Catholic Novenas

[LadyFannyofBumStreet]

I am a recent convert to Novenas. I was recently granted an impossible favour by St Jude (thank you St Jude!!) after doing a 9 hour Novena to him and and the Sacred Divine Heart.

I urge you all to consider saying a Novena if you are ever in desperate need of a miracle.

Here are some suggestions:

St Cyprian of Antioch: I call upon him as a protector of my business.

St Expedite: So many people write about him that all I can say is, yep he can be all that and a bag of chips if you need something done quickly or if you
have computer issues.

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: I got turned onto this manifestation of Mary by a group of three little old ladies in the Catholic gift shop. The next day my Grandmother gave me the medal as a gift, and I have called upon her Novena for myself and others many times.

Our Lady of Good Remedy: Similar to the above. Another group of little old
Catholic Ladies swore by her power. I am just now getting aquainted and like the cut of her gib. Extra good at freeing people from situations that keep them captive.

St Michael: A lot of people call on Michael of course for protection. I have also successfully been healed of agonising pain in minutes by Him.

St Homobonus: Useful for business.

St Jude: Helped me out of a situation where I really just had no idea what
to do next. Strong presence as well, that flame on his head is no joke.

Infant of Prague: Wonderful for when you need a quick financial resolution.

she makes her own prayer for nine hours requsting what she needs strength or intervention in. can even be silent. Im sure, or even repetative chanting. who cares what she says or doesnt say, what would you say for nine hours?

good one buzz

i once ready a very bautifull book about female saints and it gave a very true account of the lives not always devout and religious. Im sure it was called; A life of saints and st catherine. im going to find the title and link to here maybe tomora if I get the chance, as it was a wonderfull read. If not for the saint value but for the story of woman, and I think probably op would enjoy it.

Ninah,

It depends on the Novena, but say for example you want to say the St Jude Novena, you can say it over 9 days, or even 9 hours (if it is really urgent).

I do not make up my own prayer (hence the reason there are particular Novenas for particular saints). I say mine aloud, and with a white candle burning.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Tom, I am sure I would because I have read lots of books on female and male Saints.

As an asidee, I have had interesting discussions with Catholic priests on Novenas, and how little difference there is between pagan rituals and catholic ones. To wit, pagans bless water, salt etc whereas Priests bless water and make it Holy water.

Go into any catholic gift store and you will
find Novena books. These ARE rudimentary spell books because you will find things
like "house selling kits" or "job finding kits". They sell these at the church
around the corner from my house. If you call it 'magick', they will freak.

If you ask about how the "grace" can be obtained, they will tell you about all the
people who found jobs and sold houses using the method. This aversion to calling
magic magic is not partoicularly catholic and applies to other religions such as Islam.

they are quite poetic, the novenas.Check out the Novena to Maria Bambina

Holy Child Mary of the royal house of David, Queen of the angels,
Mother of grace and love, I greet you with all my heart.
Obtain for me the grace to love the Lord faithfully during
all the days of my life. Obtain for me, too, a great devotion
to you, who are the first creature of God's love.

Pray the "Hail Mary..."

O heavenly Child Mary, who like a pure dove was born
immaculate and beautiful, true prodigy of the wisdom of
God, my soul rejoices in you. Oh! Do help me to preserve
the angelic virtue of purity at the cost of any sacrifice.

Pray the "Hail Mary..."

Hail, lovely and holy Child, spiritual garden of delight, where,
on the day of the Incarnation, the tree of life was planted,
assist me to avoid the poisonous fruit of vanity and pleasures of the world.
Help me to engraft into my soul the thoughts, feelings,
and virtues of your divine Son.

Pray the "Hail Mary..."

Hail, admirable Child Mary, Mystical Rose, closed garden,
open only to the heavenly Spouse. O Lily of paradise,
make me love the humble and hidden life;
let the heavenly Spouse find the gate of my heart always open
to the loving calls of His graces and inspiration.

Pray the "Hail Mary..."

Holy Child Mary, mystical dawn, gate of heaven,
you are my trust and hope.
O powerful advocate, from your cradle stretch out your hand,
support me on the path of life.
Make me serve God with ardor and
constancy until death and so reach an eternity with you.

Pray the "Hail Mary..."

Prayer

Blessed Child Mary,
destined to be the Mother of God
and our loving Mother,
by the heavenly graces you lavish upon us,
mercifully listen to my supplications.
In the needs which press upon me from every side
and especially in my present tribulation,
I place all my trust in you.

O holy Child,
by the privileges granted to you alone
and by the merits which you have acquired,
show that the source of spiritual favours
and the continuous benefits
which you dispense are inexhaustible,
because your power with the Heart of God is unlimited.

Deign through the immense profusion of graces
with which the Most High has enriched you
from the first moment of your Immaculate Conception,
grant me, O Celestial Child, my petition,
and I shall eternally praise
the goodness of your Immaculate Heart.

I did not realise they where so intracate if im honest, I realised they had a prayer but I did think maybe you make your own prayer, my mum had a few mass cards and card with saints prayers on them and she often prayed to the sdaints. I did not know that the prayer was recited repetativly for 9 days or 9 hours.

I will look into it more as It does interest me. sometimes as I metioned earlier my faith is going through the motions and I read scriptures to my dd but do not make my own prayers daily. I feel that I would benifit more from understanding the nevonas more. I will attempt to find instruction on it.

it is a lovely prayer but sometimes they dont seem as poetic as they could.

You find a lot of female saints in the Novenas, because traditionally its a womans thing. Some of them are very short, not all so long as that one. Like this :

O God, we humbly beseech You
through Your servant, St. Dymphna,
who sealed with her blood
the love she bore You,
to grant relief to those
who suffer from mental afflictions
and nervous disorders, especially...

(Mention the person's name here.)

St. Dymphna,
helper of the mentally afflicted,
pray for us.

Glory be to the Father...

Ninah,

Here is an example of how life changing a Novena can be, despite ones religious beliefs; I know the person who did this Novena on his friends? behalf (who was battling alcoholism) and he is not a Christian (infact, he was brought up as a Muslim).

My friend took a large purple glass-cased candles with St. Cyprian's image on it, a glass of water next to it, lavender oil (for anointing the candle for healing), and an amethyst crystal all placed next to the picture of his friend. He then surrounded the items with a circle of sea-salt. Then he did a 9 day Novena to St. Cyprian; called on him and asked him to heal the person's mind, body and soul from this affliction. He then gave the amethyst crystal to the friend to keep with him after the 9 day petition.

St. Cyprian worked quickly, and the friend is now living a healthy and happy life. Before the Novena, he could hardly function without a drink, and he is now alcohol-free.

Note how the crystal, sea salt and lavender oil are all pagan influences, and yet the Novena still worked.

crystals? Oh lordy. Well whatever works for you, but thats not prof of anything.

Tom,

I am choosing to ignore BLBeer's comments because I know they are meant to disparage Novena's (Like yourself, I grew up challenging and questioning my Christian beliefs and was ridculed for it, so I can handle the wanky behaviour, but it is unfair on those who cannot).

Please look at my last post, and that will give you an idea of how they work. Please note that some can be said for longer (for example 41 days depending on who you are praying to and for what reason).

I would urge you to make up your own personal prayers because I think they are more powerful. I suppose Novenas are potent because they have been used for thousands of years, but even your own prayer can work just as well.

im going to find novenas that replocate devotion in my own life, I feel I need to structure my prayer and understanding of prayer, and as I suffer insomnia it will alow me to try to break free of this.

I find it intersting that although I had a catholic education I never learned how to pray and never really had true bible instruction.

Its ironic Lady you use that as your example my dbil who is a heroin addict and is now sober, finds alot of comfort in the spitituality in the 12 steps program that many of his athiest counterparts have shruned and so find thier sobriety more of a struggle.

this thread has inspired me.

er what? How exactly is it being wanky yo give you examples of novenas and call them poetic and of interest to women?

WTF?

thank you very much op and buzz, really appreciate it
tomhardy, mary magdalene is a Biblical example of a female in the not traditionally devout mode?
why are they called novenas, is that from 9? please excuse my complete ignorance

buzz I dont think that was directed at you, more to boom oxo and co im assuming.

Oops! Apologies BuzzlightBeer. I meant "Bamboostalks" and not you. Truly sorry for that error. shame-faced

yes its from the latin for 9, novem.

meant to say that it represents the nine days between ascension and pentecost that mary and the disciples spent in prayer.

yes I know latin, but why 9?

thats true ninah if you look at many saints the lifes of them have been what could be described as against the grain and the looking for faith or un seeking revolation at a pinical point in thier lives.

is it do with assention?

Ninah,

Novena comes from the word 'Nov', which is the root of the Latin word for "nine." Hence the tradition of saying them for nine hours, nine days or nine weeks.

its the 9 days after ascension but before pentecost.

Sorry, Ninah, I was away from my desk so missed BLB's response to you re; why they are called Novenas. Good question as to why the number 9..never wondered about that before.