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Novena to St. Josemaría Escrivá

Day 1

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. Josemaría Escrivá

Opening prayer:

St. Josemaría, faithful priest and tireless apostle of holiness in ordinary life, intercede for us before the throne of God. You who saw the divine pathways hidden in the streets and workshops of the world, teach us to walk them. Obtain for us the grace we seek in this novena, if it be for God's glory. Amen.

Read the meditation and offer the intention of the day.

Day 1: The universal call to holiness

St. Josemaría preached tirelessly that holiness is not reserved for priests and religious but is the vocation of every baptized person. The married, the worker, the student — all are called to be saints where they are, without leaving the world or their state in life. Sanctity is meant to be lived in the middle of the street. Long before the Council proclaimed it, he saw that every Christian is called to the fullness of love.

O God, who through St. Josemaría taught that every soul is called to holiness in ordinary life, grant me to believe this with all my heart. Let me seek You not far from my daily duties but within them, becoming a saint in the place You have set me. Amen.

Today's intention:

For the grace to believe that God truly calls me to be a saint.

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 God, who raised up St. Josemaría to proclaim the universal call to holiness and the apostolic value of ordinary work, grant that through his intercession we may make our daily labor a continual prayer. May we serve You faithfully in the small duties of each day. We ask this through Christ our Lord. 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. Josemaría Escrivá, the saint of the ordinary, who taught that everyday work and the duties of daily life can be turned into prayer and a path to holiness.

History

St. Josemaría Escrivá was born in Barbastro, Spain, in 1902, and on October 2, 1928, he founded Opus Dei to spread the call to holiness in ordinary life. He taught that the worker at the bench and the mother at home are called to sanctity through their daily duties done with love. He died in Rome on June 26, 1975, and was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 6, 2002.

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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