this lamp illumined and warmed the world, it consumed itself; as the saint's spiritual stature grew, his body wasted away, and at the early age of forty-nine his appearance was that of an old man. In every phase of ecclesiastical activity he showed superior talent and zeal. He was a great theologian, a powerful preacher, a gifted writer, the author of two rules for monastic life, a reformer of the Oriental liturgy. He died in 379, hardly forty-nine years old, yet so emaciated that only skin and bones remained, as though he had stayed alive in soul alone.

• St. GREGORY NAZIANZEN

Gregory, surnamed the "Theologian" by the Greeks, was born at Nazianz in Cappadocia in 339. He was one of the "Three Lights of the Church from Cappadocia." To his mother, St. Nonna, is due the foundation for his saintly life as an adult. He was educated at the most famous schools of his time - Caesarea, Alexandria, Athens. At Athens he formed that storied bond of friendship with St. Basil which was still flaming with all the fervor of youthful enthusiasm when he delivered the funeral oration at the grave of his friend in 381.

Gregory was baptized in 360, and for a while lived the quiet life of a hermit. In 372 he was consecrated bishop by St. Basil. At the urgent wish of Gregory, his father and bishop of Nazianz, he assisted him in the care of souls. In 381 he accepted the see of Constantinople, but grieved by the constant controversies retired again to the quiet life he cherished so highly and dedicated himself entirely to contemplation.

During his life span the pendulum was continually swinging back and forth between contemplation and the active ministry. He longed for solitude, but the exigencies of the times called him repeatedly to do pastoral work and to participate in the ecclesiastical movements of the day. He was unquestionably one of the greatest orators of Christian antiquity; his many and great accomplishments were due in great measure to his exceptional eloquence. His writings have merited for him the title of "Doctor of the Church."

St. Gregory’s relics, along with those of St. John Chrysostom, were returned to Constantinople (Istanbul) by Pope St. John Paul II on November 27, 2004 and kept in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George.

SAINT CATHERINE LABOURE

*​SAINT OF THE DAY​*

Feast Day: November 28

*St. Catherine Laboure*

(1806-1876)

Zoe Laboure, born in 1806, was the daughter of a French farmer. She was the only one of her large family who did not go to school. She could not read or write. Her mother died while she was still very young. Zoe had to run the house when her older sister became a nun.

Zoe, too, would have liked to enter the convent when she was in her early teens. However, because she was needed at home, she waited until she was twenty-four. Zoe became a Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. She took the name of Catherine.

Shortly after she finished her training as a postulant, Sister Catherine received a special privilege. She began to see the Blessed Mother. One night, she was awakened from sleep. A "shining child" led her to chapel. There Our Lady came to talk to her. The Blessed Mother, in another vision, showed herself standing on a globe with streams of light coming from her hands. Underneath were the words: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to thee!" Sister Catherine was told that a medal was to be made of this picture of Our Lady. She was also told that all who wore it would receive many graces from Jesus through his mother's prayers.

Sister Catherine told her confessor and he later told the bishop. So it was that the medal which we call the miraculous medal was made. Soon many, many people all over the world were wearing it. Yet no one in the convent knew that humble Sister Catherine was the one to whom Our Lady had appeared. She spent the remaining forty-five years of her life doing ordinary convent tasks. She answered the door. She looked after the hens that provided the nuns with eggs. She also took care of elderly and sick people. She was happy to keep her special privilege hidden, and was only interested in serving God as best she could. Catherine died in 1876. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1947.

Happy feast day of St. Catherine Labouré!💕

(Saint of Humility or Holy Silence)

“GOD always speaks to you when you approach Him plainly and simply.”

“I have only been an instrument. The Blessed Virgin did not appear on my behalf...If she chose me, it was so that no one could doubt her.”

PRAYER:

Saint Catherine Labouré, you were the chosen confidant of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She revealed to you her desire that her children wear the Miraculous Medal as a mark of their love for her and in honor of her Immaculate Conception. Intercede for us, that we may follow our heavenly mother's desires. Ask that we may receive those special graces which flow from her motherly hands like rays of light. Amen.

St. Catherine Labouré, pray for us!🙏🏼

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

Immaculate Virgin of the Miraculous Medal that you manifested to Saint Catherine Labouré, as mediator of all graces, attend to my prayer. In your maternal hands I leave all my spiritual and temporal interests and I entrust to you in particular the grace that I dare to implore from your goodness, so that you entrust it to your Divine Son and ask him to grant it to me if it is in accordance with his Will and it has to be for good of my soul.

Raise your hands to the Lord and then turn them towards my Powerful Virgin. Wrap me in the rays of your graces so that in the light and warmth of those rays, I may detach myself from earthly things and may joyfully follow you, until the day you welcome me at the gates of Heaven.

AMEN

Miraculous Medal Novena

Intro Prayer

V. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

R. Amen.

V. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.

R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

V. Let us pray: O God, who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolation, through Jesus Christ Our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. O Mary, conceived without sin,

R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)

Lord Jesus Christ who hast vouchsafed to glorify by numberless miracles the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate from the first moment of her Conception, grant that all who devoutly implore her protection on earth may eternally enjoy Thy presence in heaven who, with the Father and Holy Ghost livest and reignest, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ who for the accomplishment of Thy greatest works hast chosen the weak things of the world that no flesh may glory in Thy sight and who for a better and more widely diffused belief in the Immaculate Conception of Thy Mother hast wished that the Miraculous Medal be manifested to Saint Catherine Laboure grant, we beseech Thee that filled with like humility we may glorify this mystery by word and work. Amen.

MEMORARE

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided, Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother!

To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

NOVENA PRAYER

O Immaculate Virgin Mary Mother of Our Lord Jesus and our Mother penetrated with the most lively confidence in thy all powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal, we thy loving and trustful children implore thee to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this Novena, if they be beneficial to our immortal souls, and the souls for whom we pray.

(Here mention your intentions)

Thou knowest, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of thy Son who hates iniquity.

Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every thought, word and deed may tend to His greater glory. Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where thou art the Queen of angels and of men. Amen.

Concluding Prayer

AN ACT OF CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we dedicate and consecrate ourselves to thee under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of thy affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward thee. Ever while wearing it, may we be blessed by thy loving protection and preserved in the grace of thy Son.

O most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to thee every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, thy children, the grace of a happy death; so that, in union with thee, we may enjoy the bliss of heaven forever. Amen.

V. O Mary, conceived without sin,

R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)

DEDICATION OF A FAMILY TO MARY by St. Alphonsus Liguori

 

DEDICATION OF A FAMILY TO MARY 

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Oh Blessed and Immaculate Virgin, our Queen and Mother, refuge and consolation of all those who are in misery, I, prostrate before thy throne with all my family, choose thee for my Lady, Mother, and Advocate with God.

I, with all who belong to me, dedicate myself forever to thy service, and pray thee, oh Mother of God, to receive us into the number of thy servants, taking us all under thy protection, aiding us in life, and still more, at the hour of our death.

Oh Mother of Mercy, I choose thee Lady and ruler of my whole house, of my relatives, my interests, and all my affairs. Do not disdain to take care of them; dispose of them all as it pleases thee.

Bless me, then, and all my family, and do not permit that any of us should offend thy Son. Do thou defend us in temptations, deliver us from dangers, provide for us in our necessities, counsel us in our doubts, console us in afflictions, be with us in sickness, and especially in the agonies of death.

Do not permit the devil to glory in having in his chains any of us who are now consecrated to thee; but grant that we may come to thee in heaven to thank thee, and together with thee to praise and love our Redeemer Jesus for all eternity. Amen, thus may it be.

Prayer to the Saint of Miracles: Saint Anthony of Padua

Every 13th day of  Month

Feast Day is June 13

St. Anthony of Padua 🙏

ST. ANTHONY - SAINT OF MIRACLES PRAYER (Tuesday Devotion)

O Holy St. Anthony, reach down from heaven and take hold of my hand. Assure me that I am not alone. You are known to possess miraculous powers and to be ever ready to speak for those in trouble.
Loving and Gentle St. Anthony, reach down from heaven, I implore you and assist me in my hour of need. Obtain for me (mention your request here).
Dearest St. Anthony, reach down from heaven and guide me with thy strength. Plead for me in my needs. And teach me to be humbly thankful as you were for all the bountiful lessons I am to receive. Amen.

Unfailing Prayer to Saint Anthony:

O holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for his creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.
Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety.
Encouraged by this thought, I implore of you to obtain for me (request).
The answer to my prayer may require a miracle; even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.
O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms;
and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen

** Reply with Amen & Share after you pray.

Litany of Saint Anthony of Padua

Litany of Saint Anthony of Padua


For Private Use.



Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.



God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.

God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.


Holy Mary,

pray for us.



Saint Anthony of Padua,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, glory of the Friars Minor,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, ark of the Testament,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, sanctuary of Heavenly wisdom,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, destroyer of worldly vanity,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, conqueror of impurity,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, example of humility,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, lover of the Cross,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, martyr of desire,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, generator of charity,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, zealous for justice,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, terror of infidels,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, model of perfection,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, consoler of the afflicted,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, restorer of lost things,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, defender of innocence,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, liberator of prisoners,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, guide of pilgrims,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, restorer of health,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, performer of miracles,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, restorer of speech to the mute,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, restorer of hearing to the deaf,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, restorer of sight to the blind,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, disperser of devils,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, reviver of the dead,

pray for us.

Saint Anthony, tamer of tyrants,

pray for us.

.

From the snares of the devil, Saint Anthony deliver us.

From thunder, lightning and storms, Saint Anthony deliver us.

From all evil of body and soul, Saint Anthony deliver us.

Through your intercession, Saint Anthony protect us.

Throughout the course of life, Saint Anthony protect us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.



V. Saint Anthony, pray for us.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

.

Let us pray.

.

O my God, may the pious commemoration of Saint Anthony,

Thy Confessor and Proctor, give joy to Thy Church, that she may

ever be strengthened with Thy spiritual assistance and merit to

attain everlasting joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Monica Sodality Prayer for Fallen Away Catholics

St. Monica Sodality Prayer for Fallen Away Catholics

“Eternal and merciful Father, I give You thanks for the gift of Your Divine Son Who suffered, died and rose for all mankind. I thank You also for my Catholic Faith and ask Your help that I may grow in fidelity by prayer, by works of charity and penance, by reflection on Your Word, and by regular participation in the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist.

You gave Saint Monica a spirit of selfless love manifested in her constant prayer for the conversion of her son Augustine. Inspired by boundless confidence in Your power to move hearts, and by the success of her prayer, I ask the grace to imitate her constancy in my prayer for [name(s)] who no longer share(s) in the intimate life of Your Catholic family. Grant through my prayer and witness that (he/she/they) may be open to the promptings of Your Holy Spirit, and return to loving union with Your Church. Grant also that my prayer be ever hopeful and that I may never judge another, for You alone can read hearts. I ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen. “

SAINT AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY

St. Augustine of Canterbury

Augustine was the abbot of St. Andrew’s mona–stery in Rome. Pope Gregory the Great chose him and forty other monks for an important mission. They were to go and preach the Gospel to the people of England. Abbot Augustine and the monks started on their journey. When they reached southern France, people warned them that the English were fierce. The monks felt discouraged. They asked Augustine to go back and obtain the pope’s permission to give up the whole idea. He did, but the pope wanted the monks to go to England just the same. Pope Gregory knew that the people were ready to accept the Christian faith. And so the monks continued their journey. They arrived in England in 597.

The monks were kindly received by King Ethelbert, whose wife was a Christian princess from France. The monks formed a procession when they arrived. They walked along singing psalms. They carried a cross and a picture of our Lord. Many people welcomed the monks’ message. King Ethelbert himself was baptized on Pentecost, 597. That year Abbot Augustine became a bishop.

Augustine often wrote to the pope. And Pope St. Gregory gave him much holy advice. Speaking about the many miracles Augustine worked, the pope said: “You must rejoice with fear and fear with joy for that gift.” He meant that Augustine should be happy that through the miracles the English people were putting faith in the Gospel. But he should be careful not to take credit for the miracles, because they were from God.

At Canterbury, Augustine built a church and a monastery, which became the most important in England. St. Augustine died on May 26, 604, seven years after his arrival in England.

----------

If our parents or eachers ask us to do something that seems difficult or uninteresting, we should do it as best as we can. St. Augustine will help us because he knows how it feels to be given a difficult assignment.

PRAYER OF CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY OF FATIMA

May 13

 FEAST OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA

Also known as

Lady of the Rosary (she called herself that when Lucia asked her name)

Commemorates the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three children in Fatima, Portugal on the 13th of each month from May to October in 1917. Our Lady appeared to Lucia, age 9, Blessed Francisco Marto, age 8, and Blessed Jacinta Marto, age 6, while they were tending sheep; they described her as "a woman all in white, more brilliant than the sun", and her message was to do reparation for sins that offend God, and to pray constantly for the conversion of sinners. She asked for devotion to the Holy Trinity, and for praying the Rosary daily for world peace. Word spread, and by the final apparition on 13 October, 70,000 people showed up to witness the Lady and the sign that she had promised; they witnessed the sun make three circles and zigzag around in the sky.

Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for us! 🙏

PRAYER OF CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY OF FATIMA 

O Virgin of Fatima, Mother of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and earth, Refuge of Sinners, we consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart. To you we consecrate our hearts and souls, our families and all that we have. And in order that this consecration may be truly effective and lasting, we renew today the promises of our Baptism and Confirmation; and we undertake to live as good Christians, faithful to God, the Church and the Holy Father. We desire to pray the Rosary, partake in the Holy Eucharist, attach special importance to the first Saturday of the month and work for the conversion of sinners. Furthermore we promise, O most holy Virgin, that we zealously spread devotion to you, so that through our consecration to Your Immaculate Heart and through your own intercession, the coming of the Kingdom of Christ in the world may be hastened. Amen.

PATRON SAINT OF TEENAGERS St.Pancras (290 - 304)

SAINT OF THE DAY

Feast Day: May 12



St.Pancras

(290 - 304)




Pancras was born in 290 AD in Synnada, Phrygia a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia (modern Turkey).


He is also known by the names Pancritas and Pancratius. He was orphaned at an early age and taken to Rome by his uncle, Dionysius.


Pancras converted to Christianity after meeting Christians in Rome and through the influence of Dionysius


Pancras lived during the rule of the Roman Emperor Diocletian (r.284-305). Emperor Diocletian mounted some of the fiercest persecutions of the early Church especially in the East of the Empire.


Converting to Christianity during this period was highly dangerous and at the age Pancras announced his Christian faith publically.


He was arrested and then beheaded. He was only 14 years old. He is the patron saint of teenagers.

Litany to the Holy Angels

 Lord, have mercy on us

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us,

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of heaven,

have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the World,

have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit,

have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,

have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Queen of Angels

pray for us.

Holy Mother of God

pray for us.

Holy Virgin of Virgins

pray for us.

Saint Michael, who was ever the defender of the people of God,

pray for us.

St. Michael, who did drive from Heaven Lucifer and his rebel crew,

pray for us.

St. Michael, who did cast down to Hell the accuser of our brethren,

pray for us.

Saint Gabriel, who did expound to Daniel the heavenly vision,

pray for us.

St. Gabriel, who did foretell to Zachary the birth and ministry of John the Baptist,

pray for us.

St. Gabriel, who did announce to Blessed Mary the Incarnation of the Divine Word,

pray for us.

Saint Raphael, who did lead Tobias safely through his journey to his home again,

pray for us.

St. Raphael, who did deliver Sara from the devil,

pray for us.

St. Raphael, who did restore his sight to Tobias the elder,

pray for us.

All ye holy Angels, who stand around the high and lofty throne of God,

pray for us.

Who cry to Him continually: Holy, Holy, Holy,

pray for us.

Who dispel the darkness of our minds and give us light,

pray for us.

Who are the messengers of heavenly things to men,

pray for us.

Who have been appointed by God to be our guardians,

pray for us.

Who always behold the Face of our Father Who is in Heaven,

pray for us.

Who rejoice over one sinner doing penance,

pray for us.

Who struck the Sodomites with blindness,

pray for us.

Who led Lot out of the midst of the ungodly,

pray for us.

Who ascended and descended on the ladder of Jacob,

pray for us.

Who delivered the Divine Law to Moses on Mount Sinai,

pray for us.

Who brought good tidings when Christ was born,

pray for us.

Who comforted Him in His agony,

pray for us.

Who sat in white garments at His sepulcher,

pray for us.

Who appeared to the disciples as He went up into Heaven,

pray for us.

Who shall go before Him bearing the standard of the Cross when He comes to judgment,

pray for us.

Who shall gather together the elect at the End of the World,

pray for us.

Who shall separate the wicked from among the just,

pray for us.

Who offer to God the prayers of those who pray,

pray for us.

Who assist us at the hour of death,

pray for us.

Who carried Lazarus into Abraham’s bosom,

pray for us.

Who conduct to Heaven the souls of the just,

pray for us.

Who perform signs and wonders by the power of God,

pray for us.

Who are sent to minister for those who shall receive the inheritance of salvation,

pray for us.

Who are set over kingdoms and provinces,

pray for us.

Who have often put to flight armies of enemies,

pray for us.

Who have often delivered God’s servants from prison and other perils of this life,

pray for us.

Who have often consoled the holy martyrs in their torments,

pray for us.

Who are wont to cherish with peculiar care the prelates and princes of the Church,

pray for us.

All ye holy orders of blessed spirits,

pray for us.

From all dangers,

deliver us, O Lord.

From the snares of the devil,

deliver us, O Lord.

From all heresy and schism,

deliver us, O Lord.

From plague, famine and ware,

deliver us, O Lord.

From sudden and unlooked-for death,

deliver us, O Lord.

From everlasting death,

deliver us, O Lord.

Through Thy holy Angels,

we beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would spare us,

we beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would pardon us,

we beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would govern and preserve Thy Holy Church,

we beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would protect our Apostolic Prelate and all ecclesiastical orders,

we beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would grant peace and security to kings and all Christian princes,

we beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would give and preserve the fruits of the earth,

we beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed,

we beseech Thee, hear us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Bless the Lord, all ye Angels: Ye who are mighty in strength, who fulfill His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His words.

He hath given His Angels charge concerning thee, To keep thee in all thy ways.

Let us pray:

O God, Who dost arrange the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant that our life may be protected on earth by those who always do Thee service in Heaven, through Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who with Thee and the Holy Ghost are one God now and forever. Amen.

O God, Who in Thine unspeakable Providence dost send Thine Angels to keep guard over us, grant unto Thy suppliants that we may be continually defended by their protection and may rejoice eternally in their society, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Joseph

HAPPY SOLEMNITY OF SAINT JOSEPH, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 💕

+In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we humbly implore your powerful intercession to bring our urgent petitions to God. Please pray for us, that we may always follow the will of God in our lives. Please pray for our families, that it may be a cradle of joy, love, and peace. Amen.

SAINT JOSEPH Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Foster Father of Jesus March 19 - Feast

SAINT JOSEPH

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Foster Father of Jesus

March 19 - Feast

Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God. I place in you all my interests and desires. Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.

Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls - Pray for me.

Amen.

This prayer was found in the fifteenth year of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In 1505 it was sent from the Pope to Emperor Charles when he was going into battle. Whoever shall read this prayer or hear it or keep it about themselves, shall never die a sudden death, or be drowned, not shall poison take effect of them; neither shall they fall into the hands of the enemy; or shall be burned in any fire, or shall be overpowered in battle.

SAINT OF THE DAY St. Dominic Savio Feast Day: March 9

SAINT OF THE DAY 

St. Dominic Savio 

(Feast Day: March 9 )

Pray for us!

Dominic Savio was an Italian student of Saint John Bosco. He was studying to be a priest when he became ill and died at the age of 14, possibly from pleurisy. He was noted for his piety and devotion to the Catholic faith, and was eventually canonized. Wikipedia

Born: April 2, 1842, Chieri, Italy

Died: March 9, 1857, Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Italy

Feast: 6 May (formerly 9 March)

Patronage: choirboys, falsely accused people, juvenile delinquents

Canonized: 12 June 1954, Rome by Pope Pius XII

Major shrine: The Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin (his tomb)

Parents: Carlo Savio, Brigida Gaiato

Saint Dominic Savio’s Story

So many holy persons seem to die young. Among them was Dominic Savio, the patron of choirboys.

Born into a peasant family at Riva, Italy, young Dominic joined Saint John Bosco as a student at the Oratory in Turin at the age of 12. He impressed Don Bosco with his desire to be a priest and to help him in his work with neglected boys. A peacemaker and an organizer, young Dominic founded a group he called the Company of the Immaculate Conception which, besides being devotional, aided John Bosco with the boys and with manual work. All the members save one, Dominic, would, in 1859, join Don Bosco in the beginnings of his Salesian congregation. By that time, Dominic had been called home to heaven.

As a youth, Dominic spent hours rapt in prayer. His raptures he called “my distractions.” Even in play, he said that at times, “It seems heaven is opening just above me. I am afraid I may say or do something that will make the other boys laugh.” Dominic would say, “I can’t do big things. But I want all I do, even the smallest thing, to be for the greater glory of God.”

Dominic’s health, always frail, led to lung problems and he was sent home to recuperate. As was the custom of the day, he was bled in the thought that this would help, but it only worsened his condition. He died on March 9, 1857, after receiving the Last Sacraments. Saint John Bosco himself wrote the account of his life.

Some thought that Dominic was too young to be considered a saint. Saint Pius X declared that just the opposite was true, and went ahead with his cause. Dominic was canonized in 1954. His Liturgical Feast Day is October 9.

PRAYERS

Prayer to St Dominic

O Saint Dominic Savio, a model of purity, piety, penance and apostolic zeal for youth; grant that, through your intercession, we may service God in our ordinary duties with fervent devotion, and attain the grace of holy joy on earth, that we may one day love God forever in Heaven. Amen.

… St Dominic Savio, Pray for Us …

Prayer of Dominic Savio

To the 

Blessed Virgin Mary

O Mary, I give you my heart.

Grant me to be always yours.

Jesus and Mary, be ever my friends;

and, for love of you,

grant me to die a thousand deaths

rather than to have the misfortune

of committing a single mortal sin. Amen.

(By St Dominic Savio)

SAINT OF THE DAY -St John of God- Feast Day: March 8

 SAINT OF THE DAY

 St  John of God 

Feast Day: March 8

Pray for us! 

Patron: Hospitals, the Sick, Nurses, Booksellers, Printers, those with Heart Disease

HEALING PRAYER TO SAINT JOHN OF GOD


Saint John of God, I honor thee as the Patron of the Sick, especially of those who are afflicted by heart disease. I choose thee to be my patron and protector in my present illness. To thee I entrust my soul, my body, all my spiritual and temporal interests, as well as those of the sick throughout the world. To thee I consecrate my mind, that in all things it may be enlightened by faith above all in accepting my cross as a blessing from God; my heart, that thou doth keep it pure and fill it with the love for Jesus and Mary that burned in thy heart; my will, that like thine, it may always be one with the Will of God.




Good Saint John, I honor thee as the model of penitents, for thou didst receive the grace to give up a sinful life and to atone for thy sins by untiring labors in behalf of the poor and sick. Obtain for me the grace from God to be truly sorry for my sins, to make atonement for them and never again offend God. Aid me in mastering my evil inclinations and temptations, and in avoiding all occasions of sin. Through thine intercession may I obtain the grace from Jesus and Mary to fulfill faithfully all the duties of my state of life and to practice those virtues which are needful for my salvation. Help me to belong to God and Our Lady in life and in death through perfect love. May my life, like thine, be spent in the untiring service of God and my neighbor.




Since Holy Mother Church also invokes thee in her prayers for the dying, I beg thee to be with me in my last hour and pray for me. As thou didst die kneeling before a crucifix, may I find strength, consolation and salvation in the Cross of my Redeemer, and through His tender mercy and the prayers of Our Lady, and through thine intercession, attain to eternal life.

Amen.

THE LIFE OF SAINT JOHN OF GOD

Religious

(1495-1550)

         Nothing in John's early life foreshadowed his future sanctity. He ran away as a boy from his home in Portugal, tended sheep and cattle in Spain, and served as a soldier against the French, and afterwards against the Turks.

        When about forty years of age, feeling remorse for his wild life, he resolved to devote himself to the ransom of the Christian slaves in Africa, and went thither with the family of an exiled noble, which he maintained by his labor. On his return to Spain he sought to do good by selling holy pictures and books at low prices.

        At length the hour of grace struck. At Granada a sermon by the celebrated John of Avila shook his soul to its depths, and his expressions of self-abhorrence were so extraordinary that he was taken to the asylum as one mad. There he employed himself in ministering to the sick.

        On leaving he began to collect homeless poor, and to support them by his work and by begging. One night St. John found in the streets a poor man who seemed near death, and, as was his wont, he carried him to the hospital, laid him on a bed, and went to fetch water to wash his feet. When he had washed them, he knelt to kiss them, and started with awe: the feet were pierced, and the print of the nails bright with an unearthly radiance. He raised his eyes to look, and heard the words, "John, to Me thou doest all that thou doest to the poor in My name: I reach forth My hand for the alms thou givest; Me dost thou clothe, Mine are the feet thou dost wash." And then the gracious vision disappeared, leaving St. John filled at once with confusion and consolation.

        The bishop became the Saint's patron, and gave him the name of John of God. When his hospital was on fire, John was seen rushing about uninjured amidst the flames until he had rescued all his poor.

        After ten years spent in the service of the suffering, the Saint's life was fitly closed. He plunged into the river Xenil to save a drowning boy, and died, 1550, of an illness brought on by the attempt, at the age of fifty-five.

Mother Teresa's Fragrance Prayer

Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, honoured in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. She was born in Skopje, then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. Wikipedia

Born: August 26, 1910, Skopje, North Macedonia

Died: September 5, 1997, Kolkata, India

Full name: Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu

Title: Superior general

Awards: Nobel Peace Prize, Bharat Ratna, Order of the Smile, Golden Honour of the Nation, More

Parents: Dranafile Bojaxhiu, Nikollë Bojaxhiu

Siblings: Aga Bojaxhiu, Lazar Bojaxhiu

Mother Teresa's Fragrance

Prayer

Mother Teresa took a well-loved prayer poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890), changed the singular to plural, and prayed it every day after Communion with her Sisters of Charity. Here’s the prayer poem.

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.

Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.

Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly, that my life may only be a radiance of Yours.

Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul.

Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus!

Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine, so to shine as to be a light to others; the light, O Jesus will be all from You; none of it will be mine; it will be you, shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise You the way You love best, by shining on those around me.

Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by my example, by the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.

SAINT OF THE DAY St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin (Feast Day: Feb. 26)

Maria Bertilla Boscardin was an Italian nun and nurse who displayed a pronounced devotion to duty in working with sick children and victims of the air raids of World War I. She was later canonised a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. 

Source:Wikipedia

Born: October 6, 1888, Brendola, Italy

Died: October 20, 1922, Treviso, Italy

Canonized: May 11, 1961 by Pope John XXIII

Feast: October 20

Beatified: June 8, 1952 by Pope Pius XII

Major shrine: Vicenza, Veneto, Italy

 SAINT OF THE DAY 

 St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin 

Feast Day: Feb. 26

Pray for us!

Saint Maria Bertilla Boscardin’s Story

If anyone knew rejection, ridicule and disappointment, it was today’s saint. But such trials only brought Maria Bertilla Boscardin closer to God and more determined to serve him.

Born in Italy in 1888, the young girl lived in fear of her father, a violent man prone to jealousy and drunkenness. Her schooling was limited so that she could spend more time helping at home and working in the fields. She showed few talents and was often the butt of jokes.

In 1904, she joined the Sisters of Saint Dorothy and was assigned to work in the kitchen, bakery and laundry. After some time Maria received nurses’ training and began working in a hospital with children suffering from diphtheria. There the young nun seemed to find her true vocation: nursing very ill and disturbed children. Later, when the hospital was taken over by the military in World War I, Sister Maria Bertilla fearlessly cared for patients amidst the threat of constant air raids and bombings.

She died in 1922 after suffering for many years from a painful tumor. Some of the patients she had nursed many years before were present at her canonization in 1961.

Reflection

This fairly recent saint knew the hardships of living in an abusive situation. Let us pray to her to help all those who are suffering from any form of spiritual, mental, or physical abuse.

SAINT OF THE DAY FEBRUARY 25: BLESSED SEBASTIÁN OF APARICIO

🕊 🙏 SAINT OF THE DAY 💕 🕊

🙏🏻 Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio 🙏🏻

(Feast Day: Feb. 25,)

Pray for us!

Sebastian de Aparicio y del Pardo was a Spanish colonist in Mexico shortly after its conquest by Spain, who after a lifetime as a rancher and road builder entered the Order of Friars Minor as a lay brother. Source:Wikipedia

Born: January 20, 1502, A Gudiña, Spain

Died: February 25, 1600, Puebla, Mexico

Feast: 25 February

Beatified: 17 May 1789 by Pope Pius VI

Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio’s Story

Sebastian’s roads and bridges connected many distant places. His final bridge-building was to help men and women recognize their God-given dignity and destiny.

Sebastian’s parents were Spanish peasants. At the age of 31, he sailed to Mexico, where he began working in the fields. Eventually he built roads to facilitate agricultural trading and other commerce. His 466-mile road from Mexico City to Zacatecas took 10 years to build and required careful negotiations with the indigenous peoples along the way.

In time Sebastian was a wealthy farmer and rancher. At the age of 60, he entered a virginal marriage. His wife’s motivation may have been a large inheritance; his was to provide a respectable life for a girl without even a modest marriage dowry. When his first wife died, he entered another virginal marriage for the same reason; his second wife also died young.

At the age of 72, Sebastian distributed his goods among the poor and entered the Franciscans as a brother. Assigned to the large (100-member) friary at Puebla de los Angeles south of Mexico City, Sebastian went out collecting alms for the friars for the next 25 years. His charity to all earned him the nickname “Angel of Mexico.”

Sebastian was beatified in 1787 and is known as a patron of travelers.