I NOVENA BOOKLET | 1 TO OUR LADY | ^ I I DAUGHTERS OF ST. PAUL | G. D. P. H. NOVENA BOOKLET TO OUR LADY by a Daughter of St. Paul DAUGHTERS OF SAINT PAUL NEW YORK — YOUNGSTOWN, O. — DERBY Nihil Obstat: John M. A. Fearns, S. T.D Censor Librorum Imprimatur: t Francis Cardinal Spellman, D.D. Archbishop, N.Y. Fel). 2, 1951 NOVENA FOR THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION First Day Holiest Virgin, who, to die holily, didst make it thy care to acquire so great a degree of merit and virtue, intercede for us, that we may know that virtue and the grace of God alone are the road that leads to salvation. Three Hail Marys. Second Day Glorious Virgin, who, at the moment of thy death, wast comforted by the sight of thy dear Son Jesus, oh! pray for us that at that awful moment we too may be comforted by receiving Jesus in the most holy Viaticum. Three Hail Marys. Third Day Mary, happiest Virgin, in leaving this mortal life through an ecstasy of love 3 thou didst make known the fire which ever burned within thy breast, oh! pray for us, that at least one spark of that same fire may burn in us, giving us true sorrow for our sins. Three Hail Marys. Fourth Day Lady unsulHed, who by thy virginal purity didst merit the glory of being so bright and so majestic in thy body after death, oh! obtain for us the strength to detach ourselves from every foul spirit of impurity. Three Hail Marys. Fifth Day Lady exalted, God made thy risen body glorious with the gifts of agility and imnassibility, because great was thy spiritual zeal and patience while on earth, oh! obtain for us courage to mor- tify with vigor our bodies, and to curb with patience our headstrong passions. Three Hail Marys. Sixth Day Great Queen, by the glory which thou didst enjoy in thv assumption into hea- ven, obtain for us that, freed from the slavery of sin, we may deserve to praise thee for all eternit}^ Three Hail Marys. Seventh Day Sovereign Queen of the universe, who, through thy merit, art raised to such high glory in heaven, oh! in thy pity, look down on us and on our miseries, and with the gentle sway of thy protec- tion rule over us. Three Hail Marys. Eight Day Peerless Queen, who would see us pure and stainless that we may be fit to stand before God, help us ever in word ^ 5 and deed to please His heavenly maj- esty. Three Hail Marys. Ninth Day Mary our powerful patroness, whose delight it ever is, in the fulfilment of thy office, to be invoked by men, obtain for us true devotion, make it thy care that we never fail to call thee to our aid in life and, above all, at the awful moment of our death. Three Hail Marys. PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION (composed by Pope Pius XH for the proclamation of the Dogma) "O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and Mother of Men. "We believe with all the fervor of our Faith in your triumphal Assumption, both in body and soul, into Heaven, 6 where vou are acclaimed as Queen by all the choirs of Angels and all the le- ojions of the Saints; And we unite with them to praise and bless the Lord Who has exalted you above all other pure creatures, and to offer you the tribute of our devotion and our love. "We know that your gaze, which on earth watched over the humble and suf- fering humanitv of Jesus, in Heaven is filled with the vision of that humanity glorified, and with the vision of un- created wisdom, and that the joy of your soul in the direct contemplation of the adorable Trinit}^ causes your heart to tlirob with overwhelming tenderness; "And w^e, poor sinners, whose body weighs down the flight of the soul, beg you to purify our hearts so that, while we remain here below we may learn to see God and God alone in the beauties of His creatures. " We trust that your merciful eves may deign to glance down upon our miseries 7 and our sorrows; upon our struggles and our weaknesses; that your countenance may smile upon our joys and our victo- ries; that you may hear the voice of Jesus saying to you of each one of us, as He once said to you of His beloved disciple: behold thy son. "And we, who call upon vou as our Mother, we like John, take you as the guide, strength and consolation of our mortal life. "We are inspired by the certainty that your eyes, which wept over the earth watered by the blood of Jesus, are yet turned toward this world, held in the clutch of wars, persecutions, oppression of the just and the weak; "And from the shadows of this vale of tears, we seek in your Heavenly assis- tance and tender mercy comfort for our aching hearts and help in the trials of the Church and of our fatherland. "We believe, finally, that in the glory where you reign, clothed with the sun 8 and crowned with the stars, you are, aft- er Jesus, the joy and gladness of all the Angels and of all the Saints; "And from this earth, over which we tread as pilgrims, comforted by our faith in future resurrection, we look to you, our life, our sweetness and our hope; draw us onward with the sweetness of your voice that one day, after our exile, you may show us Jesus, the Blessed Fruit of your womb, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary." TO MARY QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES O Immaculate Mary, co-redemptrix of the human race, behold men redeemed by the blood of Thv Divine Son, and still immersed in the darkness of errors and in a mire of vices. The harvest is always great, but the workers are still very few. Have pity, O 9 Mary, upon thv children whom the dy- ing Jesus entrusted to thee from the cross. Increase reHgious and priestly voca- tions; give us new apostles, full of wis- dom and fervor. Sustain with thv ma- ternal care those souls who consecrate their lives for the good of their neigh- bors. Recall thy care for Jesus and the Apostle John; remember thy sweet peti- tions to our Lord to obtain the Holv Ghost for the Apostles. Thou wast the counselor of the first Apostles and of the Apostles of all times. By thy omnipotent intercession renew again the Divine Pentecost upon those called to the Apostolate, sanctify them, inflame them with holy ardor, for the glory of God, and the salvation of souls. Guide them in all their efforts, guard them bv thv 2[races; sustain them in moments of discouragement; crown their zeal with success. Grant our prayer, O Mary, so that all 10 men may receive the Divine Master, Way, Truth and Life; and may become docile children of the Catholic Church; that the whole world may resound with thy praises, and honor thee as Mother, Mistress and Queen. Thus we may all attain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen. Hail Mary, etc. Queen of Apostles, pray for us. NOVENA IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Holy Mary, Immaculate Mother of God, most pure and holy, in union with all the saints in heaven and the just on earth and with the most heartfelt ardor, I consecrate my heart to thee, and im- plore thee to receive my homage of re- spect, love, and confidence. I come to thee, O refuge of sinners, in my present distress, and implore thee to exert in my behalf the full measure of thy influence in heaven. 11 Present my earnest petition to God and obtain for me (here name your re- quest), protect me, O sacred and Im- maculate Mother of God, watch over me, love me, now and forever. Three Hail Marys. One Glory he. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us loho have recourse to thee. NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP Behold at thy feet, O Mother of Per- petual Help! a wretched sinner who has recourse to thee and confides in thee. O Mother of mercy! have pitv on me. I hear thee called by all the refuge and the hope of sinners; be then, my refuge and mv hope. Assist me, for the love of Jesus Christ; stretch forth thy hand to a miserable fallen creature who recom- mends himself to thee, and who devotes himself to thy service forever. I bless and 12 thank Almighty God, Who in mercy has given me this confidence in thee, which I hold to be a pledge of my eternal salva- tion. O Mary help me. O Mother of Perpet- ual Help, never suffer me to lose my God. —Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Three times. NOVENA TO OUR LADY of FATIMA Most holy Virgin, who hast deigned to come to Fatima, to reveal to the three little shepherds the treasures of graces hidden in the recitation of the Rosary, inspire our hearts with a sincere love of this devotion, in order that by meditat- ing on the Mysteries of our Redemption we may gather the fruits that are recall- ed in it and obtain the conversion of sinners, the conversion of Russia, and (here name the other favors you are praying for), which we ask of you in 13 this Novena, for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good of souls. Amen. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, pray for us! (300 days Indulgence) Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation! (300 days Indulgence) THE GREAT PROMISE OF MARY THE FIRST FIVE SATURDAYS OF THE MONTH The Blessed Virgin appeared to Sister Lucy assigning to her the Mission of pro- pagating the devotions of the first five Saturdays of the month, making known her *Great Promise'. Our Ladv showed her Heart, saying: "My Daughter, be- hold my Heart in the midst of thorns that ungrateful persons, at every instant, press on it with their blasphemy and in- 14 gratitude. At least you console me, and tell all men that I promise to help, in the hour of death, with graces necessary to salvation, whoever, the first Saturday of each month, for five consecutive months, will go to confession, receive Holy Com- munion, say five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for fifteen min- utes, meditating the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparations to me." Here are the specific acts requested by the Immaculate Heart of Mary to at- tain the Great Promise: (1) Confession, which must be well done; it is enough to confess within the eight days; the First Friday Confession is sufficient. (2) Holy Communion, received in the best possible disposition. ( 3 ) A third part of the Rosary, reciting the mysteries of our own choice, joyful, sorrowful, or glorious. 15 (4) Fifteen minutes of meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary. One can meditate on all the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, or concentrate the attention on one mystery. This may be done at home. The important part is that we keep company with Our Lady at least fifteen minutes. (5) Five consecutive months, without interruption, even involuntary, are need- ed for the above practices. They may start any month. (6) These First Five Saturdays of the month must be done with the INTEN- TION of making REPARATION, to console the Heart of Mary saddened by the indifference and ingratitude of so many souls, in a spirit of humility and contrition for all sins. It would be enough to make the Inten- tion once, but it is advisable to renew it every Saturday. 16 THE HOLY ROSARY The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin The Archangel Gabriel announces to the Holy Virgin, the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and her elevation as Mother of God. The Visitation of the Blessed Virg^in to Saint Elizabeth Mary hastens with anxiety to visit and serve St. EHzabeth. Let us ask Mary's love towards our neighbor. The Nativity of the Child Jesus at Bethlehem Jesus born in the stable of Bethlehem, is laid in a manger in the most squalid poverty. The Presentation of Jesus i)i the Temple Mary, although not in dut)' bound, presents Jesus in the temple and per- fectly fulfils what was prescribed for her purification. The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple Jesus is lost, diligently sought for three days and refound in the Temple. We lose Jesus by committing sin. The Agony of Jesus in the Garden Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemani, sweats blood and pravs with humihty, confidence and perseverance. The Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar Jesus is tied to the pillar and cruelly scourged in reparation for the many sins of impurity. The Crowning of Jesus with Thorns Jesus is crowned with thorns and vile- ly mocked in reparation of so many evil thoughts and sentiments. The Carrying of the Cross by Jesus to Mount Calvary Jesus, condemned to the death on the cross, carries the heavy cross to Calvary. The Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus is crucified, suffers for thrc hours on the cross and dies in order 1 save us from hell. The Resurrection of Jesus Our Lord Jesus Christ rises gloriously from the Sepulchre. This resurrection represents our resurrection from the grave of sins and defects. THE ASCENSION The Ascension of Our Lord Into Heaven Jesus, forty days after His death, ascends into Heaven with admirable glory and triumph. The Descent of the Holy Ghost Upon the Apostles The Holy Ghost descends upon the Apostles to enlighten, comfort and sanc- tify them. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Into Heaven The Most Holy Virgin Marv expires through pure love of God and is carried into heaven by the angels, with admir- able glory. The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth, dispenser of all graces, our most powerful and amiable Mother. 4 OTHER BEALTlf LL BOOKS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO EVERYONE ARE: Holy Bible The Holy Gospel Epistles of St. Paul The Great Promise Maxims of Eternity Devoted to St. Paul Mary, Queen of Apostles Fatima Life of the Blessed Mother Flower of Israel Heritage Reclaimed St. Paul, Vessel of Election A Young Apostle of the Press Thirty Years with Christ , Heavenly Road Blessed Imelda Saint Thecla Snowdrops Privileged Shepherds Guy de Fontgalland Primrose of Jesus Order from: DAUGHTERS OF ST. PAUL Old Lake Shore Road Derby, N. Y. 78 Fort Place Staten Island 1. N. Y. 141 West Rayen Av Youngstown, Ohio