St. Christopher Ladies Guild Monthly Novena
What is a Novena?
A novena is a way to ask God for special prayer requests or petitions. The word novena comes from the latin word “novem,” which means nine. It consists of nine days of prayer and meditation. Often novenas ask specific saints to pray or intercede on our behalf.
Jesus, the Apostles, and the Virgin Mary started the ancient tradition known as novenas. After his ascension into heaven, Jesus told His disciples to pray together and they went into an upper room and joined together constantly in prayer for nine days (Acts 1:14). The nine days of prayer eventually led up to Pentacost when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples as “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:1-4).
We pray novenas to imitate the disciples’ 9 day prayer in anticipation of the coming Holy Spirit.
Why Pray the St. Angela Merici Novena?
St. Angela Merici is the patron saint of handicapped people. You can seek her intercession on behalf of a handicapped person you know, or if you yourself are handicapped.
St. Angela Merici is also the patron saint of the sick, so you can definitely ask for her prayers if you are sick, or for someone you know who is sick.
You can also seek intercession from St. Angela Merici if you are grieving the loss of your parents, since she is also the patron saint of those who have lost their parents.
You can pray the St. Angela Merici Novena for any intention!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Angela Merici as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in dedicating her life to working for a renewal of family life in society.
St. Angela Merici, you lost your parents and your sister when you were very young. You did not have the benefit of a happy family life with them, but you chose to continue serving God throughout your life.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
You chose to dedicate your life to God, as a young woman. You worked to educate young girls in the Faith, so that they might sanctify their homes and family life when they grew to adulthood.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God, as you did. Pray that I, too, may work for the sanctification of family life in society and in my home.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Angela Merici, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Angela Merici as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in remaining faithful throughout the sufferings of grief over her family members’ deaths.
St. Angela Merici, you lost your parents when you were a young girl. You also suffered deeply when your sister died suddenly. Despite your sufferings, you held fast to your Faith and continued serving God.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God!
You longed to devote your life more fully to God, and you chose to consecrate yourself to His service. You spent the rest of your life seeking to serve Him by educating young girls in the Faith.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God in my life, despite any sufferings I might endure. Pray that I may never allow sufferings to distract me from my path to holiness.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Angela Merici, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Angela Merici as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed in choosing a life of consecrated virginity in Your service.
St. Angela Merici, you felt called to dedicate your life to serving the Church. You joined the Third Order of St. Francis and decided to become a consecrated Virgin, so that you might serve God more wholeheartedly.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so wholeheartedly!
You soon saw the need for women religious dedicated to the religious education of young girls. You answered the call to fill this need by forming the Company of St. Ursula.
Pray for me, that I may respond generously to God’s call in my life, as you did. Pray that I may always seek to do His will unreservedly.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Angela Merici, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Angela Merici as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in seeking to be open to Your will in her life.
St. Angela Merici, you were a young woman when you felt the call to dedicate your life to serving the Church. As you joined the Third Order of St. Francis and became a consecrated virgin, you sought to follow God’s will in your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You later saw that God was calling you to serve Him through religious education of young girls. You used your talents to bring about success in this endeavor, and God worked through you to establish many schools and orphanages.
Pray for me, that I may always be open to God’s will in my life. Pray that I may always seek to serve God in whatever ways He calls me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Angela Merici, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Angela Merici as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed through her deep charitable love of neighbor.
St. Angela Merici, you opened yourself up to the will of God for your life and sought to do all you could to serve Him.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you sought to serve!
When you saw that there were many poor young girls in your hometown who had no opportunity to be educated, you were moved to begin the work of educating them. Out of love for God and your neighbor, you desired to set these girls on the path to holiness through education in the Faith.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God through charity toward my neighbor. Pray that I may never miss the opportunities for charitable love that God puts before me.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Angela Merici, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Angela Merici as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that she showed in seeking to form her students in the Faith.
St. Angela Merici, you spent many years of your life devoted to the work of education. You did not see the work of teaching as merely an occupation, but instead as a work of devotion to God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so faithfully!
You saw that you could form your students to be faithful Catholics through your work of education. You worked diligently to establish schools and orphanages, and to bring other women into this endeavor with you.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to lead others to God in any way that I can. Pray that I may take every opportunity to help bring those around me to holiness.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Angela Merici, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Angela Merici as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You that she showed in choosing to consecrate herself to Your service.
St. Angela Merici, you felt called to dedicate your life to serving God from the time you were a young woman. You decided to become a consecrated virgin, in order to serve God more fully.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you served so wholeheartedly!
You established the Company of St. Ursula, in order to carry out your call to serve God through educating young girls. This foundation would become the Ursuline religious order, and many women serve God in this order today.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to do God’s will in my life. Pray that I may always carry out the duties of my vocation faithfully, as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Angela Merici, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Angela Merici as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed through her work in Catholic education.
St. Angela Merici, you saw the need for education of poor young girls in your community. You sought to fill this need, and you persevered in working hard to provide for these girls throughout the rest of your life.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
You believed that religious education could help bring about the renewal of holy family life in our world. You worked diligently to form your pupils to be holy women.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to help lead others to holiness in my life. Pray that I may do all I can to work for the sanctification of family life in our world, as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Angela Merici, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Angela Merici as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in working to establish the Company of St. Ursula for service to You.
St. Angela Merici, you saw the great need in your society for religious education of poor young girls. Knowing that a strong education in the Faith for them could help transform society, you worked faithfully to establish a foundation devoted to this task.
Please faithfully continue to bring my petitions before God!
Though your foundation was not formally recognized as a religious order until after your death, the work you did bore great fruit and continues to do so today.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to put my gifts to use serving God. Pray that I may take every opportunity to work for the glory of God in the world.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Angela Merici, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The Novena of Gratitude is used with permission Pray More Novenas.com
How do I pray a Novena:
On this site, we will pray one novena per month. The daily prayers for the 9 days of the novena are posted below. All you need to do is choose 9 consecutive days during the month and say the daily prayers with a sincere heart. For some novenas, it is recommended that they be prayed on specific days during the month, with the 9th day usually ending on the Feast Day of a particular saint. Although not required, you may choose to pray at the same time everyday, pray the rosary in addition to the novena, or fast during the 9 days of the novena. If you miss a day in your novena, don’t worry! You can either skip that day, do two prayers the next day to catch up, or just be one day behind.
Remember, God controls the universe and we do not always know or understand his plan. Novenas should not be regarded as magical incantations that guarantee results. Whatever good intentions we pray for, we must accept that God knows what is best for us.
Learn more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/faqs