I have been saying a novena given to us by Fr. Don Dolindo.  It is called the Surrender Novena and it is said for a total of nine days.  If you have never heard of him I suggest you type his name into a you tube search.  The novena is completely printed there.  Also there are many edifying posts by Maria Palma Smith.

I have found the novena as well as the podcasts to be of great value.

As the school year begins I came across a saint I had never heard of named St. Joseph of Cupertino.  I never knew there was in fact a saint you could pray to and ask for his intersession when taking exams.  Here is the prayer that students will find helpful.

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino, who while on earth
Did obtain from God the grace to be asked
At your examinations only the questions you knew,
Obtain for me a like favor in the examination for
Which I am now preparing.

In return, I promise to make you known and
Cause you to be invoked through
Jesus Christ our Lord

As the school year begins I came across a saint I had never heard of named St. Joseph of Cupertino.  I never knew there was in fact a saint you could pray to and ask for his intersession when taking exams.  Here is the prayer that students will find helpful.

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino, who while on earth
Did obtain from God the grace to be asked
At your examinations only the questions you knew,
Obtain for me a like favor in the examination for
Which I am now preparing.

In return, I promise to make you known and
Cause you to be invoked through
Jesus Christ our Lord.

with summer upon us and so many of us using pools, lakes and oceans for recreation I thought it would be good to pray to a little known Saint named St. Adjutor.  There are several miracles related to him such as his heroic swim to escape captivity, and of his sprinkling holy water to calm a whirlpool. . Many parents who have children working as lifeguards encourage them to pray to St. Adjutor for protection as they perform their job of rescuing swimmers in danger.  Those in sailing boats should find this prayer useful as well.

I was not able to find a specific prayer, but I think and pray that  just invoking his protection whenever we set out to enjoy the water will work.  Wishing all a safe summer!!

I think June is the month we honor the Sacred Heart.  I felt this would be a good time to post a prayer I have personally said for years.

Oh most Holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing.
I adore you, I love you, and with a lively sorrow for
My sins, I offer you this poor heart of mine.
Make me humble, patient, pure, and wholly obedient
To Your will.
Grant good Jesus that I might live in you and for you.
Protect me in the midst of danger, comfort me in my afflictions,
Give me health of mind and body, assistance in my temporal needs,
Your blessings on all that I do,
And the Grace of a happy death.

Prayer to the Holy Archangel Who Strengthened Our Lord in His Agony.

Consoling Angel, O holy Angel who didst strengthen Jesus Christ Our Lord, come and strengthen us also; come and tarry not!

(300 days indulgence.  ("Preces et Pia Opera," 417)
 



Consoling Angel, O Holy Angel who didst strengthen Jesus in His agony, and with thee I praise the most holy Trinity for having chosen thee from among all the Holy angels to comfort and
strengthen Him Who is the comfort and strength of all that are in affliction.  By the honor thou didst enjoy and by the obedience, humility, and love wherewith thou didst assist the sacred Humanity of Jesus, my Savior, when He was fainting for very sorrow at seeing the sins of the world and especially my sins, I beseech thee to obtain for me perfect sorrow for my sins; deign to strengthen me in the afflictions that now overwhelm me, and in all the other trials, to which I shall be exposed henceforth and, in particular, when I find myself in my final agony. 

(500 days indulgence. ("Preces et Pia Opera," 418)

Considering how many people use our highways I thought this prayer would be of help.

Loving God, You are our protection and our light along life's journey.  Through the intersession of your beloved daughter, St. Frances of Rome, please grant safety to all who travel our roads.  She herself was given the grace of angelic protection in all her travels; we ask this same grace that our Guardian Angels be our constant help and defense.  Lord, we ask the through the care of St. Frances of Rome, You may inspire all who drive to do so with utmost care.  May they soberly realize the great caution that must be used to guard their own safety, the safety of those they transport, and the safety of all others who share the road with them.  May special graces be given to new, young drivers, that they may use extreme care while driving and be guarded by Your divine protection.  We ask this through Christ our Lord Amen.

The Patron Saint of victims of domestic abuse is St. Rita of Cascia.  Here is a prayer people who are experiencing violence i their homes can use.

St. Rita, you understood the sorrows of the human heart.  By the grace of God, you overcame domestic violence and lived in faith and hope.  Through your intersession may families overcome conflicts and tensions and build peace in their homes.  Inspire us to reach out to those who suffer physical, verbal, and sexual abuse.

Today, February is the feast of a saint I have never heard of until today.  She was a religious sister who was born in Sultanate of Darfur.   She passed away in Schio, Italy.  She had a remarkable life.  She was kidnapped and taken from her family to be a slave.  Named Bakhita, which means lucky in Arabic she was a victim of human trafficking.  She was abducted at an early age.   At the age of 12 she was baptized after being taken to live with a family in Italy.  She later became a nun joined a convent in Venice.  She is now known as the patron saint of victims of human trafficking. 

O dearest St. Benedict Joseph Labor, you who truly understand what it is like to be homeless, I ask your prayers on behalf of those who are homeless, especially (name person).

You were totally reliant upon the generosity and kindness of others.  Pray that those who are homeless experience kindness, understanding, and love from others.

You know what it felt like to be turned away and scuffed at.

Pray that the wounds of their hearts will be healed and that they can openly embrace the charity of others.

Through your gracious intersession may they find safe places to lay their heads, friendly and accepting places to eat meals, and supportive places to bathe and receive medical care.

Thank you dear saint for your prayers.

PRAYER TO ST BARBARA FOR PROTECTION
18
FEB
ST BARBARA, VENERATED BY SOLDIERS AND INVOKED AS A PROTECTOR AGAINST LIGHTNING, STORMS, HURRICANES AND SUDDEN DEATH.
ST BARBARA IS ONE OF THE FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
FEAST DAY: DECEMBER 4th

According to tradition, St Barbara was martyred at the end of the fourth century in Antioch under the emperor Maximian. St Barbara spent almost her entire life confined in the tower of a fortress. When he heard that she had been converted to the Christian faith even in confinement, her father, who was a pagan, not only denounced her but also condemned her to death. He himself was the executioner and cut off her head with a sword. Immediately afterwards, a terrible storm arose and the executioner was incinerated by a bolt of lightning.

PRAYER:
St Barbara, you are stronger than the tower of a fortress and the fury of hurricanes. Do not let lightning hit me, thunder frighten me or the roar of canons jolt my courage or bravery. Stay always by my side so that I may confront all the storms and battles of my life with my head held high and a serene countenance. Winning all the struggles, may I, aware of doing my duty, be grateful to you, my protector, and render thanks to God, the Creator of heaven, earth and nature who has the power to dominate the fury of the storm and to mitigate the cruelty of war.
St Barbara, pray for us.
Amen

“Heal me, Lord, that I may be healed; save me, that I may be
saved, for it is you whom I praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14)
ender God, life-giving Spirit, You compassionately
hold the entire world in your hands.
In your mercy, hear the prayers of your people:
Keep guard over the sick and suffering and in a special way
over those who suffer with breast cancer;
grant them patience, hope, and peace, we pray:
Merciful God, hear our prayer.
Give courage to those with fearful hearts, especially those
who feel isolated because of their illness;
nourish and sustain them, we pray:
Merciful God, hear our prayer.
Strengthen those who give their energy and skill to healing the
sick: doctors and nurses, surgeons and specialists, and all who
seek new ways of relieving suffering, we pray:
Merciful God, hear our prayer.
Bless all those who devote themselves to scientific research
for the benefit of the human family, especially those who
dedicate their efforts to cancer research, we pray:
Merciful God, hear our prayer.
O God,
our life, our health, our salvation,
look with mercy on your people.
Stir up in us a saving faith,
that believing, we may be healed,
and being healed, we may worthily give you thanks.

Blessed are you both now and forever. Amen.
Sister Kathleen Cannon
Associate Dean, College of Science

These were such beautiful and comforting quotes.  I felt such a sense of peace after reading them.  I always enjoy simple, yet powerful spiritual saying.  Thank you for this wonderful post. 

The following is a prayer which His Eminence, Cardinal del Val recited every day after the celebration of the mass.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart! Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
From the desire of being loved,
From the desire of being sought after,
From the desire of being honored,
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being preferred to others,
From the desire of being consulted,
From the desire of being approved,

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being humbled,
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebuffs,
From the fear of being calumniated,
From the fear of being forgotten,
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being injured,
From the fear of being suspected,

Deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,
That in the opinion of the world,
     others may increase, and I may decrease,
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
That others be preferred to me in everything,
That others may be more holy than I,
     provided I may become as holy as I should.

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

 

 

Here is a short, powerful prayer to our Blessed Mother. It has a beautiful lyrical quality. It is especially valuable as protection for travelers.


Ave Maris Stella Prayer
Hail, You Star of Ocean


Hail, you Star of Ocean!
Portal of the sky,
Ever Virgin Mother,
Of the Lord most high.
O! by Gabriel's Ave,
Uttered long ago,
Eva's name reversing,
Establish peace below.
Break the captive's fetters;
Light on blindness pour;
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show yourself a mother;
Offer him our sighs,
Who for us Incarnate
Did not you despise.
Virgin of all virgins!
To your shelter take us;
Gentlest of the gentle!
Chaste and gentle make us.
Still as on we journey,
Help our weak endeavor,
Till with you and Jesus
We rejoice forever.
Through the highest heaven,
To the Almighty Three,
Father, Son, and Spirit,
One same glory be.

Amazing study of the women who influenced St Augustine