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Novena to St. Louis IX, King of France

Day 2

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. Louis IX, King of France

Opening prayer:

O St. Louis, holy king and faithful father, you wore an earthly crown without losing sight of the heavenly one. Teach me to serve God in the duties of my state, to love justice, and to seek first the Kingdom that does not pass away. Amen.

Read the meditation and offer the intention of the day.

Day 2: The dignity of baptism

Louis loved best the parish church where he was baptized, saying he prized that place above the cathedral of his coronation, for there he was made a child of God. He even signed himself 'Louis of Poissy,' naming the font rather than the throne as his truest honor. He teaches us that our deepest identity is found not in rank or achievement but in grace, in that first gift by which we were born again as God's own children.

O St. Louis, who prized your baptism above your crown, obtain for me the grace to live worthily of my baptismal calling, that I may treasure my dignity as a child of God above every honor the world can give and never betray so great a gift. Amen.

Today's intention:

For the grace to live worthily of my baptismal calling.

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:

St. Louis, who counted your baptism a greater honor than your throne, intercede for me before the King of kings whom you served so faithfully. Obtain the grace I seek in this novena, and a heart that rules its own desires for the love of God. 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. Louis IX, King of France, the holy monarch who ruled with justice, loved the poor, led the Crusades, and enshrined the Crown of Thorns in the Sainte-Chapelle.

History

Born in 1214 and raised by his devout mother Blanche of Castile, Louis became King of France at twelve and reigned for over forty years with rare integrity. He administered justice fairly, even beneath an oak at Vincennes, fed the poor at his own table, and built hospitals and abbeys. He ransomed the Crown of Thorns from Constantinople and raised the Sainte-Chapelle to house it, led two Crusades, and died of plague near Tunis in 1270; he is the only canonized king of France.

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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