Friday, March 13, 2020

Extraordinary Novena to Mary Help of Christians

Extraordinary Novena 
to Mary Help of Christians   


(ANS – Rome – March 12) – Considering the emergency created by the spread of coronavirus across most of the globe, the Rector Major, Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime, invites the Salesians, members of the Salesian Family, and young people to renew their trusting faith in Mary Help of Christians, following the example of Don Bosco in similar circumstances. For this reason he proposes an extraordinary novena from March 15 to 23, to conclude on March 24, the monthly commemoration of Mary Help of Christians, with a prayer of entrustment.

Text of the novena and consecration to Mary Help of Christians
Recite for nine consecutive days:

Three Our Fathers, Hail Marys, Glory Bes, and “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.”
Hail, Holy Queen ... with the invocation: “Mary, help of Christians, pray for us.”

Remember, Most Holy Virgin Mary, that it has never been heard that someone sought your protection, begged your patronage, asked for your help, and was abandoned. With this confidence, I turn to you, Mother, Virgin of virgins. I come to you, tears in my eyes, guilty of so many sins, I bow down at your feet and ask for mercy. Do not despise my supplication, O Mother of the Word, but listen to me with kindness and hear me. Amen.

Prayer for deliverance from the coronavirus
Almighty and eternal God, from whom the whole universe receives energy, existence, and life, we come to you to invoke your mercy, because today we are still living the fragility of the human condition in the experience of a new viral epidemic.

We believe that it is you who guide the course of human history and that your love can change our destiny for the better, whatever our human condition may be. This is why we entrust the sick and their families to you: for the paschal mystery of your Son gives salvation and relief to their body and their spirit.
Help all members of society do their jobs by strengthening the spirit of mutual solidarity. Support doctors and health workers, educators and social workers in the performance of their duties.

You who are comfort in fatigue and support in weakness, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all the holy doctors and healers, keep all evil away from us.
Free us from the epidemic that is affecting us so that we can calmly resume our usual occupations and praise you and thank you with a heart renewed.
We trust you and address our plea to you, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

CONSECRATION of the world to MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS [March 24]
Most holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, our tender and powerful Mother of Christians, we consecrate ourselves entirely to you, so that you may lead us to the Lord. We dedicate our spirit to you with its thoughts, our heart with its affections, the body with its feelings and all its strength, and we promise always to want to work for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Meanwhile, O incomparable Virgin, who have always been the Mother of the Church and the Help of Christians, continue to show yourself thus, especially these days.
Enlighten and strengthen bishops and priests. Keep them always united and obedient to the Pope, our infallible teacher. Increase priestly and religious vocations so that, also through them, the kingdom of Jesus Christ be preserved among us and extend to the very ends of the earth.

We ask you once again, sweet Mother, always to keep your loving eyes on the young exposed to so many dangers, and on poor sinners and the dying.
Be for all, O Mary, sweet hope, mother of mercy, door of heaven. But we also beg you, O great Mother of God, for ourselves. Teach us to copy in ourselves your virtues, especially your angelic modesty, your profound humility, and your ardent charity.

Mary Help of Christians, gather us all under your motherly mantle.
Grant that in temptations we immediately invoke you with trust: in short, let the thought of you – so good, so kind, so dear, the memory of the love you bring to your devotees – grant such comfort that it makes us victorious against the enemies of our soul, in life and in death, so that we can come to be your crown in the beauty of Paradise. Amen.

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