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The Novena of Grace is a Catholic devotion in honor of Saint Francis Xavier. It is usually performed from March 4 to March 12. [1]
In Naples in 1633, Fr. Marcello Mastrilli, S.J. took a vow asking to be assigned Japan during a period of violent suppression of Christians.
While waiting for the passage to Japan, Mastrilli organized the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the College of Naples. The feast was a success which helped to bring home to the faithful the great privilege of Our Lady, which then was not yet defined as a dogma of the faith.
As Fr. Mastrilli supervised the removal of the temporary structure, a hammer slipped from the hands of a worker and fell on his head. He sustained a severe injury and was on the verge of death. A vision of St. Francis Xavier appeared to Fr. Mastrilli asking him to renew his vow to go to Japan:
Afterwards, Fr. Mastrilli arose entirely cured. Faithful to his vow, he led a group of thirty-three Jesuits to Japan. When they arrived, Fr. Mastrilli was immediately arrested, tried and condemned. He was executed on October 17, 1637 and died a martyr.
Before leaving for Japan, Fr. Mastrilli widely published the news of his cure and vision. Thus the devotion spread far and wide. [3]
Another tradition states that the first Novena of Grace took place in 1615 in Goa, India when a boy who was crippled from birth was cured. [4]
Below is a standard version of the Novena prayer, customarily followed by a Preces and Collect, as well as basic prayers. [5]
"Most amiable and most loving Saint Francis Xavier, in union with thee I reverently adore the Divine Majesty. I rejoice exceedingly on account of the marvelous gifts which God bestowed upon thee. I thank God for the special graces He gave thee during thy life on earth and for the great glory that came to thee after thy death. I implore thee to obtain for me, through thy powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings - that of living and dying in the state of grace. I also beg of thee to secure for me the special favor I ask in this novena. (Here state the grace, spiritual or temporal, you wish to obtain.) In asking this favor, I am fully resigned to the Divine Will. I pray and desire only to obtain that which is most conducive to the greater glory of God and the greater good of my soul."
℣. Pray for us, Saint Francis Xavier.
℟. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
O God, Who didst vouchsafe, by the preaching and miracles of Saint Francis Xavier, to join unto Thy Church the nations of the Indies; grant, we beseech Thee, that we who reverence his glorious merits may also imitate his example.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In memory of Saint Francis Xavier's devotion to the Trinity:
3 Our Fathers
3 Hail Marys
In thanksgiving for the graces in his ten-year ministry:
10 Glory Bes
The novena will normally include a visit to a Jesuit church or chapel.
The novena ends on 12 March which is the date of the canonisation of St Francis Xavier and St Ignatius. [6]
The novena can also be held from 25 November to 3 December (St Francis Xavier’s feast day). [7] However, it can be carried out at any time of the year.
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