Prayers of the Faithful of Thanksgiving Lec. For the unrepentant, that moved by (after Communion) Cel. We have come together to worship the God’s loving mercy revealed in , Lord our God and to honor the mem- they may turn away from their sins Celebrant and People: ory of His great-souled missionary, and open their hearts to the divine life We give you thanks, O Lord, St. Francis Xavier. Through his pow- of grace: let us pray to the Lord. erful intercession let us pray for our- for all Your wondrous gifts. selves, for the missionary efforts of the ALL: Lord, hear our prayer. We thank you for the gift of life: Church, and for all People of God. you called us into being Lec. For ourselves, that we may be ever that we might be your children Lec. For missions and missionaries faithful to our baptismal commmit- and live with you forever. throughout the world, that through ment to Christ, and bring Christ’s We thank you for our baptism: the proclamation of the Good News word and Christ’s love to the world in you sealed us with the , of salvation, all may come to know the which we live: let us pray to the Lord. one true God and Jesus Christ whom gifted us with your own life, He has sent: let us pray to the Lord. ALL: Lord, hear our prayer. grafted us into the mystical body of your divine Son. ALL: Lord, hear our prayer. Celebrant and People: We thank you for our vocation Lec. For the Church, that renewed by the Lord God, our Father, we honor the memo- to join with the risen Christ Holy Spirit, she may show forth to the ry of the Apostle of the Indies and Japan, St. in working to save and sanctify world the mystery of the Lord and be Francis Xavier. The remembrance of the fa- the world in which we live. vors with which You blessed him during life an instrument of redemption for all: We thank you for this Eucharist: let us pray to the Lord.. and of his glory after death fills us with joy; and we unite with him in offering to You our you have fed us on the ALL: Lord, hear our prayer. sincere tribute of thanksgiving and praise. Bread of Life, We ask You to grant us, through his power- strengthened our faith, Lec. For Christian unity, that the Spirit of ful intercession, the inestimable blessing of renewed our hope, Christ, dwelling in all who believe, living and dying in the state of grace. We also deepened our love, may bring us to that fullness of unity ask You to grant us the favors we seek in this made us one with one another which Jesus desires - one Lord, one novena. (Pause) in the Body of Christ our Lord. faith, one baptism: let us pray to the But if what we ask is not for the glory of God We give you thanks, O Lord, Lord. and the good of our souls, grant us, we pray, what is more conducive to both. Through for all Your wondrous gifts. ALL: Lord, hear our prayer. Christ our Lord. Amen. The Novena of Grace Francis Xavier evangelized the In- O God, I Love Thee dies and Japan during ten years of ex- traordinary missionary activity begin- O God, I love Thee, I love Thee... ning in 1542. A second St. Paul, he was Not out of hope of heaven for me canonized March 12, 1622, and named Nor fearing not to love and be patron of all foreign missions by Pope In the everlasting burning. Pius X in 1904. Thou, Thou, my Jesus, after me The Novena of Grace was prompted by Didst reach thine arms out dying, the cure of Father Marcellus Mastril- For my sake sufferedst nails and lance, li in 1634. At the point of death from a Mocked and marred countenance, brain injury, he was cured instantaneous- Sorrows passing number, ly through the intercession of St. Francis Sweat and care and cumber, Xavier, and afterward he died a martyr in Yea and death, and this for me, Japan. And Thou couldst see me sinning; The wonderful favors, both spiritual and Then I, why should not I love Thee, temporal, which have been obtained Jesus, so much in love with me? through this novena have caused it to Not for heaven’s sake; not to be become known as the Novena of Grace. Novena of Out of hell by loving Thee; It is celebrated in many churches in all Not for any gains I see: parts of the world from March 4 through Grace But just the way that Thoud didst me March 12, the anniversary of the canon- In honor of I do love and I will love Thee: ization of St. Francis Xavier. It may, how- Saint Francis What must I love Thee, Lord, for then? ever, be made at other times also. Xavier For being my king and God. Amen. St. Francis Xavier is the World Patron of St. Francis Xavier the Apostleship of Prayer and the League Translated by Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ of the . Jesuits US Central and Southern Province 4511 W Pine Blvd • Saint Louis, MO 63108-2191 jesuitsCentralSouthern.org • 800.325.9924 Designed for insertion into the Eucharistic Liturgy