Novena to St. Francis de Sales

Novena to St. Francis de Sales. ¹

O GREAT prelate, most blessed saint, model of bishops, the glory of the Church! thou wast and ever shalt be revered on earth as a man according to God’s own heart, and a most perfect imitator of our adorable model, Jesus Christ. Thou wast the champion of the faith whose zeal extirpated heresy; the ardent victim of charity and docile disciple of that heavenly spirit Who spoke by thy pen, and rendered thy inspired doctrine the treasure of the Church. O good and faithful servant! thou hast now entered into the joy of thy Lord; the divine and holy object of thy love on earth is now thy reward exceedingly great in heaven. O amiable saint, whose tender, compassionate charity was always the refuge of the miserable, despise not our supplications. Since thy conduct on earth toward all thy fellow-creatures, particularly the weakest, marked thee out, like thy beloved Master, as the friend of sinners, show thyself such to us, thy daughters, by obtaining for us the intentions of this novena. Receive us, O great Master of solid perfection! into the number of those whom thou didst form according to the true spirit of the religious state. Teach us those heavenly virtues which thy blessed life, no less than thy word, so constantly inculcated. Thou wast one of the most humble of men, though gifted with all that could exalt thee before God and the world: O plant in our hearts that root of every virtue. Thou wast an angel of peace, whose presence alone gave consolation to the most afflicted hearts, and whose heavenly meekness succeeded in gaining the most obdurate sinners; obtain then for us, also, that peace of God which surpasseth all understanding; a condescending meekness in our conduct toward our neighbor. But principally teach us thy own favorite lesson of perfect conformity to the will of God, that we may repose tranquilly in the arms of His adorable Providence; that we may cast all our solicitude on God, so as “to ask for nothing and refuse nothing;” at least to ask for nothing more earnestly than the treasure of His divine love, and refuse nothing so resolutely as the misfortune of consenting to sin. Amen.

PRAYER TO ST. FRANCIS.

O GLORIOUS St. Francis, model of the interior life, and full of zeal for the salvation of souls! obtain for me the grace to employ all my faculties, not for my own sanctification alone, but for that of my neighbor also; that continually spreading abroad the sweet odor of Jesus Christ by my words and works, I may attain with thee the blessedness promised to the merciful: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy;” and that I may one day have a share in the glory which thou didst enjoy in paradise with the angels and saints, where those that edify and instruct to justice shall shine as stars for all eternity. (Dan. xii. 3.)

PRAYER FOR THE ORDER OF THE VISITATION.

To ask for the True Spirit of St. Francis de Sales for his whole Order.

PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE PROTECTION OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.

O GREAT St. Francis, glorious apostle of Jesus Christ, seraph of the earth, who didst breathe but for the glory of God; perfect imitator of thy meek and humble Saviour, and devoted child of the holy Mother of God! deign to receive me among the number of thy special clients; be henceforth my advocate, my counselor, my friend, and my father. Thy prayers, even on earth, were the instruments of innumerable miracles of grace; Oh, vouchsafe to offer one for me, now that their efficacy is so greatly increased in heaven. May my entire conversion now add another to the already countless triumphs of thy charity. Teach me, like thee, to see God in my fellow-creatures; and for His sake, to make myself all to all, weeping with them that weep, rejoicing with them that rejoice. May the example of thy wondrous meekness sink into my soul and excite my earnest, persevering efforts to imitate it. Strengthen me, by thy prayers, to pursue the difficult practice of interior mortification, without which I can not hope to possess my soul in peace and patience. Oh! enkindle in my heart one spark of the heavenly fire of charity which glowed in thine. Teach me, like thee, to seek and find my happiness in God, and to feel that it is good to live, to labor, and rejoice in Him alone. Shield me against the many perils which beset my path: watch over my immortal interests, and obtain that my soul may die the death of the just, and my last end be like unto thine. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH.

O GOD, Who wast pleased to give blessed Francis, Thy confessor and bishop, success in the salvation of souls, mercifully grant that being plentifully enriched with the sweetness of Thy charity, by following his directions and by the help of his merits, we may obtain life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.