Parish Prayers
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Novena Prayer in honor of Saint Anthony
If, then, you ask for miracles, death, error, all calamities, the leprosy and demons fly, and health succeeds infirmities.The sea obeys, and fetters break, and lifeless limbs thou dost restore, while treasures lost are found again, when young and old thine aid implore.
All dangers vanish at thy prayer and direst need doth quickly flee; let those who know thy power proclaim, let Paduans say these are of thee.
The sea obeys, and fetters break, and lifeless limbs thou dost restore, while treasures lost are found again, when young and old thine aid implore.
May Glory to the Father be, and to the Son eternally, and to the Spirit in essence One, in Persons three, be honor done.
The sea obeys, and fetters break, and lifeless limbs thou dost restore, while treasures lost are found again, when young and old thine aid implore
V. Pray for us St. Anthony
R. That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Almighty eternal God, you have given your people Saint Anthony as an outstanding preacher and intercessor in times of need. Grant that with his help we may follow the example of Christian living and experience your support in all adversities. We ask this though Christ our Lord. Amen.Saint Anthony, listen to the petitions we place before you. We come to you in confidence because of the grace we have received on past occasions.
For those who have lost...
Their faith...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their health..
St. Anthony pray for us
Their peace of mind...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their employment...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their home...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their financial security...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their self-respect...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their independence...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their initial zeal...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their sobriety...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their perspective...
St. Anthony pray for us
Their trust in others...
St. Anthony pray for us
A loved one...
St. Anthony pray for us
A friendship...
St. Anthony pray for us
We pray also...
For peace within our families...
St. Anthony pray for us
For the young and old...
St. Anthony pray for us
For the sick and dying...
St. Anthony pray for us
For an increase in vocations...
St. Anthony pray for us
For the most in need of God's grace..
St. Anthony pray for us
For our own petitions which we express in silence
(pause) For these petitions, we pray...
St. Anthony pray for us
Let us pray.
Loving God, you gave St. Anthony wisdom and grace to live and preach the Gospel of Christ. Fill our hearts with your love that we may imitate the life and work of St. Anthony and create a new world where the love of Jesus is the rule and not the exception. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
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The Litany of Saint Joseph
Leader: Lord, have mercy. Congregation: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: Christ, have mercy.
Congregation: Christ, have mercy.
Leader: Lord, have mercy.
Congregation: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: Christ, hear us.
Congregation: Christ, graciously hear us.
Leader: God, the Father in Heaven,
Congregation: have mercy on us.
Leader: God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Congregation: have mercy on us.
Leader: God the Holy Spirit,
Congregation: have mercy on us.
Leader: Holy Trinity, One God,
Congregation: have mercy on us.
Leader: Holy Mary,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Saint Joseph,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Renowned offspring of David,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Light of Patriarchs,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Spouse of the Mother of God,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Chaste guardian of the Virgin,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Foster-father of the Son of God,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Diligent protector of Christ,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Head of the Holy Family,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Joseph most just,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Joseph most chaste,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Joseph most prudent,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Joseph most strong,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Joseph most obedient,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Joseph most faithful,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Mirror of patience,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Lover of poverty,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Model of artisans,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Glory of home life,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Guardian of virgins,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Pillar of families,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Hope of the sick,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Patron of the dying,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Terror of demons,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Protector of Holy Church,
Congregation: pray for us.
Leader: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Congregation: Spare us, O Lord.
Leader: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Congregation: Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Leader: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Congregation: Have mercy on us.
Leader: He made him the lord of His house:
Congregation: And prince over all his possessions
Let us pray: (together)
O God, who in Thy loving providence did choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Your most Holy Mother, grant, we beseech You, that we may deserve to have him for our intercessor in Heaven, whom on earth we venerate as our protector. Who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.
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The Stations of the Cross
Let Us Pray…
“Jesus said, ‘Where I am going you know the way.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘Master, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.’”
The First Station
Leader: The First Staton: Jesus is unjustly condemned to death by Pilate.
Everyone: “My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? Answer me!”
Leader: Jesus is unjustly condemned to death by Pilate, who tries to escape his guilt by washing his hands of the sentence. Pilate asks, “What is truth?” But truth itself stands silently before him. Jerusalem’s betrayal is bitter to Jesus; yet through the very sins that will break open His heart, He longs to gather everyone to himself. “If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins,” (1 John 1:9) and His truth will come and make a home in us.
Everyone: “He surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; and He shall take away the sins of many and win pardon for their offenses.” (Isaiah 53:12)
Leader: Jesus, Son of God,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to her Son to the last.
The Second Station
Leader: The Second Staton: Jesus accepts the Cross.
Everyone: “He emptied himself and took the form of a slave. Being born in the likeness of men, He humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a Cross.” (Philippians 2:7-8)
Leader: Jesus accepts the Cross. Alone we do not have the strength it takes to accept the Cross. Weakness, fear and doubt easily overwhelm us. Only the grace and love of Christ make it possible. He embraced all the depth of human suffering and lifted it up to the Father, taking on himself the Cross and carrying it to the end. Everything borne for the sake of Christ and by His grace binds us closely with Him on the road to the Father, upheld in our pain and weakness by his promise of infinite fidelity: I am always with you, I am given for you.
Everyone: “The Lord, your God, carried you, as a man carries his child, all along your journey.” (Deuteronomy 1:31)
Leader: Jesus, way to the Father,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.
The Third Station
Leader: The Third Staton: Jesus falls the first time under the heavy weight of the Cross.
Everyone: “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His footsteps.” (1 Peter 2:21)
Leader: Jesus falls the first time under the heavy weight of the Cross. He knows that the jolt of pain He feels as He hits the earth is only a taste of what will come, but it is still an aching shoulder to His scourged and bleeding body. He has only begun and already it is so hard to go on, but His love for the Father and His hunger for our salvation impel Him. He is drawn by the determination, even the urgency of desire. He must complete His course; He has come to do the Father’s will.
Everyone: “Son though He was, He learned obedience through what He suffered; and when He was made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.” (Hebrews 5:8-9)
Leader: Jesus, Lover of mankind,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
O how sad and sore distressed,
was that Mother, highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One.
The Fourth Station
Leader: The Fourth Staton: Jesus meets His mother.
Everyone: “He loved His own in the world, and He loved them to the end. (John 13:1)
Leader: Jesus meets His afflicted Mother and sees with love and sorrow into her pure heart, where compassion at the sight of Him has shot her through to the depths. He also sees to the end of the road He must travel and comforts her, as each grieves for the other. They shared life together; now together they cry, “Look and see, is there any sorrow like my sorrow?” (Lamentations 1:12) Mary is wrapped in the mystery of suffering, always beside her Son; she is the servant of the Lord.
Everyone: “As we have shared much in the suffering of Christ, so through Christ do we share abundantly in His consolation.” (2 Corinthians 1:5)
Leader: Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Christ above in torment hangs,
she beneath beholds the pangs
of her dying glorious Son.
The Fifth Station
Leader: The Fifth Staton: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross.
Everyone: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” (Matthew 11:29)
Leader: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross. Perhaps not even a disciple of Jesus, Simon is forced to help Him by the Roman soldiers as he passes by. His natural reaction is to resist this unexpected burden; still, he feels pity for the weary man who leans on him now in gratitude and humility. Bending close to listen to Jesus’ quiet words, Simon shoulders the Cross and carries it for awhile on the way.
Everyone: “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
Leader: Jesus, gentle and humble of heart,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?
The Sixth Station
Leader: The Sixth Staton: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
Everyone: “I was sick and you cared for me.” (Matthew 25:36)
Leader: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Who is this woman, who not caring for the scorn of the crowd, saw only the face of Jesus in His suffering and ran to touch Him with her simple act of mercy? Perhaps, she is someone who has suffered herself, who sees in His eyes the reflection of her own long journey. She knows how much one small act of kindness means on the way. Veronica, true image, you will not be forgotten in His Kingdom.
Everyone: “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)
Leader: Jesus, Beautiful One, radiant Image of the Father’s glory,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother’s pain untold?
The Seventh Station
Leader: The Seventh Staton: Jesus falls a second time under the Cross.
Everyone: “My sins have fallen upon me and my sight fails me.” (Psalm 40:1)
Leader: Jesus falls a second time under the Cross and struggles to get up again. Some of those standing by even laugh at His efforts; He becomes exhausted and falls. As we keep on falling, in spite of all our efforts and prayers, it can seem that our foolish sinfulness is an impossible burden and that we will never truly love God. But it is He who first loved us and who reminds us when we lose heart that by His labor and sweat, we are able to seek and find Him: “Christ died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:15) And He shows us how to rise by falling.
Everyone: “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light.” (Micah 7:8)
Leader: Jesus, Life-giver,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
For the sins of His own nation,
she saw Jesus wracked with torment,
all with bloody scourges rent.
The Eighth Station
Leader: The Eighth Staton: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.
Everyone: “Do not weep for me but for yourselves and for your children.” (Luke 23:28)
Leader: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem, who weep with pity for Him as He passes by. But He wants them to see beyond this moment of sympathy, to weep with Him for the true cause of tears. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, for unrepentant sinners, for all who turn their back on God and so cannot be healed. True repentance is a grace, a gift asked for and received in tears, for ourselves and for all sinners, especially those most in darkness.
Everyone: “Let my eyes stream with tears, day and night without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people over her incurable wound.” (Jeremiah 14:17)
Leader: Jesus, our light and our salvation,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
She beheld her tender Child,
saw Him hang in desolation,
till His spirit forth He sent.
The Ninth Station
Leader: The Ninth Staton: Jesus falls the third time.
Everyone: “Heal me, O Lord, my body is racked, my soul is racked with pain.” (Psalm 6:4-5)
Leader: Jesus falls the third time and is pinned to the earth under His heavy Cross. In pain, and hardly able to breathe, it seems almost futile—and anyway impossible—to rise again: “Spent and utterly crushed, I cry aloud in anguish of heart.” (Psalm 38:9) In our own moment of absolute failure, there is also an absolute choice between despair and hope, ourselves or God. The Lord waits humbly to enter in at the door of our helplessness. Jesus, at the end of His human strength, lets the soldiers help Him to take the last steps to His crucifixion.
Everyone: “My soul lies in the dust; by your word revive me.” (Psalm 119:25)
Leader: Jesus, Hope of all the living,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
O thou Mother! Font of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord.
The Tenth Station
Leader: The Tenth Staton: Jesus is stripped of His garments.
Everyone: “Like a lamb led to the slaughter, or like a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
Leader: Jesus is stripped of His garments. To mock Him the soldiers had dressed Him in purple robes and given Him a crown of thorns; now, in their greed, they take from Him the tunic He will not need in death. Jesus is naked as He came into the world, naked as Adam, a bare kernel of wheat. The last tie to human life is severed; the poverty of His wounded body is exposed, a pure offering prepared for sacrifice. (Hebrews 10:5)
Everyone: Son, Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust.” (Genesis 22:8)
Leader: Jesus, Holy One,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ my Lord.
The Eleventh Station
Leader: The Eleventh Staton: Jesus is nailed to the Cross.
Everyone: “They have pierced my hands and my feet; they have numbered all my bones.” (Psalm 22:16-17)
Leader: Jesus is nailed to the Cross. Until death He will be fixed in this place. Unable to move, with searing anguish in every direction, He is stretched out and fastened to the altar of the Cross. He has been handed over to our mercy: “I looked for compassion but I found none.” (Psalm 69:21) In the moment He is nailed to the Cross, becoming the paschal victim, He also becomes our High Priest whose perfect offering seals our redemption once and for all in His blood. “It was not nails, but love that held Him to the Cross.” (St. Catherine of Siena).
Everyone: “See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name.” (Isaiah 49:16)
Leader: Jesus, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Holy Mother! Pierce me through,
in my heart each wound renew
of my Savior crucified.
The Twelfth Station
Leader: The Twelfth Staton: Jesus dies on the Cross.
Everyone: “And looking up to heaven, to you, His almighty Father, He gave you thanks and praise. He took the bread, broke it and said to His disciples, “Take this, all of you, and eat it. This is my body, which will be given up for you.”
Leader: Jesus dies on the Cross. In His human agony He cries out, “Why have you abandoned me?” but also, “It is finished.” On the Cross, even in desolation, the Father’s will is done. In the intimacy of Holy Thursday, at the Last Supper with His friends, Jesus made a pact with us: the New Covenant in His blood. Now His part has been fulfilled.
Everyone: “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32)
Leader: Jesus, Bread of Life, Redeemer of the world,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Let me share with thee His pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.
The Thirteenth Station
Leader: The Thirteenth Staton: Jesus is taken down from the Cross.
Everyone: “Adoration and glory belong by right to the Lamb who was slain.”
Leader: Jesus is taken down from the Cross and mourned by those whom He loved. Mary receives Him back into her arms; He was her only Son. But Jesus has given her John, and she comforts the beloved disciple, now as his mother, while he lays his head a last time on Jesus’ heart. Mary Magdalen kneels nearby and weeps. She has lost her Lord, the one who sought and found her. Jesus’ dearest disciples are drawn together at the foot of the Cross, united in love and remembrance, His faithful ones.
Everyone: “The Lamb, who is in the center of the throne, will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)
Leader: Jesus, crucified for us,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live.
The Fourteenth Station
Leader: The Fourteenth Staton: Jesus is laid in the tomb.
Everyone: “He has lain down, like a lion…who will rouse him?” (Genesis 49:9)
Leader: Jesus is laid in the tomb. Covered with the shroud, His body is left in the silent darkness. It is the eve of the Sabbath. The closed tomb is a mystery, the hollow space and finality of death. In this tomb, Christ lies suspended at the mystery’s darkest point; and here, in awesome mystery, He travels beyond it to shatter the bonds of death by His death and to open the way to eternal life for all who die in Him.
Everyone: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light…Rise! Let us leave this place, for you are in me, and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.” (Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday, author unknown.)
Leader: Jesus, our Resurrection and our Life,
Everyone: Have mercy on us.
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,
Everyone: For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.
By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
all I ask of thee to give.
Everyone:
Holy One!
Holy Strong One!
Holy Immortal One!
Have Mercy on us.
We worship your Cross, O Lord,
And we praise and glorify your holy resurrection,
Because the wood of the Cross
Has brought joy to the world.
Text written by the Dominican Sisters of the Monastery of Our Lady of Grace, North Guilford, CT.
St. Paul Parish – Kensington, CT (2018)
St. Anne Parish – Columbus, GA (2019)
St. Peter Church – Point Pleasant Beach, NJ (2023)
Reprinted With Permission
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