St. Francis of Assisi Novena
Opening Prayer
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Holy Saint Francis, through your kind intercession we seek holiness above all things. We seek the faith, hope and love that allowed you to joyfully renounce the pleasures of earthly life and to radically follow our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pray for us that we enjoy the privilege of suffering with and for the poor in the example of Jesus. Help us to be always grateful for the all blessings we have received and the strength to overcome our most pressing concerns, especially…
(Mention your intentions here, followed by the daily prayer)
Day One:
St. Francis, as you left a comfortable life to lead a life of poverty and service to our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask you to pray that we also realize the folly of seeking to amass material gains and experience worldly pleasures. This day I humbly forego (_____) as an offering to God our Father, hoping this act signals a start of my conversion.
Day Two:
Holy St. Francis, when you decided to serve in the manner of our Lord Jesus Christ you entrusted your whole life to his Divine Providence. Emboldened by your example, I resolve to entrust the favorable resolution of my situation to God our Father, through your most kind intercession
Day Three:
Glorious St. Francis, you have acted as a peacemaker even in the face of extreme physical danger. Through your prayers, may we also be imbued with a desire to find peaceful resolutions to the problems that plague us, even in the most trying of times. As an offering to our Almighty Father, I resolve to forgive all the wrongs I have suffered from my fellow men
Day Four:
Holy St. Francis, your concern for God’s creation has caused you to be named patron of ecology. May we, through your prayers, follow your footsteps in being good stewards of all of creation which God our Almighty Father has provided. May we also be faithful stewards of the skills and abilities we have been given
Day Five:
Blessed St. Francis, when you were blessed with the decision to serve our Lord, you abandoned everything and surrendered yourself totally to God’s will. Obtain for us the same trust in God, that the Holy Spirit may guide our every thought, word and deed
Day Six:
Holy St. Francis, through your prayers, may we be blessed with the desire to give all of our strength, and abilities towards serving God’s purpose in our lives. May our lives be filled with complete faith and the hope of spending eternity with our Heavenly Father
Day Seven:
Glorious St. Francis, you were untiring in your service to the poor. Obtain for us the same capacity for mercy and desire to give of ourselves that we may one day be considered worthy of the promises of Christ.
Day Eight:
Holy St. Francis, you spent your life evangelizing and won over many people to God. We beseech you to have pity on us poor sinners, that through your intercession, God may grant that our doubts be replaced with the certainty that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide us through life’s many trials towards His eternal kingdom
Day Nine:
Almighty Father, through the kind intercession of St. Francis, we humbly ask for the grace to be free of the fears and anxieties that beset us, especially (repeat your special intentions and requests here).
May we be relieved of the causes of our distress, that we may be able to better serve as the instruments of your Divine Purpose on earth