St. Anthony de Padua Novena June 5th -June 13th

St. Anthony de Padua Novena June 5th -June 13th St. Anthony de Padua Novena 1

Saint Anthony de Padua St. Anthony de Padua was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195. He joined the Augustinian Order when he was 16. In 1220, he witnessed the courage of five Franciscan friars who were on their way to Morocco, where they were martyred. He was so impressed by their love of the Lord that he became a follower of St. Francis of Assisi. Like St. Francis, St. Anthony was loved by the common people. He was famous for his preaching, especially to those who had lost their faith. He had hoped to become a missionary, but poor health prevented him from accomplishing this dream. Yet, St. Anthony continued to serve the Lord whom he loved so profoundly that one of his friends even had a vision of him holding the child Jesus, in his arms. St. Anthony still expresses that love today through his intercession as the patron of the lost, and many good deeds done for the poor in his name. St. Anthony died in 1231, at the age of 36. He is buried in the Sanctuary dedicated to him in Padua, Italy. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 2

Special thanks to St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church for use of this adapted version of their St. Anthony Novena. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 3

Prayer to St. Anthony de Padua (Each Day) Lord, may our faith in you open us to a new life that springs from the Spirit and is sustained by you. May it make us part of a Spirit-filled humanity, whose fruits are love, peace, and joy. Grant through the intercession of St. Anthony that we may continue to grow in our faith. In following the witness of his life may we live in peace. In union with St. Anthony let us raise our hearts to you, our source of hope and consolation. Amen. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 4

First Day: We are called through Baptism Creator God, you are ever with us, ever faithful. You sent your Son into this world to share our journey and to walk with us in light and darkness, sorrow and joy. You call each one of us into an intimate relationship with you in Baptism. You reveal yourself, Creator God, as our father, Abba, your son, Jesus Christ, is our brother, and your living spirit lives in our hearts. We praise and thank you for your call and ask for your strength and light to ever ponder your love for us. Our Father Hail Mary Glory be to the Father We give you thanks for the example we see in St. Anthony de Padua. St. Anthony said yes to your call with an undivided heart. We ask his help to follow his shining example. His shining example of faithfulness through many difficulties. St. Anthony de Padua St. Anthony, faithful servant of the Lord St. Anthony, reflection of God s Love St. Anthony, messenger of truth St. Anthony, man of compassion St. Anthony, man of courage St. Anthony, pray with us and for all the intentions of this novena. We pray especially for the intentions we carry in our hearts and now place before you. (Pause and pray in silence for your intentions) With St. Anthony, we give praise and glory to God for calling us to be God s family through Baptism. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 5

Second Day: We are called to be Eucharistic People Lord, we are travelers on the journey of life. At times, this journey is very difficult. The storms of life hit us and disorientate us. At times, we do not know where you are or what we should do. We feel lost and helpless and we walk in the darkness and fear of uncertainty. We suffer loss and pain and feel very alone. We thank you for giving us an anchor to hold us safe. This is the table to which you invite us. Here we are together as your people in mutual love and support, which flows from the gift of your body and blood. You give Yourself to each one of us. You call us to share the one bread and the one cup. Lord, you are the light that shines in darkness. You are the spirit that gives us joy and peace. Thank you for calling us to share in your banquet of love. Our Father Hail Mary Glory Be to the Father... Lord, your servant St. Anthony of Padua saw the Eucharistic celebration as the very source and the summit of his life with you. Help us to follow his example and to see our celebration of the Eucharist as the center of our lives. Help us to come from your table and live in peace. St. Anthony, who centered his life in the Eucharist St. Anthony, heart of love St. Anthony, heart of compassion St. Anthony, heart of wisdom St. Anthony, seeker of the lost St. Anthony, light of Christ Lord, your servant, St. Anthony de Padua lived this in the spirit of his father, Francis. May the example of his life, drawing his strength from the Holy Eucharist, inspire us to look into our hearts. Let us be at peace with ourselves and like St. Anthony, be instruments of your peace. St. Anthony, pray with us and for all the intentions of this novena. We pray especially for the intentions, which we carry in our hearts. (Pause and pray in silence for your intentions) With St. Anthony, we give praise and glory to God for calling us to be a Eucharistic people. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 6

Third Day: We are called to live in Faith Lord, you gave us the wonderful gift of faith. Each one of us in uniquely made in your image and likeness. You call us to a life of wonder and discovery. We are ever discovering who we are. Help us to be ever open to this mystery. Never let us get so caught up in the complexity and noise of daily living that we lose the ability to wonder. It is through this journey to our hearts that we discover the hearts of our sisters and brothers. Help us to learn more and more about the depths of ourselves so that we see and appreciate the uniqueness of others. Teach us gentleness with ourselves so that we may learn gentleness to others. Help us to see the true picture of ourselves unfolding. Keep us from harsh judgments of ourselves and others. May we ever be grateful for all of life s experiences, which teach us so much real wisdom. Help us to find time to relax so that we can contemplate the wonder of our gift of faith. Help us to see this wonder reflected in the lives of fellow human beings and in the beauty of your creation. Our Father Hail Mary Glory be to the Father In the life and preaching of your servant St. Anthony we see his deep sense of wonder at the gift of faith. We see his gentleness and compassion. His heart was touched with the wonderful vision of you as a child. His response of love and care marked the rest of his life and ministry. Help us to follow his example as we learn to love and care for our brothers and sisters. It is through this love that we can respond to your loving gift of faith, thanksgiving and praise. St. Anthony, man of wonder St. Anthony, man of compassion St. Anthony, man of wisdom St. Anthony, man of gentleness St. Anthony, man of love St. Anthony, man of peace St. Anthony, man of joy St. Anthony, man of faith St. Anthony, pray with us and for all of the intentions of this novena. Pray especially for the intentions, which we carry in our hearts. (Pause and pray in silence for your intentions) With St. Anthony, we give praise and glory to God for calling us to live out our gifts of faith. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 7

Fourth Day: We are called to live in Hope Lord Jesus, teach us to pray. We know it is through prayer that you touch our hearts and fill them with hope in the most difficult moments of life. Let the light of your hope be with us in the darkness of grief and in the pain of suffering body, mind, and spirit. Open our hearts and increase our hope that we may accept more deeply your faithful love and the wonder of your presence of your Holy Spirit, the source of hope within us. It is in giving ourselves the gift of time we can, with your disciples, ask you to teach us how to pray and hear anew these words: Our Father Hail Mary Glory be to the Father We see in the life of your servant St. Anthony de Padua a wonderful commitment to spending time with you in prayer. This was the foundation of his great virtue of hope. Help us O Lord to follow his example. St. Anthony de Padua, example of hope St. Anthony, man of prayer St. Anthony, whose heart was filled with the love of God St. Anthony, who always found time for God St. Anthony, whose life praised God St. Anthony, pray with us and for all the intentions of this novena, we pray especially for the intentions that we carry in our hearts and now place before you. (Pause and pray in silence for your intentions) With St. Anthony, we give praise and glory to God for calling us to live the great virtue of hope through prayer. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 8

Fifth Day: We are called to Love Lord, you called us to be your people. We share the presence of your Holy Spirit. You gave us your commandment, to love one another as you love us. Help us to live this commandment. Let us seek to see beyond the differences and situations, which divide us. You hear our cry for acceptance and love us. From the first moment of creation your Father saw that each person was good. This goodness called upon you to die for us so that we may have the promise of life and life eternal. Help us to search for the depth of goodness in others and so embrace each other with the love you have planted in our hearts. May, together we bring your presence to life in this troubled world. Love is the light, which overcomes all darkness. Our Father Hail Mary Glory be to the Father In the life of your servant St. Anthony de Padua, we see him reaching out to his brothers and sisters, bringing to your people the good news of gifts of life and love. Preaching your gospel, he reached out and related to all whom he met. Their touched hearts continually inspired St. Anthony in his ministry. May we follow his example in our lives. St. Anthony de Padua St. Anthony, led by the light of love St. Anthony, who reached out to all St. Anthony, with the caring heart St. Anthony, who saw the good in others St. Anthony, inspired by the love of others St. Anthony, messenger of God s word St. Anthony, man of peace St. Anthony, pray with us and for all of the intentions of this novena. Pray especially for the intentions, which we carry in our hearts and now place before you. (Pause and pray in silence for your own intentions) With St. Anthony, we give praise and glory to God for calling us to be his living body of love and peace. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 9

Sixth Day: We are called to forgiveness and reconciliation Lord, you love us with limitless love. It is with us every moment of our lives. You never forget us and never abandon us. You love us on the mountains of light and joy in our lives. You love us in the dark valleys of sin and despair. You long for our return, and seek us out when we stray. You are the loving Father of the prodigal son. You are the good shepherd, who, finding us in the wilderness takes us on your shoulders and bring us back to your light and the fullness of life, rejoicing. Open our eyes that we might see our faults, failings, and sinfulness, and in seeing them accept your loving forgiveness. May we learn to forgive as we are forgiven and celebrate our reconciliation with you and with each other. The Confiteor (page 14) Lord, the life of your servant St. Anthony de Padua revolved around your great message of forgiving and reconciliation. This was his compassionate call to the people of his time, just as it is for us today. Help each one of us to hear this call, Come to me all you who are labored and heavily burdened and I will give you rest. St. Anthony de Padua St. Anthony, messenger of reconciliation St. Anthony, friend of sinners St. Anthony, hope of the hopeless St. Anthony, minister of God s forgiveness St. Anthony, giver of consolation St. Anthony, light in the darkness St. Anthony pray with us and for all the intentions of this novena. Pray especially for the intentions, which we carry in our hearts and now place before the Lord through your intercession. (Pause and pray in silence for your intentions) With St. Anthony, we give praise and glory to God for calling us to forgiveness and reconciliation. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 10

Seventh Day: We are called to care and love of self Lord, we strive to love you and our neighbor. We sometimes forget your golden rule, which says we must love others as we love ourselves. Here very often is the source is our difficulties. We forget to love and care for ourselves. As a result we get stressed out and find relationships very difficult. You call us to care for ourselves; for the quality of this care is the only foundation from which we can care for others. When I am hard on myself, I will be hard on others. When I am angry with myself, I will be angry with others. When I judge myself harshly, I will judge others harshly. If I do not strive to care and understand myself, I cannot care for, understand, or love others. Lord, let others ever remind me of your presence: As you do to others so you do unto me, says the Lord. Our Father Hail Mary Glory be to the Father St. Anthony de Padua strived each day of his life in your service to live your golden rule, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. Help us to follow his example and let that love begin in our hearts. St. Anthony de Padua St. Anthony, gentle in heart St. Anthony, respecter of the gift of life St. Anthony, respecter of the gift of health St. Anthony, furnace of love St. Anthony, understanding soul St. Anthony, instrument of peace St. Anthony, pray with us and for all the intentions of this novena and especially for the intentions, which we carry in our hearts and now place before you. (Pause and pray in silence for your intentions) With St. Anthony, we give praise and glory to God for calling us to not only care for others, but to care for ourselves. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 11

Eighth Day: We are called to be instruments of peace Lord as we look at our troubled world of poverty, injustice, violence and war it is difficult for us to realize that you died for all people. You called all to discover that we are, in spite of our many differences, called to be brothers and sisters. Through the power of your redemption no man or woman is born into this to be an island onto themselves. We are called to be a community. It is through relationships, alone, that we can grow in the full potential of your creating love. In our own lives we can allow the wounds of life to fester and become a source of division between us. Lord, give us the strength to heal. May we reach our own potential for growth through the realization of the potential of others to grow and change. We are your church on earth. May each one of us strive to love each other as you love us, and so discover your great gift of your peace. May this peace be seen in our every thought, word and deed, so that each one of us may be instruments of your peace. Let there be peace, O Lord, in our troubled world and let it begin with me. Our Father Hail Mary Glory be to the Father Lord, St. Anthony de Padua gave his life to the service of your people. He saw his poor health not as a barrier, but rather a means through which to reach out to the poor, the weak and the abandoned. May we see in our own weakness the way to embrace the weakness in our brothers and sisters. May we walk with them, not in judgment or criticism but rather with deep understanding, love and peace. St. Antony de Padua St. Anthony, whose weakness became a source of love St. Anthony, friend of the poor St. Anthony, seeker of the lost St. Anthony, wounded healer St. Anthony, servant of the gospel St. Anthony, instrument of God s peace St. Anthony, pray with us and for all the intentions of this novena. Pray especially for the intentions which we carry in our hearts and now place before the Lord through your intercession. (Pause and pray in silence for your own intentions) With St. Anthony we give praise and glory to God for calling us to grow in love and peace. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 12

Ninth Day: Let your light shine Lord, we know that you are with us. You are our guiding light. Let that light shine on every aspect of our lives. May we reflect this light and love to all, so that we may grow ever closer to each other and to you. We are gathered here for this novena. We hear your word and we are nourished at your table. May this experience be a source of renewal in our lives. May each one of us be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. May we care for ourselves as we reach out and care for our loved ones, neighbors and each person we meet. Let us pray as Jesus taught us: Our Father Let us ask the Blessed Mother to pray with us: Hail Mary Glory Be to the Father... St. Anthony de Padua, servant of the Lord, we thank you for the example you have given us. We thank you for your love and care. May we let the light of Christ shine in our lives as we see it so brightly in yours. St. Anthony, continue to care for each one of us. Keep us close to our loving Lord in joy and sorrow. Be with us on our final journey that we may also be in the presence of Christ, forever and ever, Amen. St. Anthony de Padua St. Anthony, light of Christ St. Anthony, ever faithful St. Anthony, salt of the earth St. Anthony, heart of love and care St. Anthony, man of joy St. Anthony, man of peace St. Anthony, man of hope St. Anthony, pray with us and for all the intentions of this novena. Pray especially for the intentions, which we carry in our hearts and place before you. (Pause and pray in silence for your intentions) With St. Anthony we give praise and glory and thanks to God. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 13

The Confiteor I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. St. Anthony de Padua Novena 14