Catholic Fire

Day 1: St. Jude, Patron of​ Impossible ​C​auses, ​​we thank you for your intercession with our elections. Day 2: St. Frances Cabrini, you who tirelessly built the Kingdom of God in America,​ thank you for your intercession with our elections. Day 3: St. Thomas More, martyred for your uncompromising faith, ​thank you for your intercession with our elections. ​Day 4: St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, martyred for your child-like, yet fearless faith in Christ the King, ​thank you for your intercession for our elections. Day 5: St. Kateri Tekakwitha, who fled to Canada in order to freely practice your faith, ​thank you for your intercession with our elections. Day 6: St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai, selfless servant of the lepers of Hawaii, ​thank you for your intercession for our elections. Day 7: St. John Neumann, Founder of the ​D​iocesan Catholic ​S​chool system in America, ​thank you for your intercession with our elections. Day 8: St. Rita, Patroness of ​H​opeless...

Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord. O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them. R. Have mer...

October 4th is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, “the little beggar”, who is perhaps the most popular saint in history. Francis Bernardone was born in 1182 in Assisi, Italy. His baptismal name was John, but his father renamed him Franceso, in honor of his love for France. The son of a wealthy merchant, Francis had time and money to host lavish banquets for young nobles who proclaimed him "King of Feasts." Parties and selling cloth left Francis little time for God. A handsome, charming and educated young man, he spent his early life leading young nobles to parties. He dreamed of knighthood and longed for the adventurous life of chivalry. In pursuit of that dream, he joined in the war between Assisi and Perugia at the age of 20. In that war, Francis fought with youthful enthusiasm, but was wounded and taken prisoner. Spending the next year in a dungeon, he contracted malaria. Ransomed by his father, a more reflective Francis returned to Assisi. Sickness overtook h...

The saint of the day for August 31 is St. Raymond Nonnatus. He is the patron of expectant mothers, midwives, obstetricians, infertile couples, and newborn babies. Raymond was born at Portella, Catalonia, Spain in 1204, the son of wealthy parents. He was delivered by cesarean section when his mother died in childbirth. Hence his name non natus (not born). In his childhood, he seemed to find pleasure only in his devotions and serious duties. His father, sensing that Raymond was drawn to religious life, ordered him to manage one of the family farms. Raymond readily obeyed but spent his time with the shepherds and workers, studying and praying until his father abandoned the idea of making his son a worldly success. Raymond later joined the the Order of Our Lady of Mercy or the Mercederians, which was founded by St. Peter Nolasco, who devoted to ransoming Christians captured by the Moors. He succeeded Peter as chief ransomer and went to Algeria to ransom slaves. He remained as h...

Pope Francis will canonize the former "Mother Teresa" a saint on Sunday, September 4, 2016. Here is her novena, which starts today, August 28. Discerning Hearts has a beautiful novena to Mother Teresa of Calcutta you can pray along with which includes an MP3 and daily text. I highly recommend it.

The feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is July 16. Her novena begins on July 7. First Day  O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother! (pause and mention petitions) Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us. Second Day  Most Holy Mary, Our Mother, in your great love for us you gave us the Holy Scapular of Mount Carmel, having heard the prayers of your chosen son Saint Simon Stock. Help us now to wear it faithfully and with devotion. May it be a sign to us of our desire to grow in holiness. (pause and mention petitions) Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us. Third Day  O Queen of Heaven, you gave us the Scapular as an outward sign by which we might be known as yo...

The Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help begins June 18 and ends on June 26. The feast day of our Lady of Perpetual Help is on June 27. Our Lady of Perpetual Help is patron of the sick, police, paratroopers, and grocers. Novena Prayer Oh Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation, what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name. Let my love for you prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help. Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me th...

The month of June is singled out for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The novena to the Sacred Heart begins on Wednesday, May 25 and ends on Thursday, June 2, the eve of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which takes place on June 3 this year. Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request) Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of.......(here name your request) Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. III. O my Jesus, you ha...

Say this prayer every day for 9 consecutive days May 5-13   Most Holy Virgin, who has deigned to come to Fatima to reveal to the three little shepherds the treasures of graces hidden in the recitation of the Rosary, inspire our hearts with sincere love of this devotion.      By meditating on the mysteries of our redemption that are recalled in your Rosary, may we gather the fruits contained therein and obtain the conversion of sinners, the conversion of Russia, the Peace of Christ for the world, and this favor that I so earnestly seek of you in this novena.... (Here mention your request)      I ask this of you, for the greater glory of God, for your own honor and for the good of all people. Amen Say the Our Father, Hail Mary Glory Be (three times each).

The Pentecost Novena begins on the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension, Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, even if the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the 7th Sunday. ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT To be recited daily during the Novena On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and lookin...

Today we begin the novena to St. Dominic Savio, whose feast day is on March 9. He is the patron saint of boys, children’s choirs, falsely accused people, and juvenile delinquents. Dominic, one of 10 children of a blacksmith and a seamstress, was born in 1842 in Riva di Chieri, Italy. He became an altar server at age five, and began preparing for the priesthood as a  twelve year old under the direction of Father John Bosco (the future St. John Bosco), for his new Salesian order of priests. In 1857, fifteen-year-old Dominic contracted tuberculosis and was sent home to recover. He died shortly after his return. On his deathbed, Dominic prayed, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my last agony!” A change came over him and he sat up to say his final words: “What beautiful things I see!” Novena Prayer Dear Saint Dominic Savio, you grew under the supervision and care of St. John Bosco. Witnessing the zeal of your mentor you shared his desire to bring the Lord a great many ...

The novena to St. Katherine Drexel begins today and lasts for nine consecutive days. Mother Katharine Drexel was a Philadelphia native, who at the age of thirty, used her $20 million inheritance to found the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1891. The interest from her family's fortune was also used to found numerous schools for Native and African Americans including Xavier University in New Orleans. Her father, Francis Drexel, was a banking magnate and business partner of J.P. Morgan, and her uncle, Anthony Drexel, founded Drexel University. The heiress died at age 97 in 1955. She is the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropists. Her feast day is March 4. OPENING PRAYER Ever loving God, you called Saint Katharine Drexel to teach the message of the Gospel and to bring the life of the Eucharist to the Black and Native American peoples. By her prayers and example, enable us to work for justice among the poor and oppressed.  Draw us all into the Eucharistic commu...

The Novena to Our Lady of Good Success begins today and continues for the next eight days. * Hail Mary Most Holy, Beloved Daughter of God the Father Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, grant thy good success to this request (name request)... Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be... Saint Michael, pray for us. * Hail Mary Most Holy, Admirable Mother of God the Son Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, grant thy good success to this request (name request) ... Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be... Saint Gabriel, pray for us. * Hail Mary Most Holy, Most Faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, grant thy good success to this request (name request) ... Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be... Saint Raphael, pray for us. * Hail Mary Most Holy, Temple and Sacrarium of the Most Holy Trinity. St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, pray for us. Our Lady of Good Success, thou who art t...

The feast of St. Blaise is February 3. He is one of fourteen holy helpers and is invoked against throat diseases and against many other illnesses, including: angina, bladder diseases, blisters, coughs, dermatitis, dropsy, eczema, edema, fever, goiters, headaches, impetigo, respiratory diseases, skin diseases, snake bites, stomach pain, teething pain, toothaches, ulcers, and whooping cough. Pray the following prayers, once a day, especially on January 25 and ending on February 2. PREPARATORY PRAYER  Almighty and Eternal God! With lively faith and reverently worshiping Thy Divine Majesty, I prostrate myself before Thee and invoke with filial trust Thy supreme bounty and mercy. Illumine the darkness of my intellect with a ray of Thy heavenly light and inflame my heart with the fire of Thy divine love, that I may contemplate the great virtues and merits of the saint in whose honor I make this novena, and following his example imitate, like him, the life of Thy divine Son. M...

 This novena starts January 18 and ends January 26.  Feast Day: January 28  "Overcome evil with good." Taken from St. Paul the Apostle, this was the personal motto of a Marian priest when he was chosen to be the Bishop of Vilnius, Lithuania, as he rescued the order when it was down to its last member. Dubbed the "Marian Renovator," the Lithuanian-born Blessed George Matulaitis  (1871-1927) was the priest who envisioned religious working together with the laity for the good of the Church. The principles he wrote about are defining points of the Association of Marian Helpers. Prayer through the Intercession of  Bl. George Matulaitis – Matulewicz O God, Merciful Father, in the heart of Your Servant Blessed George, You aroused such a great zeal for accomplishing corporal and spiritual deeds of mercy; deign to grant to us through his intercession the grace for which we implore You … (Here mention your special intentions.) Prayer for the Canonizat...

Opening Prayer (for each day) Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment At which the Son of God was born Of a most pure Virgin At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem In the piercing cold At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, To hear my prayers and grant my desires (Mention your intentions here). Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother. December 16: O Shepherd that rulest Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep, come to guide and comfort us. Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. December 17: O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence! Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be. December 18: O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with ...

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and Protector of the unborn, is December 12. The novena is usually prayed from December 3 to December 11. First Day Dearest Lady of Guadalupe, fruitful Mother of holiness, teach me your ways of gentleness and strength. Hear my humble prayer offered with heartfelt confidence to beg this favor...... Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...   Second Day O Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to you under the glorious Aztec title of Guadalupe. Obtain for me a lively faith to do your Son’s holy will always: May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...   Third Day O Mary, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven swords of grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my pathway. Obtain for me the strength to be a true imitator of you. This I ask you, my d...

(Recite this prayer for nine consecutive days.) O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus and our Mother, penetrated with the most lively confidence in your all-powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal, we your loving and trustful children implore you to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this novena, if they be beneficial to our immortal souls, and the souls for whom we pray. (Here mention your petition) You know, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of your Son who hates iniquity. Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every thought, word and deed may tend to His greater glory. Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where you are the Queen of angels and of men. Amen.

Prayer to St Martin de Porres (Begin with this prayer every day.) Most humble Martin de Porres, your burning charity embraced not only the poor and needy but even the animals of the field. For your splendid example of charity, we honour you and invoke your help. From your place in heaven, hear the requests of your needy brethren, so that, by imitating your virtues we may live contentedly in that state in which God has placed us. And carrying our cross with strength and courage, may we follow in the footsteps of our blessed Redeemer and his most sorrowful mother, so that at last we may reach the kingdom of heaven through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. First Day St Martin’s Humility St Martin imitated our Lord Who was meek and humble of heart. There was no pride or vanity in Martin, who realized that God is our Creator and that we are His creatures. Martin understood that God loves us as children and only wants us to be happy. So he had the wisdom to surrender en...

The novena begins on October 24 and concludes on the Solemnity of All Saints, November 1. The Novena prayer is prayed each day for nine days: All Saints Novena My heavenly brothers and sisters, from those most renowned to those of greatest obscurity, I come before you now in all humility and commend myself, and all who are dear to me, to your intercession.  Pray for us always, that we may awake each day with a burning desire for the Lord whose Face you behold, that we will maintain an intimate personal relationship with Jesus, our Savior and Head, and that we will not hesitate to proclaim God’s greatness to others, and love them as the Lord loves us.  As you offer your continual praise before the throne of God,   I raise my heart to you now to implore your powerful intercession for these special needs:  (………).  I am confident that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard by our loving and merciful Lord.  By his grace, may we someday ...