(Novenas are prayed once a day for nine days)

Opening Prayer

(Said Each Day)

1. Meditate upon the Scripture reading
2. Apostles’ Creed…

Closing Prayer

(Said Each Day)

1. Our Father…
2. Hail Mary 10x…
3. Glory Be…

Almighty and merciful Lord,
in a marvelous manner you deigned to make the most holy Virgin Mary
a powerful helper in defense of Christians.
Grant that, having fought the good fight under her protection during our life,
we may be victorious over our infernal enemy at the hour of our death.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Day One

Meditate upon Faith and the acceptance of the Word of God:

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:26-38

Say the Apostles’ Creed…

Prayer

O Mary, powerful help of those Christians
who approach the throne of your mercy with trust!
Listen to the prayers of your children
who invoke your help to avoid sin and the occasions of sin.

Day Two

Meditate upon Sincere humility:

“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

Luke 1:48

Say the Apostles’ Creed…

Prayer

O Mary most holy, kind and merciful mother,
with your visible help you freed the Christian people
from the ferocious assaults of the Muslims.
Free our souls from the attacks of the devil,
the world, and the flesh,
so that we may always overcome the enemies of our salvation.

Day Three

Meditate upon Active charity:

And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,

Luke 1:36-39

Say the Apostles’ Creed…

Prayer

Most powerful Queen of heaven,
you triumphed over heresies
which sought to tear your children away from the Church.
Come to our assistance so that we may remain steadfast in our faith
and may guard the purity of our hearts
in the midst of the many dangers that beset us.

Day Four

Meditate upon Filial love for God:

And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Luke 2:21, 22, 40

Say the Apostles’ Creed…

Prayer

Mary, our most amiable Mother,
you are the Queen of martyrs
because of the heroic courage and strength you exercised on earth.
Obtain for us the strength we need to be constant in your service
and always to show ourselves your devoted children in life and in death.

Day Five

Meditate upon Gratitude for our gifts:

And Mary said:
“My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
“For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.

Luke 1:46-49

Say the Apostles’ Creed…

Prayer

Loving Mother Mary,
you showed your powerful protection in the triumph of Pope Pius VII.
Spread your mantle over the Church;
and protect our Shepherd, the Holy Father,
from the attacks of the enemy,
free him from all attacks,
and assist him always as he steers the bark of St. Peter to safety.

Day Six

Meditate upon Gratitude shown in the offering at the temple:

And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

Luke 2:22-24

Say the Apostles’ Creed…

Prayer

Mary, Queen of the Apostles,
take under your protection all the ministers
and the faithful of the Catholic Church.
Fill them with a burning zeal for the salvation of souls,
and give special assistance to missionaries
so that they may succeed to attract all souls to faith in Jesus Christ
and thus form one flock under the guidance of one Shepherd.

Day Seven

Meditate upon Poverty accepted with dignity and with trust in the Lord:

“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

Luke 1:48

and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

Luke 2:24

Say the Apostles’ Creed…

Prayer

Loving and merciful Mother,
you saved Christians from countless misfortunes.
Free us from the plague of infidelity
which seeks to alienate us from the Church and religious observances
by means of corrupt publications
and schools and irreligious sects.
Grant perseverance to the good,
give strength to the weak,
and move sinners to repentance,
so that truth and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ may triumph in the world.

Day Eight

Meditate upon Prayer in the apostolic community:

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

Acts 1:12-14

Say the Apostles’ Creed…

Prayer

Mary, Pillar of the Church and Help of Christians,
we beg to keep us firmly rooted in our faith
and to protect in us our freedom as children of God.
We promise not to stain our souls with sin
and to obey our Holy Father and the Bishops
in communion with him.
We want to live and die in the bosom of the Church
and to attain eternal salvation.

Day Nine

Meditate upon Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother:

Therefore the soldiers did these things.

But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

John 19:25-27

Say the Apostles’ Creed…

Prayer

Most loving Mother Mary,
you have always been the Help of Christians.
Help us with your powerful protection in life
and especially at the hour of our death,
so that, after having loved and venerated you on earth,
we may come to proclaim your mercy in heaven.