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Novena to St. Lucy

Dec 4–12

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. Lucy

Opening prayer:

O glorious St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, whose very name proclaims the light of Christ, look kindly upon me as I begin this novena. By the steadfast faith that carried you through fire and sword, obtain for me the grace I seek and a heart enlightened by God. Amen.

Read the meditation and offer the intention of the day.

Day 1: A name that means light

Lucy bore in her very name the word 'light,' and her short life in Syracuse made that name true. She reminds us that the saints are not their own splendor but mirrors of the one Light that came into the world. Jesus called us the light of the world, a lamp set not under a basket but on a stand. Lucy let that lamp burn so brightly that fifteen centuries later it still shines through Advent's dark.

O glorious St. Lucy, who bore the name of light and let Christ shine through your every deed, obtain for me a soul cleansed of shadow, that the Lord's brightness may pour through my life as through clear glass, and that all who see my works may give glory to the Father of lights. Amen.

Today's intention:

For the grace to let Christ's light shine through my ordinary days.

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. Lucy, bright lamp of the Lord, who preferred to lose your eyes rather than betray your Bridegroom, watch over my body and my soul. Keep the eyes of my faith clear and fixed on Christ, and lead me at last to the light that never fades. 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. Lucy of Syracuse, virgin and martyr, whose name means 'light.' Patroness of the blind and of all who suffer in their eyes, she shines amid the Advent darkness as a witness to the courage and purity born of faith.

History

St. Lucy was a young noblewoman of Syracuse in Sicily who consecrated her virginity to Christ around the year 304, during the persecution of Diocletian. Denounced as a Christian by a suitor she refused, she endured torture and was martyred by the sword. Her feast on December 13 has long brought light into the heart of Advent, and her name (Lucia, 'light') made her the natural patroness of eyesight and the inner light of faith.

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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