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Novena for November

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Saint Gertrude of Helfta

1256 – 1302

Feast Day: November 16

Patron of: Nuns, Travelers, Tarragona, Spain, the West Indies

Placed in the Cistercian abbey at Helfta in Saxony at the age of five, Gertrude never left the convent. She had a phenomonal intellect and immersed herself in her studies. At the age of 25 she had a vision of Christ that changed the course of her life. She lost all interest in secular studies, concentrating instead on religious literature. Her own mystical writings influenced many future saints, and she was the first to meditate on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Also known as “Gertrude the Great”, she received a revelation from Christ promising to free 1000 souls from Purgatory each time the following prayer si said. Since November is the month to remember the dead, this prayer is particularly apt.

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son,  Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen

Image: 17th Century painting from the Cistercian Monastery in Tarragona, Spain. The words around the heart say: “You will find me in the heart of Gertrude.”

Novena for October

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Guardian Angels

Feast Day: October 2

Most of the world’s religions agree on one thing: the presence of angels in our lives. The word “angel” comes from the Greek word angelos, which means” messenger.” All angels are messengers from God. If we pray to the saints because, having been human, they fully understand our shortcomings, we pray to the angels because they are pure in spirit and so call us to a higher level of being. Angels do not have human natures, and so their perspectives are totally different than ours. We turn to them to be reminded of the higher goal we share with them. It is said that the more we pray to the angels, the less the material and physical problems of the earth will seem to matter.

Angels, who exist at the very throne of God, are said to number in the thousands of millions. They are divided into three hierarchies. The first is the heavenly counselors, who are nearest to God: the seraphim, cherubim and thrones. They regulate the movement of light in the heavens as it emanates from God. The next hierarchy is the heavenly governors: the powers, virtues and dominions. These bear the conscience of all humanity, transmit divine energy, govern the activities of all the angelic orders, and integrate the spiritual and material world. The third hierarchy has direct contact with the earth and mankind: principalities, archangels and angels. From infancy until death, human life is enveloped by the watchful care and intercession of the guardian angels

It is believed that each one of us has his or her own guardian angel. These angels are always with us and are responsible for keeping us on the right path, helping us rise when we fall, encouraging us to become more and more virtuous, assisting us in death, and, most important of all, acting as intermediaries, offering our prayers and good actions to God. They do not see our physical actions as much as our spiritual actions. By praying to our guardian angels, we open up a channel to the divine grace. The angels have perfect knowledge, or wisdom, and this comes from their vision of God. They are said to be endowed with blessedness from gazing enraptured at God, and this blessedness makes them view all creations and all creatures as the beautiful perfection they really are. The more we communicate with our guardian angels, the more we become aware of our own blessedness and perfect beauty. Though angels have free will, because of this beatific existence there can be no temptation but to do God’s will.

The more we pray to the guardian angels, the more sensitive we become to their advice. Intuitive thoughts and feelings become more pronounced, and we no longer rely on judgmental thinking in our decision making. We become less fearful, more accepting, more in harmony with things. This is what it means to live in a state of grace. The angels are said to be beings of light. We lighten our lives and existence when we pray to them and with them.

 

Novena to Your Guardian Angel

Bless the Lord, all you his angels. You who are mighty in strength and do his will, intercede for me at the throne of God. By your unceasing watchfulness protect me in every danger of soul and body. Obtain for me the grace of final perseverance, so that after this life I may be admitted to your glorious company and with you may sing the praises of God for all eternity.

All you holy angels and archangels, thrones and dominions, principalities and powers and virtues of heaven, cherubim and seraphim, and especially you, my dear guardian angel, intercede for me and obtain for me the special favor I now ask. (Mention your request).

Amen.

(Excerpted from the book “Novena: The Power of Prayer” by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua.)

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Holy Card Saints for September

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Saint Jerome  341–420.

Feast Day: September 30. Patron of: Librarians. Archaeologists. Doctor of the Church.
After a misspent youth, Jerome became a Christian convert. He lived for years in the Syrian desert, studying and translating biblical texts. He became a priest and worked as secretary to the pope. He spent the last 34 years of his life living in seclusion in the Holy Land, translating the New Testament from Hebrew to Latin. The trumpet from the sky is a symbol of his true calling. He is hitting himself with stone, a symbol of his ascetic lifestyle. The skull is the sign of the penitent.

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Saint Raphael the Archangel

Feast Day: September 29. Patron of: Travelers. Happy Meetings. The Blind. Science. Healing.

This card is a depiction of the story of Tobias. His father had been struck blind and could not accompany him on a trip across the desert. Tobias called on the archangel who did so in disguise. Along the way he introduced Tobias to his future wife and advised him to burn the innards of a fish they had caught for lasting happiness. When this was done the father was cured of his blindness.

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Saint Michael the Archangel

Feast Day: September 29. Patron of: Grocers. Policemen. Soldiers. Michael was the angel who defeated Lucifer in his uprising against God and cast him into hell. He is also the one who weighs the sins and the good deeds of the newly departed souls. He is frequently depicted with a set of scales. Here he is shown defeating evil in the guise of Lucifer.

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Saint Gabriel the Archangel

Feast Day: September 29. Patron of: The Communications Industry. Postal Workers. Teachers. Parents. Gabriel is most famous for the Annunciation, when he appeared to the 14-year-old Mary and told her she was to give birth to the Divine Savior. He holds lilies for Mary’s virginity and a proclamation reading, “Ave Maria…” “Hail Mary…”

 

All holy card saints for September have been excerpted from the book, “Holy Cards” by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua. All images are courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella.

Dining With the Saints in Honor of Padre Pio

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The Feast Day of Padre Pio

Feast Day: September 23

Padre Pio was born in 1887 in Pietrelcina, a town right in the center of Southern Italy, in the region of Campania. He is by far the most popular Saint of this area. I remember in the late 1970’s when the Italian streets were being terrorized by the Red Brigades, hardly any Italian South of Rome would leave their home without carrying a card or photo of Padre Pio on their body.

 Padre Pio is a worthy follower of Saint Francis of Assisi. Charity was his calling. He gave himself to the poor, the suffering, and the sick. In later years he committed himself to relieving the pain and suffering of many families in Southern Italy, chiefly through the foundation of the Casa Sollievo della Soferenze, opened in 1956. Padre Pio was canonized by John Paul 11 in 2002, 34 years after his death. September 23 is his feast day.

 My family’s hometown is right over the boarder into Puglia, not far from Peitrelcina and very close to San Giovanni Rotonda, the Capuchin Monastery where Father Pio lived and worked for 52 years and died. Since his canonization this still active Monastery has also served as his shrine and holy site. His body is on display here and many walking paths, statues, a beautiful staircase, and contemplative gardens have been designed for all the pilgrims who visit every year. The last time I went to my ancestral town, I decided to visit this shrine myself. The monastery is situated on the Gargano, a gorgeous mountainous region in Northern Puglia that’s known for their rustic food such as wild boar, wild mushrooms, meat ragus, and sausages. After visiting Padre Pio’s beautiful monastery and grounds, I stopped at one of the food trucks set up at the holy site and ordered pork sausages grilled with rosemary branches and served on grilled bread. It was delicious. Here’s my slightly more elaborate take on that simple lunch. It’s a great Southern Italian dish to celebrate Padre Pio’s feast day.

 

Italian Sausages with Grilled Grapes and Rosemary

Buy two or three Italian pork sausages per person. Place them on a medium grill about 3 or 4 inches from the flame, and grill them, turning them several times, until they’re browned all over and cooked through, about 10 minutes. While the sausages are grilling, place a large handful of seedless red grapes, a few small sprigs of chopped rosemary, a generous drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a few grindings of black pepper on a large piece of aluminum foil. Close up the foil, and place the package on a low-heat area of the grill. Heat just until the grapes are fragrant and starting to soften and give off juice, about 4 minutes. Place the sausages on a serving platter, and pour the grapes on top, along with any juices they’ve thrown off. Give everything a drizzle of fresh olive oil and serve hot with slices of grilled Italian bread that have been rubbed with garlic and brushed with olive oil.

By Erica DeMane, Writer and Chef

Read Erica’s blog: EricaDeMane.com

Novena for September

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Mother of Sorrows

 

Feast Day: September 15

 Patron of: Grief

  

Quote: “…And you yourself shall be pierced with a sword – so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.” Luke 2:34-35

 Keywords: grief, solace, mourning

When we are overwhelmed with grief, we turn to Mary, Mother of Jesus for help in our suffering. Throughout her life she endured much pain and sorrow and is fully able to empathize with anyone’s personal anguish. She endured the shame of being pregnant and unmarried, being poor, homelessness and having her only son unjustly imprisoned and executed. Most astonishing, Mary knew what was to befall her son yet had to see these events from God’s point of view and have faith that this was all for the good of mankind.

 By meditating on the Seven Sorrows of Mary, a devotion from the Middle Ages, which uses scenes from the life of the Virgin Mother as a meditation on accepting the sorrowful part of life with grace.

 The Seven Sorrows of Mary are:

 1) The Prophecy of Simeon. As a young child, when his parents presented him in the temple, Jesus was met by the holy man Simeon who predicted everything that would happen to him in his address to Mary: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted – and you yourself a sword will pierce so that thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35).

 2) The Flight intoEgypt. InBethlehem, after the birth of Christ, Joseph had a vision of an angel warning him of the impending slaughter of any male child under the age of two by King Herod in order to prevent the coming Messiah. The Holy Family had to travel a secretive route toEgyptand remain in that country until Herod died. Mary  not only worried for the welfare of her own son but mourn for the murdered children left behind.

 3) The Loss of the Child Jesus in theTemple. While on a pilgrimage toJerusalem, the 12 year old Jesus vanished from his family. His heartsick parents finally found him three days later, arguing with elders in the temple.

 4) The Meeting of Jesus with His Cross. Mary watched helplessly as her son was ridiculed and mocked as he stumbled, carrying the cross he was to be executed on.

 5) The Crucifixion. As he was nailed to the cross, most of his disciples ran away. Mary never wavered as she stood at the foot of the cross, witnessing her son’s agony and death.

 6) Jesus Taken Down from the Cross. Mary held her dead son’s wound covered body. This, her greatest sorrow is known as the “Pieta”.

 7) The Burial of Jesus. As the stone was rolled, closing up his tomb, Mary had to say her final goodbye to her earthly son. Her faith had to be sincerely tested as there was no hint of the resurrection to come.

 Symbols: Knives pricking Mary’s heart. Symbols of the crucifixion: crown of thorns, nails.

 Novena to the Mother of Sorrows

 

Most holy and afflicted Virgin, Queen of Martyrs, you stood beneath the cross, witnessing the agony of your dying son. Look with a mother’s tenderness and pity on me, who kneel before you. I venerate your sorrows and I place my requests with filial confidence in the sanctuary of your wounded heart.

Present them, I beseech you, on my behalf to Jesus Christ, through the merits of his own most sacred passion and death, together with your sufferings at the foot of the cross. Through the united efficacy of both, obtain the granting of my petition. To whom shall I have recourse in my wants   and miseries if not to you, Mother of Mercy? You have drunk so deeply of the chalice of your son, you can compassionate our sorrows.

Holy Mary, your soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow at the sight of the passion of your divine son. Intercede for me and obtain from Jesus (mention your request) if it be for his honor and glory and for my good. Amen.

Copyright 2011: Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua

Novena for August

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St. Clare of Assisi

1193-1254

 

Abbess and Founder of the Poor Clares

Patron of: Television Workers

Quote: “Totally love Him, Who gave Himself totally for your love.”

Keywords: clarity, blindness, embroiderers, eye diseases, gilders, goldsmiths, laundry workers, telephones, telegraphs, television

            Together with her mentor and friend, Francis of Assisi, St. Clare shook the foundations of Medieval society by revolutionizing religious expression. Her given name, Chiara means clarity and we call on St. Clare whenever we need to shine a light on a situation or to find a way to communicate more clearly. She is also invoked to protect the blind and to help those with eye trouble.

St.Clare was named the patron saint of television writers and workers due to a vision she had while too ill to attend Christmas Eve mass. She was able to view and hear the entire mass on the wall of her room. She spent much time embroidering linens for use in mass, so she is the patron of embroiderers. Because that trade is hard on the eyes and because of her name, she is the patron of those with eye problems and the blind.

Symbols: monstrance or a lamp 

NOVENA TO SAINT CLARE

 O Glorious St. Clare! God has given you the power of working miracles continually, and the favor of answering the prayers of those who invoke your assistance in misfortune, anxiety, and distress. We beseech you, obtain from Jesus through Mary His Blessed Mother, what we beg of you so fervently and hopefully, (mention your petition) if it be for the greater honor and glory of God and for the good of our souls.   Amen.

Copyright: Barbara Calamari, Sandra DiPasqua

Image: fresco by Simone Martini

Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola

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litany56

Saint Ignatius Loyola

1491- 1556

Feast Day: July 31

Founder of the Jesuits

Patron of: Jesuits

Invoked against: Scruples, Wolves, Fevers

Prayer Against Depression

O Christ Jesus,

when all is darkness

and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.

By Saint Ignatius of Loyola