Our Lady of Perpetual Help, with the great S R T A est condence I come before you to ask for Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our V. e of the Lord declared unto your intercession. May I be inspired by the life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do Mary. example of your life. I think of you at that we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to R. And she conceived of the . moment when, full of faith and trust, you thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and accepted God’s call to be the Mother of His weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Son. Help us to be like you in the way you most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy thee. Blessed art thou among women, put your faith and trust in God. toward us; and after this, our exile, show and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, . Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray When you learned that your cousin Elizabeth unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. for us sinners, now and at the hour of our was in need, you immediately went to oer O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin death. Amen. your help to her. Help us, to be like you, to be Mary. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God, concerned for others. that we may be made worthy of the promises V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. of Christ. Amen. We remember at the foot of the cross how R. Be it done unto me according to thy

The Catholic Encyclopedia defines a Novena as "nine days of your heart was broken in grief. We remember word. the joy you felt when you heard that Jesus had T M private or public devotion in the Church, or at home, to obtain … special graces." risen from His death. Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, V. And the Word was made esh. The Catholic tradition of doing a Novena comes from the Dearest Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, that never was it known that anyone who Biblical account of the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary help me through the trials and disappoint- R. And dwelt among us. staying in the Upper Room after the Ascension for nine days. ed to thy protection, implored thy aid, or ments of my life. In particular, I ask you for The Bible tells us that Jesus “commanded them not to depart sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Hail Mary… from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father.” this favor…pause. Inspired by this condence I y unto thee, The persistence of those who waited in the Upper Room V. Pray for us O holy Mother of God. O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee ended in fulfillment. The Lord God poured out His grace do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and R. at we may be made worthy of the upon them. Dearest Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, we sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, promises of Christ. give thanks to the Lord for all the wonderful Nine day vigils became a tradition of the Church from the despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy third century onward. By the middle ages novenas were of things He has done for us. We give thanks to Let us pray: hear and answer me. Amen. fered for the Pope’s intentions. Our intention during a Novena the Lord for the many gifts He has given to Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy is to declare our desire to wait for the promise, persevering us. Despite our failures and shortcomings, the grace into our hearts; that we, to whom with confidence until the end. Lord our God continues to show His love to the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was Either as a public or personal observance, a novena involves us. We give thanks to the Lord for giving you made known by the message of an angel. nine days of hopeful anticipation of an answer for the petition to us, our Mother of Perpetual Help. We give or intention for which are being offered. We pray with May by his Passion and Cross be brought urgency because we believe in the power of . During the thanks to the Lord for all the favors we have to the glory of his Resurrection. rough month of May we will celebrate a Novena to Our Lady of received through your intercession. Our Lady the same Christ, Our Lord. Amen. Perpetual Help. of Perpetual Help, pray for us. Amen. The Novena will begin on Wednesday, and end with a special celebration on Friday evening. During the time of Novena we will offer the Novena prayer at all our parish Masses.