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

SAINT BERNARDINE OF SIENA

Feast Day: May 20

1380-1444

Patron of those suffering with lung diseases, advertisers, pugilists, weavers, wool merchants

Invoked : for help in giving up smoking, against hemorrhages, hoarseness, tuberculosis

An immensely popular Franciscan preacher, Bernardine vowed to preach in every part of Italy. Thoroughly entertaining to common people, he would speak in the open air for four hours at a time. Because he often strained his voice, he suffered from hoarseness, like patients with pulmonary problems. A master communicator, he designed the IHS visual emblem of Christ.

Novena to Saint Bernardine of Siena

Father,
You gave Saint Bernardine a special love
for the holy name of Jesus.
By the help of his prayers,
may we always be alive with the spirit of Your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.  (MENTION YOUR REQUEST HERE).

Amen.

Saint Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort

1673 – 1716

Feast Day: April 28

A strong believer in the power of the rosary, Saint Louis de Montfort was a priest, preacher, poet and writer who influenced many popes and religious orders with his devotion to the Virgin Mary.  Representing the French school of Spirituality, his books are still widely read to this day.

“If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins you shall receive a never fading crown of glory. Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in Hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practise black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if—-and mark well what I say—-if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.”

——St. Louis De Montfort, The Secret of the Rosary

Novena to Saint Louis Montfort

Great Apostle and son of Our Lady, Saint Louis de Montfort, your only desire was to set aflame the world with the love of Jesus, through Mary. We implore you to obtain for us a perfect and constant devotion to Mary, that we may participate in the faith, hope and charity of Our Lady and that we may receive the favor we ask of you in this novena… (mention your petition).

(1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, 1 Glory Be).

Saint Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort pray for us (3 times)

Say this novena nine times in a row for nine days in a row.

Image: Photograph of sculpture in the upper niche of Saint Peter’s Basilica by Giacomo Parisini

Saint John of God

1495 – 1550

Feast Day: March 8

A Portuguese mercenary who fought in several wars, sold slaves, and lived hard, John was known to “think with his heart” by acting impulsively. At the age of 40, while a bookdealer in Granada, he heard a sermon that changed his life. The thought of all the wrongs he committed in his life drove him to madness. Incarcerated in a filthy hospital, he suffered the mistreatment of the insane first hand.  As he recovered his sanity, he began helping the nursing staff. Upon his release, he devoted the rest of his life to the sick and destitute. He founded the Order of the Brother Hospitallers and opened a hospital, funding it by befgging in the streets. When his hospital was burning down, he ran in and carried each patient out one by one. He is frewquently depicted carrying a hospital patient. Because of this he is also considered a patron of firefighters.

While recovering from an illness, he leapt into a river in anunsuccessful attempt at rescuing a drowning boy. He died on his 55th birthday from an overexhausted heart.

Patron of: those suffeering with Heart Ailments, the Dying, the Sick, Hospitals,, Booksellers, Firefighters, Nurses, Printers.

Invoked against: alcoholism

NOVENA PRAYER TO SAINT JOHN OF GOD FOR A CURESaint John of God, heavenly Patron of the Sick, I come to you in prayer to seek your help in my present sickness. Through the love which Jesus had for you in choosing you for the sublime vocation of serving the sick, and through the tender affection with which the Blessed Virgin Mary placed upon your head a crown of thorns as a symbol of the sufferings you would undergo in the service of the sick to attain to your crown of glory, I beg you to intercede for me to Jesus and Mary that They may grant me a cure, if this should be according to the Will of God.

How patiently you bore the sufferings of your own disease! Teach me to carry with cheerful resignation the cross that God has given me. Let me never complain or lose courage. Help me to understand that suffering is a very important means of sanctifying my soul, of atoning for my many sins, and of reaping a plentiful harvest of merit for Heaven. I trust in your great love for the sick and in the power of your intercession to help them. Help me, good St. John, and beg the God whose name you bear to touch me as He touched the sick while on earth, that through His almighty power health may return to my body. And as you derived strength in your own sufferings from the crucifix, so may I be able to say what you did to Jesus Crucified: “Lord, Thy thorns are my roses and Thy sufferings my paradise.”

Good Saint John, lover of those who suffer and special Patron of the Sick, I confidently place before you my earnest petition.

(Mention your request.)

I beg you to recommend my request to Mary, the Mother of Sorrows and Health of the Sick, that both Mary and you may present it to Jesus, the Divine Physician.

Saint John of God, patron of the Sick and beloved of Jesus and Mary, pray to Them for me and obtain my request. (Three times.)

In honor of Saint John of God:

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Saint John of God, Patron of the Sick, pray for us.

 

Say this novena nine times in a row for nine days in a row.

   Saint Blaise

One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers

D. 316     Feast Day: February 3

An Armenian bishop known for his healing powers, Blaise took refuge in a forest during a time of persecution. When many animals stayed by his side, angry hunters reported him to the authorities. While in prison, he healed a boy choking on a fishbone by praying in his cell. Condemned to death, he then promised to protect all who brought a candle to church on his feast fay. He is commemorated on his feast during the “Blessing of the Throats.”

Other Patronages:  Croatia, sick cattle, wild animals, builders, carders, laryngologists, mattress makers, swineherds, wind musicians, wool workers

Invoked against: Goiter, Throat Disease

(Above excerpt from the book, “Patron Saints: A Feast of Holy Cards” by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua. Image from the collection of Father Eugene Carrella.)

Novena to St. Blaise to Cure Disorders of the Throat

O God, deliver us through the intercession of Thy holy bishop and martyr Blaise, from all evil of soul and body, especially from all ills of the throat; and grant us the grace to make a good confession in the confident hope of obtaining Thy pardon, and ever to praise with worthy lips Thy most holy name. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Blaise, gracious benefactor of mankind and faithful servant of God, who for the love of our Saviour didst suffer so many tortures with patience and resignation; I invoke thy powerful intercession. (Your intention here.)Preserve me from all evils of soul and body. Because of thy great merits God endowed thee with the special grace to help those that suffer from ills of the throat; relieve and preserve me from them, so that I may always be able to fulfil my duties, and with the aid of God’s grace perform good works. I invoke thy help as special physician of souls, that I may confess my sins sincerely in the holy sacrament of Penance and obtain their forgiveness. I recommend to thy merciful intercession also those who unfortunately concealed a sin in confession. Obtain for them the grace to accuse themselves sincerely and contritely of the sin they concealed, of the sacrilegious confessions and communions they made, and of all the sins they committed since then, so that they may receive pardon, the grace of God, and the remission of the eternal punishment. Amen.

My Lord and my God! I offer up to Thee my petition in union with the bitter passion and death of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, together with the merits of His immaculate and blessed Mother, Mary ever virgin, and of all the saints, particularly with those of the holy Helper in whose honor I make this novena.

Look down upon me, merciful Lord! Grant me Thy grace and Thy love, and graciously hear my prayer. Amen.

Novena to Saint Agatha  Feast Day: February 5

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes  Feast Day: February 11

Saint Lucy

285 – 304

Clarity and light are the primary attributes of Saint Lucy. Often her name is invoked as a protection against temptation, since she is thought to enhance judgment and aid in discernment. The name Lucy means “light” and light is the nature of grace. Just as light shines in a direct, straight line, Saint Lucy’s belief in God never wavered. Light is also immaculate, no matter how filthy the place it shines in. Her affiliation with light also extends to vision. Thus, Saint Lucy is the patron saint of the blind: we also call on her to help those with eye troubles.

Born in Siracusa, Sicily, into a noble family, Saint Lucy was secretly a Christian, having been impressed early on by the stories of Saint Agatha’s martyrdom in nearby Catania. Lucy’s mother suffered from long-term health problems, and Lucy took her to Saint Agatha’s tomb to be healed. When her mother’s health was instantly restored, she also became a Christian. Although her family had arranged for her to marry, Lucy begged to be allowed to break the engagement, as she had promised her virginity to the Lord. She wanted her dowry to be distributed to the poor and to live a life devoted to prayer and chastity. This enraged Lucy’s betrothed, and he denounced her to the local authorities as a Christian and an enemy of the emperor. This being the time of the persecutions of Diocletian, the punishment for Christian beliefs was torture, then death. Lucy refused to sacrifice to the Roman idols when commanded by the local officials, saying, “The sacrifice that is pleasing to God is to visit the poor and help them in their need.” Paschasius, the Roman consul, ordered her to be put in a house of prostitution. When the soldiers came to carry Lucy away, they could not move her. A thousand soldiers and a thousand oxen were brought in and still she could not be budged. Magicians and wizards chanting incantations had no effect. Paschasius, at wits’ end, ordered a fire to be built around Lucy and boiling oil to be poured on her head. Still unfazed, Lucy said, “Ihave prayed for this prolongation of my martyrdom in order to free believers from the fear of suffering and to give unbelievers time to insult me.” At this point, a friend of the consul’s plunged a dagger into her throat and ended her earthly life. A church was raised at the site of her death a few years later. Saint Lucy is one of the oldest and most adored saints in the world.

There are two different stories as to why Saint Lucy is always shown holding her eyes on a dish. One is that they were torn from her head     under torture and were then miraculously restored. The other is that a persistent suitor asked for her hand  in marriage, citing her beautiful eyes as the reason she won his heart. Lucy, intent on keeping her virginity, ripped out her own eyes and sent them to him. Here again they were miraculously restored the next day. Saint Lucy is   also always depicted with the palms of martyrdom. Her remains are partially uncorrupt and were moved to a church in Venice. Because she died from having her throat cut, she is also invoked for throat ailments and hemorrhages.

Feast Day: December 13

Patron of: Blindness

Invoked for: Clarity

Invoked against: Eye Troubles, Throat Ailments, Hemorrhages

Saint Lucy Novena

By your steadfast faith, O glorious Saint Lucy, you firmly declared to the ruler that no one could take from you the Holy Spirit, who dwelt in your heart as in his temple. Obtain for me from God that I may always live in a holy and salutary fear of losing his grace and that I may flee everything that might cause so grievous a loss.

(Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be.)

By the great love which your immaculate spouse had for you, O glorious Saint Lucy, when by an unheard of miracle he rendered you immovable in spite of the attempts of your enemies to drag you into a place of shame and sin, I ask you to obtain for me the grace  never to consent to the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to fight constantly against their assaults by the continuous mortification of all my senses.

(Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be.)

By the same ardent love you had for Jesus, O glorious Saint Lucy, after consecrating yourself to him by an irrevocable vow, you refused profitable offers of marriage. After distributing all your goods to aid the poor, you sacrificed your life by the blade that pierced your neck. Obtain for me the grace to be filled with holy charity, that I may be ready to renounce worldly goods and endure all evil rather than become, even in the least degree, unfaithful to Jesus.

(Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be.)

The purpose of this novena is to ward off temptation and to maintain clarity in confusing situations.

Say this novena nine times in a row for nine days in a row.

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

Artwork: detail of altar piece by Francesco del Cossa (1473-1474)

 More on Saint Lucy

Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Conception

Saint Barbara

Third to Fourth Century

Saint Barbara was a beautiful young girl brutally murdered by her father. Because she was avenged by God, she is invoked at times of injustice, when a fiery response is warranted or protection against violence is needed. Just as the heavenly retribution against her father was simple and direct, so is this novena to Saint Barbara. Though some doubt that she ever existed, Saint Barbara is one of the greatest saints of the Eastern Orthodox  Catholic Church, and her statue guards countless homes and businesses. She is the saint who in spirit is most like Michael the Archangel, assuring us   of universal protection and justice.

 Born in the city of Nicomedia, near the Persian border, her parents were wealthy and influential people who doted on their only child. It was, however, a time of considerable social upheaval. To protect his daughter from the rabble around them, Dioscurus, her father, committed her to live in a tower. From there she observed the world, entertained her friends, and was tutored by great teachers. She had much time for contemplation, and ultimately she concluded that worshipping a pantheon of gods was absurd and developed an interest in the Christian religion. While her father was away, she sent to Alexandria for the famous teacher Origen to give her further religious instruction. From him she learned about the Holy Trinity, and she was converted to Christianity. Meanwhile, her father was constructing a new bathhouse on the grounds near the tower as a present to Barbara. While visiting the site Barbara ordered the workmen to build a third window, thereby creating a symbolic trinity. She also removed any pagan statues and images in the structure, replacing them with a simple cross in the wall. When her father returned from his trip, he demanded to know who had changed the bathhouse design. Barbara admitted that she had had the offending third window installed, and declared, “Grace comes to us through three channels, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Dioscurus, infuriated to discover that his daughter was now a Christian, had her dragged off to the authorities   and denounced her. Saint Barbara was then tortured for refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods. Her own father asked to be her executioner and took out his sword and beheaded her. As he was leaving the site of her death, Dioscurus was struck by lightning and reduced to ashes. This is why Saint Barbara is invoked in the time of lightning storms, artillery bombardments, and explosions.

 Saint Barbara is also invoked against sudden death and is said to bring holy communion to the faithful at the time of death. Because of her work on the bathhouse, and her affiliation with the tower in which she lived, she is also the patroness of architects. In art she is shown with her tower, holding the palms of martyrdom and the sword that beheaded her. There is a church in Cairo Egypt, that houses  her remains and is named after her. Saint Barbara was a very popular saint in France during the Middle Ages. Besides being greatly honored in Greece and Egypt, she has enjoyed a great resurgence in popularity in the Caribbean and in South America.

 Feast Day: December 4

 Patron of:  Artillerymen, Architects

 Invoked against: Lightning strikes, Sudden Death

Novena to Saint Barbara

O Saint Barbara, I offer this prayer to you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. With a sword bearing your illustrious name, Saint Barbara, I make a sign of the cross over my heart. I pray that your spirit by my faith, that your protection and justice be my guide, and from all my heart I beg that you grant this petition. (Mention your request). I hope to obtain this help through your grace. Amen.

 Say this novena nine times in a row for nine days in a row.

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