Novena of Grace

Novena of Grace

The Novena of Grace is a Catholic devotion addressed to Saint Francis Xavier. It is usually performed from March 4 to March 12 included.

In Naples in 1633 there lived Fr. Marcello Mastrilli, S.J. He had taken the vow to ask to be assigned to the Japan Mission, then the most difficult; for at that time the Buddhist persecution was most cruel against the Catholic religion and the new form of martyrdom introduced was most excruciating. It was known as the "Pit" for the martyrs were kept hung, head downwards over a volcanic pit from which sulphurous gases and waters welled up. At times the martyrdom was protracted for several days before the victim expired. The torture was so horrible that in 1633 the Provincial of the Japan Mission Fr. Ferrara after five days of agony over the "Pit" apostatized. But hundreds of others, priests and laymen, Europeans and Japanese in holy emulation reached the martyr's crown through the terrible "Pit". When the news of the unfortunate Ferrara's apostasy reached Europe, many Jesuits vowed themselves to the Japan Mission to replace their martyred brethren and to atone for the apostate. Marcello Mastrilli was one of them.

Fr. Ferrara was subsequently reconverted and atoned for his fall by dying a martyr's death over the "Pit" in 1652.

While waiting for the passage to Japan, Mastrilli organized on a grand scale the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the College of Naples, putting up for the occasion an elaborate structure that drew the admiration of the whole town. The feast was a stupendous success that helped so much to bring home to the faithful the great privilege of Our Lady, which then was not yet defined as a dogma of the faith.

The feast over, Fr. Mastrilli was supervising the removal of the temporary structure when a heavy hammer slipped from the hands of a worker and fell with deadly precision on Fr. Mastrilli's head. The injury caused thereby was severe, and Fr. Mastrilli was on the verge of death. Just when the crisis was on, St. Francis Xavier appeared to Fr. Mastrilli and bidding him renew the vow to go to Japan, said to him:

"All those who implore my help daily for nine consecutive days, from the fourth to the twelfth of March inclusive and worthily receive the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion on one of the nine days will experience my protection and may hope with entire assurance to obtain from God any Grace they ask that is for the good of their souls and the glory of God."

The vision vanished and Fr. Mastrilli arose entirely cured. Faithful to his vow, he led a band of thirty-three Jesuits to Japan. He had hardly landed there when he was seized and condemned to the "Pit" where he suffered from October 5 to 17 and died a glorious martyr.

But before leaving for Japan, Fr. Mastrilli widely published the news of his cure and the promises of Saint Francis Xavier. The Saint himself kept his words and very many experienced his protection after making this "Novena of Grace". Thus the devotion spread far and wide and it has been instrumental in obtaining many favors, spiritual and temporal.

Though St. Francis Xavier mentioned the time when the Novena should be made, yet its efficacy is not restricted to those days, but it may be made any time, and forms a fitting preparation for the feast of the saint, November 24 to December 2, with his feast being on December 3.

This is the Novena prayer that has been passed down through the ages:

"Most amiable and most loving Saint Francis Xavier, in union with thee I reverently adore the Divine Majesty. I rejoice exceedingly on account of the marvelous gifts which God bestowed upon thee. I thank God for the special graces He gave thee during thy life on earth and for the great glory that came to thee after thy death. I implore thee to obtain for me, through thy powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings--that of living and dying in the state of grace. I also beg of thee to secure for me the special favor I ask in this novena. (Here you may mention the grace, spiritual or temporal, that you wish to obtain.) In asking this favor, I am fully resigned to the Divine Will. I pray and desire only to obtain that which is most conducive to the greater glory of God and the greater good of my soul."

It is then customary to say:

V. Pray for us, Saint Francis Xavier. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

O God, Who didst vouchsafe, by the preaching and miracles of Saint Francis Xavier, to join unto Thy Church the nations of the Indies, grant, we beseech Thee, that we who reverence his glorious merits may also imitate his example, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Then add 3 Our Father's and 3 Hail Mary's in memory of Saint Francis Xavier's devotion to the Most Holy Trinity, and Glory be to the Father 10 times in thanksgiving for the graces received during his 10 years of apostleship.

See also

Source

  • Frs. P. de Mattei, S.J. & F.X. Rocca, S.J., Novena of Grace To St. Francis Xavier, Catholic Book Crusade, Patna, 1944. No copyright mentioned. Imprimatur: Leo Proserpio, S.J., Episc. Calicutensis, Calicut, April 15, 1944.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Novena — • Article on the different kinds of novenas and their place in the spiritual life of the Church Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Novena     Novena      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Novena — Image on the Novena candles of the shrine of Warfhuizen during the pilgrimage season of 2008 2009 For the town in Singapore, see Novena, Singapore. In the Catholic Church, a novena is a devotion consisting of a prayer repeated on nine successi …   Wikipedia

  • Novena to Saint Michael — Archangel Michael by Jaime Huguet, 1456. The Novena to Saint Michael is a Roman Catholic Novena prayed to Saint Michael the Archangel. Like all other Novenas it is prayed on nine consecutive days with a specific intention. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • novena —    This word (from the Latin novum, meaning nine ) refers to the devotional practice of offering special prayers, public or private, for nine days as a petition for a special grace or cause …   Glossary of theological terms

  • Roman Catholic devotions — For devotions in the Eastern Catholic Churches, refer to the articles on the individual Churches or the corresponding Orthodox Churches. Over 100 million Catholics follow the devotion to Divine Mercy[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Marcello Mastrilli — Marcello Francesco Mastrilli (1603 – October 17, 1637) was an Italian Jesuit missionary who was martyred in Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate, which had banned Christianity in 1614. After sailing for Japan out to find and possibly reconvert the …   Wikipedia

  • Francis Xavier — Infobox Saint name=St. Francis Xavier birth date=birth date|1506|4|7|mf=y death date=death date and age|1552|12|3|1506|4|7|mf=y feast day=December 3 venerated insacapedinRoman Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Church imagesize=200px… …   Wikipedia

  • St. John's Catholic Church (Worcester, Massachusetts) — Infobox nrhp | name =St. John s Catholic Church Established 1834 Worcester, Massachusetts nrhp type = |thumb caption = location= 44 Temple St. Worcester, Massachusetts area = built =1845 added = March 5, 1980 governing body = mpsub=… …   Wikipedia

  • Immaculate Conception — For the novel by Gaétan Soucy, see The Immaculate Conception. Immaculata redirects here. For other uses, see Immaculata (disambiguation). La Purisima Inmaculada Concepcion by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1678, now in Museo del Prado, Spain. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Rosary — This article is about the Catholic Marian devotion. For other forms of the Christian rosary, see Rosary based prayers. For prayer beads in other religions, see Prayer beads. Roman Catholic Mariology A series of articles on Rosary Blesse …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”