Dear Parishioners,
Novenas are a very popular form of prayer in our Catholic faith. The origin of novenas began during the nine days the disciples and our Blessed Mother, Mary prayed together between the Ascension of our Lord and Pentecost Sunday. A novena is a series of prayers offered nine days in a row. A novena is offered as a sacrifice of praise to God in a way of expressing love and devotion. Most novenas are accompanied by a special prayer request or intention.
As our parish dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi begins to celebrate our 135th Anniversary, I invite you to join us in this novena beginning Sept. 26 and continuing every day to the Feast of Saint Francis on Oct. 4. You can pray the novena at home with your family or join us at Mass every day to pray together. At the end of the novena, you are invited to join with all of our children at Mass on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. and Mass with Bishop Golka on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.
Novena Prayer:
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Beloved Saint Francis, gentle and poor, your obedience to God, and your simple, deep love for all God’s creatures led you to the heights of heavenly perfection and turned many hearts to follow God’s will.
Now in our day, in our ministry to the many who come here looking for Jesus and searching for peace, we come before the Lord with our special request:
Please bless our parish as we celebrate our 135th Anniversary!
Please bring more people to Holy Communion during our National Eucharistic Revival.
Please increase your love and your peace in our hearts and our homes.
O Blessed Saint of God, from your throne among the hosts of heaven, present our petitions before our faithful Lord. May your prayers on our behalf be heard and may God grant us the grace to lead good and faithful lives. Amen.
Pray one Our Father… one Hail Mary… one Glory Be…
Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Saint Francis of Assisi, Pray for us!
Reverend Mark Zacker
Pastor