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Novena to St. Francis de Sales

Day 7

10 min
Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In nómine Patris, et Fílii, et Spíritus Sancti. Amen.

Novena to St. Francis de Sales

Opening prayer:

O gentle St. Francis de Sales, friend of every soul, draw us to the sweetness of God's love. Calm our restless hearts and teach us to serve the Lord with patience, charity, and unwavering trust. Amen.

Read the meditation and offer the intention of the day.

Day 7: Confidence in God

Amid anxieties, illnesses, and heavy trials Francis counseled boundless trust in the Father's tender care. 'Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life,' he wrote; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow. He teaches us never to lose heart, for the God who guides the vast world holds our small life with equal and unfailing love.

O Saint Francis de Sales, who trusted the Father even in your heaviest hours, banish the fear that weighs upon my heart. Teach me not to dread tomorrow, but to believe that the same God who holds the world will provide for me. Carry my cares to Him, and obtain for me a calm and confident soul. Amen.

Today's intention:

For confident trust in God's loving providence.

Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.

Our Father

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

Pater noster, qui es in cælis,

sanctificétur nomen tuum.

Advéniat regnum tuum.

Fiat volúntas tua, sicut in cælo et in terra.

Panem nostrum quotidiánum da nobis hódie,

et dimítte nobis débita nostra,

sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris.

Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem,

sed líbera nos a malo.

Amen.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Ave María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum.

Benedícta tu in muliéribus,

et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.

Sancta María, Mater Dei,

ora pro nobis peccatóribus,

nunc et in hora mortis nostræ.

Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.

Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper,

et in sǽcula sæculórum.

Amen.

Closing prayer:

O holy Bishop and Doctor, who sought in all things only the good pleasure of God, obtain for us a heart wholly conformed to His will. May we, asking nothing and refusing nothing, find true peace in loving surrender. Amen.

Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In nómine Patris, et Fílii, et Spíritus Sancti. Amen.

About this prayer

A nine-day novena to St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of gentleness, seeking the grace of a devout life lived in God's will.

History

St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622), Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church, won countless souls back to the faith through patience, charity, and gentle persuasion rather than harshness. In his Introduction to the Devout Life he taught that holiness is for everyone in every state of life, lived through small daily acts of love. His counsel of conformity to God's will — to ask for nothing and refuse nothing — remains a sure path to peace of soul.

How to pray it

Pray once each day for nine consecutive days. Begin with the Sign of the Cross and the opening prayer, prayerfully read the meditation and offer the day's intention, then conclude with an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, and the closing prayer.

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