Novena To

St. Jude

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors
and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost
despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help
is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may
receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations,
and sufferings, particularly -
(make your request here)
- and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed
St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always
honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion
to you.
Amen

PRAYER

May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until
the end of time. Amen.

May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen

St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.

Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity.
(say this prayer, followed by the Our Father and the Hail Mary)



Little Flower Novena
Prayers to be said each day:
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of
divine love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray: O God, who have instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the
Holy Spirit; grant that by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be ever truly wise and
rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love: O my God! I believe in Thee: strengthen my faith.
All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee
daily more and more.

The Act of Contrition: O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and
I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most
of all because they offend You, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my
love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance ,
and to amend my life. Amen.

Concluding Prayer Prayed Each Day:
O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the
kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of
heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thrse, that we may attain to an everlasting
reward. Amen.
First Day

St. Thrse, privileged Little Flower of Jesus and Mary, I approach you with childlike
confidence and deep humility. I lay before you my desires, and beg that through your
intercession they may be realized. Did you not promise to spend your heaven doing
good upon earth? Grant me according to this promise the favors I am asking from you.

Intercede for us all the days of our life, but specially during this Novena and obtain
for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Confidence in God. We can never have too much confidence in
the good God who is so powerful and so merciful. We obtain from Him as much as we
hope for.
If you are nothing, do you forget that Jesus is everything? You have only to lose your
nothingness in His Infinity and think only of loving Him.

Concluding Prayer

Second Day

O dear little Saint, now that you see the crucified Jesus in heaven, still bearing the
wounds caused by sin, you know still more clearly than you did upon earth the value
of souls, and the priceless worth of that Precious Blood which He shed to save them.
As I am one of those children for whom Christ died, obtain for me all the graces I
need in order to profit by that Precious Blood. Use your great power with our divine
Lord and pray for me.

Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain
for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Sin. The only grace I ask, O Jesus, is never to offend Thee.
By love and not by fear, does a soul avoid committing the least fault.
Yes, even if I have on my conscience every possible crime, I should lose none of my
confidence; my heart breaking with sorrow, I should go and throw myself into the
arms of my Savior.
The remembrance of my faults humbles me and makes me afraid to rely on my own
strength, which is nothing but weakness.

Concluding Prayer

Third Day

Dear Little Flower, make all things lead me to heaven and God, Whether I look at the
sun, the moon, the stars and the vast expanse in which they float, or whether I look at
the flowers of the field, the trees of the forest, the beauties of the earth so full of color
and so glorious, may they speak to me of the love and power of God; may they all
sing His praises in my ear. Like you may I daily love Him more and more in return for
His gifts. Teach me often to deny myself in my dealings with others, that I may offer
to Jesus many little sacrifices.

Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain
for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: The Use of Gods Gifts. How much benefit have I received from
the beauties of nature, bestowed in such abundance. How they raise me to Him who
placed such wonders in this land of exile which is only to last a day.
O sparkling nature, if I did not see God in you, you would be naught but a great tomb.
With your little hand which caresses Mary, You sustain the universe and bestow life;
and You think of me, O Jesus my little King.
I do not wish creatures to have one atom of my love. I wish to give all to Jesus, since
He has shown me that He alone is perfect happiness.

Concluding Prayer

Fourth Day

Dear Little Flower of Carmel, bearing so patiently the disappointments and delays
allowed by God, and preserving in the depths of your soul an unchanging peace
because you sought only Gods will, ask for me complete conformity to that adorable
Will in all the trials and disappointments of life. If the favors I am asking during this
Novena are pleasing to God, obtain them for me. If not, it is true I shall feel the
refusal keenly, but I too wish only Gods Will, and pray in the words you used, that I
"may ever be perfectly fulfilled in me."

Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain
for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Abandonment to God. I fear only one thing---to keep my own
will; take it, my God, for I choose all that You choose.
The only happiness here below is to strive to be always content with what Jesus gives
us.
I can demand nothing with fervor, except the perfect accomplishment of Gods will in
my soul.
O my Beloved, I offer myself to You, that You may perfectly accomplish in me Your
holy designs, and I will not allow anything created to be an obstacle in their path.

Concluding Prayer

Fifth Day

Little Flower of Jesus, from the very first moment of your religious life you thought
only of denying yourself in all things so as to follow Jesus more perfectly; help me to
bear patiently the trials of my daily life. Teach me to make use of the trials, the
sufferings, the humiliations, that come my way, to learn to know myself better and to
love God more.

Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain
for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Patience in Sufferings. I do not fear trials sent by Jesus, for
even in the most bitter suffering we can see that it is His loving hand which causes it.
When we are expecting nothing but suffering, we are quite surprised at the least joy;
but then suffering itself becomes the greatest of joys when we seek it as a precious
treasure.
Far from resembling those beautiful saints who practiced all sorts of austerities from
childhood, my penance consisted in breaking my self-will, in keeping back a sharp
reply, in doing little kindnesses to those about me, but considering these deeds as
nothing.

Concluding Prayer

Sixth Day

St. Thrse, Patroness of the Missions, be a great missionary throughout the world to
the end of time. Remind our Master of His own words, "The harvest is great, but the
laborers are few." Your zeal for souls was so great, obtain a like zeal for those now
working for souls, and beg God to multiply their numbers, that the millions to whom
Jesus is yet unknown may be brought to know, love and follow Him.

Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain
for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Zeal for souls. Let us work together for the salvation of souls.
We have only the day of this life to save souls and to give them to the Lord as proofs
of our love.
I tell Jesus that I am glad not to be able to see, with the eyes of my soul, this beautiful
heaven which awaits me, in order that He may vouchsafe to open it forever to poor
unbelievers.
I cannot perform brilliant works; I cannot preach the Gospel or shed my blood. But
what matter? My brothers work in place of me, and I a little child, keep very close to
the royal throne. I love for those who are carrying on the warfare.
My deeds, my little sufferings, can make God loved all over the world.

Concluding Prayer

Seventh Day

O little martyr of Love, you know now even better than in the days of your pilgrimage
that Love embraces all vocations; that it is Love alone which counts, which unites us
perfectly to God and conforms our will with His. All you sought on earth was love; to
love Jesus as He had never yet been loved. Use your power in heaven to make us love
Him. If only we love Him we shall desire to make Him loved by others; we shall pray
much for souls. We shall no longer fear death, for it will unite us to Him forever.
Obtain for us the grace to do all for the love of God, to give Him pleasure, to love
Him so well that He may be pleased with us as He was with you.

Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain
for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Love of God. I will love God alone and will not have the
misfortune of attaching myself to creatures, now that my heart perceive what He has
in store for those who love Him.
What attracts me to the kingdom of Heaven is the call of our Lord, the hope of loving
Him as I have so desired and the thought that I shall be able to make Him loved by a
great number of souls who will bless Him forever.
When Christ said, "Give Me a Drink," it was the love of His poor creatures that He,
the Creator of all things, desired. He thirsted for love.
Remember that the dear Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you, for you
alone. Remember that He is consumed with a desire to come into your heart.

Concluding Prayer

Eighth Day

Dear St. Thrse, like you I have to die one day. I beseech you, obtain from God, by
reminding Him of your own precious death, that I may have a holy death,
strengthened by the Sacraments of the Church, entirely resigned to the most holy Will
of God, and burning with love for Him. May my last words on earth be, "My God. I
love You."

Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain
for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: Death. It says in the catechism that death is nothing but the
separation of the soul and body. Well, I have no fear of a separation which will unite
me forever with the good God.
I am happy to die because I shall be able to help souls who are dear to me, far more
than I can here below.
Life is not sad; it is very joyous. If you say, "This exile is sad," I understand you. We
are wrong to give the name "life" to something which will end; it is only to the things
of Heaven that we should apply this beautiful name.

Concluding Prayer

Ninth Day

Dear Little St. Thrse, by love and suffering while you were on earth, you won the
power with God which you now enjoy in heaven. Since your life there began, you
have showered down countless blessings on this poor world; you have been an
instrument made use of by your divine Spouse to work countless miracles. I beg of
you to remember all my wants. Sufferings must come to me also, may I use them to
love God more, and follow my Jesus better. You are especially the little missionary of
love. Make me love Jesus more, and all others for His sake. With all my heart I thank
the most Holy Trinity for the wonderful blessings conferred on you, and upon the
world through you.

Intercede for us all the days of our life, but especially during this Novena and obtain
for us from God the graces and favors we ask through your intercession. Amen.

Thought for the day: The Mission of the Little Flower. I do not intend to remain
inactive in Heaven. I want to work for the Church and for souls. I have asked this of
God and I am certain that He will grant my request.
I will spend my Heaven doing good upon earth. This is not impossible, since the
angels though always enjoying the beatific vision, watch over us. No, I cannot be at
rest until the end of the world.
I beseech Thee, O Jesus, to cast Thy divine glance on a great number of little souls. I
beg of Thee to choose in this world a legion of little victims, worthy of Thy Love.

Concluding Prayer

O Lord, You have said: Unless you become as little children you shall not enter the
kingdom of heaven; grant us, we beg You, so to follow, in humility and simplicity of
heart, the footsteps of the Virgin blessed Thrse, that we may attain to an everlasting
reward. Amen.

Novena to St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of students and Catholic schools, I thank God for the gifts of light and
knowledge he bestowed on you, which you used to build up the Church in love. I thank God, too,
for the wealth and richness of theological teaching you left in your writings. Not only were you a
great teacher, you lived a life of virtue and you made holiness the desire of your heart. If I cannot
imitate you in the brilliance of your academic pursuits, I can follow you in the hu mility and
charity which marked your life. As St. Paul said, charity is the greatest gift, and it is open to all.
Pray for me that I might grow in holiness and charity. Pray also for Catholic schools, and for all
students. In particular, please obtain the favor I ask during this novena (mention your request).
Amen.

First Day
St. Thomas, called by God
"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Mt 10:37).
St. Thomas, as a young man you became convinced that God was calling you to religious life.
Although your family was opposed to it, you were determined to follow God's call. Even when your
brothers kidnapped you and forced you to remain a prisoner in your own house, you did not give
up but waited patiently for God's hour. St. Thomas, pray for all young people who are considering
their vocation in life. Help them to be open to the call of God. Inspire them to make choices
motivated by love for God and an unselfish love for other people. Whatever their state in life,
help them to see their chosen path as a call to service. May all married couples, single persons,
priests and religious build up the Church through lives of unselfish devotion and love. (Recite the
novena prayer.)
Second Day
St. Thomas, lover of purity
"For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness" (1 Thes 4:7).
St. Thomas, you had a great esteem for the virtue of purity. When your family tried to deter you
from entering the Dominicans by sending a woman to lead you into sin, you resisted the
temptation and deter mined to consecrate your chastity to God forever.
Today we are immersed in a culture that degrades the gift of human sexuality. Human persons are
viewed as objects of pleasure and their human dignity is devalued. As a consequence, society
tolerates abortion, disregarding human life at the very outset. Children suffer abuse and families
are damaged by infidelity.
Pray that our society may once again value the virtue of chastity. Pray that those in the media will
work to promote a Christian view of marriage and family life. May the plague of pornography in all
its forms be eliminated. May Christian moral standards act as a leaven in society and bring about a
greater respect for human life. (Recite the novena prayer.)
Third Day
St. Thomas, example of humility
"All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted" (Mt
23:12).
St. Thomas, when you were a young student some of your classmen called you the "dumb ox." Al
though you were more intelligent than all of them, you bore their insults patiently without
retaliating. You were endowed with a keen mind but recognized that God is the source of all gifts.
You humbly acknowledged your dependence on God, and begged him to enlighten you so that you
would act only for his glory.
St. Thomas, pray for me that I too learn to act out of humility and never from the empty desire
for esteem in the sight of others. Help me to seek only God's glory and to act with a right
intention. May I seek to humble myself now, so that in heaven I will shine like the stars for all
eternity. (Recite the novena prayer.)
Fourth Day
St. Thomas, devoted to truth
"But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into
Christ" (Eph 4:15).
St. Thomas, you devoted your life to seeking the truth and explaining it to others. You dedicated
your mind to God, and used it to probe the Word of God more deeply. Your gifts as a theologian
and philosopher make you stand out as one of the greatest doctors of the Church. In your
discussions, you made truth your primary aim, while treating respectfully anyone who differed
with you.
Obtain for me too a great love of truth. Help me to ponder God's word so as to draw from it the
light I need to nourish myself spiritually. Keep me firmly rooted in the truth, and never let me be
swayed by false teachings. I pray also for those who are lost in darkness; please bring them into
the light of truth. (Recite the novena prayer.)
Fifth Day
St. Thomas, afire with love for the Blessed
Sacrament

"So Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink
his blood, you have no life in you"' (Jn 6:53).
St. Thomas, you had a great love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and spent many hours in adoration
be fore the Blessed Sacrament. You once said that you learned more from prayer before the
tabernacle than from many hours of study. The Church owes you a debt of gratitude for the
beautiful Eucharistic hymns you wrote at the request of Pope Urban IV, for the newly-established
feast of Corpus Christi.
Pray that I too might be inflamed with an ardent love for the Holy Eucharist. Help me to always
esteem and reverence this wonderful sacrament. Pray for me that I might always participate
devoutly in Mass, receive Holy Communion with great fervor, and often visit Jesus in the
tabernacle. Through con tact with the Eucharistic Lord, may my heart overflow with love for God
and for my neighbor. (Recite the novena prayer.)
Sixth Day
St. Thomas, filled with charity

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist
on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in
the truth" (1 Cor 1 3 :4-6).
St. Thomas, you were noted during your life for the charity you showed to others. During debates
at the university, you did not ridicule those who argued with you but treated them with respect
and love. You showed consideration for the needs of other people.
Help me also to be more deeply rooted in love of God and neighbor, keeping in mind Jesus' words,
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (Jn 13:35).
Help me to practice this same charity in a concrete way that does not stop at words, but is shown
with sacrifice. May it begin first of all in my family, and then radiate to everyone I meet. (Recite
the novena prayer.)
Seventh Day
St. Thomas, defender of the church
"...the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth" (1 Tim 3:15).
St. Thomas, from your youth you learned to love the Church, your spiritual home. In your
teaching, you sought to explain and defend the doctrine of the Church, making it known through
your writings. You understood that true wisdom means to let oneself be instructed by the Church,
for Jesus guaranteed that the Holy Spirit would always be with the Church, to lead it into all
truth. At the end of your life you said, "I have taught and written much...according to my faith in
Christ and in the holy Roman Church, to whose judgment I submit all my teaching."
Intercede for the Church today, that it might grow stronger and more spiritually fruitful in the
world. Raise up holy priests, religious and laity, that they may all be the salt of the earth and the
light of the world. Bless the pope in his efforts to guide the Church, witnessing to the power of
the Gospel to renew the face of the earth. May all theologians work to explore the richness of
Catholic teaching so as to show forth its truth and benefit the faithful. Pray for missionaries as
they work to spread the Gospel. May the whole Church be renewed by the power of the Spirit to
more effectively witness to Christ in the world today. (Recite the novena prayer.)
Eighth Day
St. Thomas, teacher of prayer

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving" (Col 4:2).
St. Thomas, you knew that prayer is the source of wisdom and you spent long hours in
conversation with God. Prayer became your very life. Whenever you pondered over a problem in
theology, you turned to prayer to seek God's enlightenment. Now in heaven you see God face to
face. Pray for me, too, that I might become a person of profound prayer. Obtain for me the grace
that I might always pray with humility, confidence and perseverance. Help me to grow more and
more in the spirit of prayer, so that my whole life may become a prayer. May I always seek the
face of the living God.(Recite the novena prayer.)
Ninth Day
St. Thomas, patron of students
"For in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind" (1 Cor
1:5).
St. Thomas, God called you to spend most of your life in academic pursuits, first as a student, and
then as a professor of theology. In your work as a teacher, you desired to help your students apply
what they learned to their lives, in order to grow in holiness. You realized that knowledge is
meant to draw people closer to God. In your teaching you sought to communicate the truth,
desiring to help your students become better Christians.
Pray for all students. Pray for those who may have difficulty in their studies, as well as for those
who can study with ease. Pray that they may all be open to the truth, and always seek to better
under stand it. May they grow in knowledge so as to know God better and to be able to serve their
brothers and sisters as the Lord desires. St. Thomas, pray especially for theologians, that in their
studies and research they may come to a deeper knowledge of revealed doctrine in keeping with
the mind of the Church. May their lives reflect the holiness of the Word of God which they seek to
more fully under stand. (Recite the novena prayer.)
Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas
Patron of Students
Wonderful theologian and Doctor of the Church, you learned more from the Crucifix than from
books. Combining both sources, you left us the marvelous Summa of theology, broadcasting most
glorious enlightenment to all. You always sought for true light and studied for Gods honor and
glory. Help us all to study our religion as well as all other subjects needed for life, without
ambition and pride in imitation of you.
From the Roman Missal
Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor
God our Father, you made Thomas Aquinas known for his holiness and learning. Help us to grow in
wisdom by his teaching, and in holiness by imitating his faith. Grant this through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.