Novena Prayer booklets

If anybody wants a copy of the English and Filipino versions of the Novena Prayers, just send us an email and we can send the pdf copies to you.  The files are in A4 landscape format. You can print it at home. Print as many copies as you like and give them away to your friends and loved ones.

     

Reminder for the June 26 outing

June 27 is the feast day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Click on the blog entry to zoom in.

Devotion to Our Mother Of Perpetual Help

According to tradition when handing over the Icon to the Redemptorsit in 1866. Pope Pius IX expressed the desire that they should make her known to the world. From that time until the present, devotion to the Mother of Perpetual Help has spread all over the world. Thousands of copies of the Picture have been dispatched throughout the world and there are many shrines where copies of the original Icon are venerated and regarded as miraculous.
Among the best known shrines are those in Boston and New York (USA), Haiti, where Our Lady of Perpetual Help is the Patroness of the country; Santiago in Chile, Curitiba, Belém and Manaus in Brazil, Tequisquiapan in Mexico; Belfast and Limerick in Ireland; Bussolengo in Italy; Torun and Cracow in Poland; Singapore and the most famous of all in Manila (Philippines).

The Perpetual Novena which began in St. Loius (USA) in 1927, has made a notable contribution to the spread of this devotion. The Novena has been called ‘Perpetual’, because it is held on a fixed day each week of the year. During the Novena devotions, the faithful not only say the traditional prayer, but they also present written petitions and thanksgivings for favours received. There is also a meditation on some aspect of the spiritual life.

Each year in the month of June, in preparation of the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, There is a Solemn Novena, nine days of prayer and reflection on the christian life.


Source: http://www.baclaranovena.org/

Dear friends,

I guess you all know how it feels to suddenly leave home and not see your loved ones for several years. If it were not for email, IM, Skype, international telephone cards, Facebook, Friendster, Twitter and other electronic ways to connect to our loved ones, it can get very lonely, painful and difficult.

In the Philippines, one out of every 10 Filipinos has chosen to work abroad because of the worsening economic situation in the Philippines. It is very common nowadays to have one member of the family working abroad to support the entire family. Many stories have been told about the sacrifices and loneliness that migrant workers have to endure. Often, they are left to their means to face these challenges.

It is in this spirit that we invite you to join us on a special outing on June 26, 2011. We will visit the Redemptorist church in Wittem, Maastricht where we will pray a novena to the Mother of Perpetual Help, not only for our personal intentions, but also for Filipino migrant community's intentions. On the way to Wittem, we will stop for lunch at the scenic Kasteeltuinen van Arcen (a beautiful castle garden with a small zoo).

For several years now, we have been responding to appeals for support for migrant Filipino workers who have fallen victims of neglect, discrimination, illnesses and injustice. We have raised funds, written letters and organized community actions. We also pray for them, but now, we want to include the fervor of communities of devotees to the Mother of Perpetual Help --- praying a special novena together --- for migrant workers and their loved ones. We will pray this special novena during our trip. Enclosed is a novena guide that you can put in your Bible or anywhere else where you will see it at least once a day. This special novena is a community prayer composed of nine dedications for migrant workers and their loved ones. While most novenas are done in nine consecutive days, this special novena can be done in one day. But we do hope that you will bring your family and friends to pray this novena with us to generate the strong fervor of a community of the faithful praying together.

A special bus will be available for those who wish to join the outing. The bus will leave the Amstel station at 7:30 am and pick up people at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht at 8:30 am. We expect to be at the Kasteeeltuinen van Arcen at 10:30 am where we can enjoy lunch and some sightseeing. At 1:30 pm, we leave the Kasteeltuinen and proceed to Wittem for the Perpetual Help novena where we can pray for all migrant workers, their loved ones and for our own personal intentions. At 6:00 pm, we get back on our bus and go back to Utrecht and Amsterdam. The whole trip will cost 40 euros per person including the entrance fee to the Kasteeltuinen van Arcen. Pack lunch and bring something to share with others. Only a limited number of passengers can be accommodated by the bus, so please call me to reserve a place for you.  

We hope that you can join us on this important trip. What better way to spend a day than being with friends (and new acquaintances), sightseeing and praying as a community?

In Christ,

Mitchy Mallorca-Saturay
Tel: 0613108029

A SPECIAL NOVENA to OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP for MIGRANT WORKERS AND THEIR LOVED ONES

HOW TO PRAY THIS SPECIAL NOVENA

Novena is derived from the Latin "novem", meaning nine. No fixed rules need be laid down, generally speaking, for the making of a novena beyond that of persevering in prayer, usually for nine consecutive days.  

This special novena can be done in one day, but there should be AT LEAST NINE devotees praying together in one place.  We encourage devotees to pray together as there is a special  fervor the union of the faithful at prayer.

1. Read the prayer request together.

2. Recite the opening prayer, the first dedication followed by Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be... 

3. Repeat for the rest of the dedications.

4. Recite the Closing Prayer.

This special Novena consists of nine dedications for migrant workers and their loved ones. This novena can be undertaken by an individual,  family or a group of devotees. It is a response to the urgent appeal of many friends and relatives of Filipinos who have opted to work abroad because of the worsening economic situation in the Philippines.

We pray that will someday be reunited with their families and friends.

A SPECIAL NOVENA to OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP

for MIGRANT WORKERS AND THEIR LOVED ONES

Opening Prayer:

Mother of Perpetual Help, Woman of Eternal Hope, your wordless gaze tells us so much about you. Your knowing eyes look upon us with tender love. While your left hand supports the Child Jesus, your right hand points me to this same Jesus who is our Saviour. Seeing that his sandal will fall to the ground reminds us that we stumble and fall. Intercede for us and never let us be parted from you and your Son, Jesus.

Lady of love, bring to your Son, Jesus, our dedications for this novena. We pray for all our fellow migrant workers and their loved ones. We pray for everyone who help in one way or another as the we face our daily struggles.

First dedication 
Mother of Perpetual Help... (repeat the opening prayer)
Lady so gentle, you know the compassion of Jesus for those who suffer. Pray for us that we may learn to understand the plight of migrant workers and their families.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Second dedication:
Mother of Perpetual Help... (repeat the opening prayer)
Lady so strong, you faced the pain and sufferings inflicted upon your own Son.. He was mocked, tortured and then crucified. Yet your heart was filled with growing trust that it was out of His compassion for those who suffer. Pray for us that we too may trust God's wisdom in times of painful decision.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Third dedication: 
Mother of Perpetual Help... (repeat the opening prayer)
Lady so loving, you had a lifetime to understand the heart of your Son. Pray for us that we may know God's presence in our lives while we travel the paths that many migrants like us had taken. Nurture us in faith and hope that the path will lead us to God's Kingdom.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Fourth dedication:
Mother of Perpetual Help... (repeat the opening prayer)
Lady so understanding of family life, its joys and sorrows: Pray for us in this time of difficulty. Keep us strong and united.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Fifth dedication: 
Mother of Perpetual Help... (repeat the opening prayer)
Lady so patient in waiting on the will of God in your life, pray for us that we may cope with sickness and loss. Bless us with health and well-being everyday.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Sixth dedication: 
Mother of Perpetual Help... (repeat the opening prayer)
Lady so involved in the mission of your Son, pray for us when we fail to understand the way our prayers are answered. Help us see the truth that will free us and our loved ones from suffering.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...


Seventh dedication: 
Mother of Perpetual Help... (repeat the opening prayer)
Lady so warm and kind to others, pray for us that we may one day all live in truth, justice, peace and harmony with others.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...


Eighth dedication: 
Mother of Perpetual Help... (repeat the opening prayer)
Lady who kept things in your heart and pondered upon them, pray for us that we may always have love and compassion for others in our hearts.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Ninth dedication: 
Mother of Perpetual Help... (repeat the opening prayer)
Lady who stood by the cross of Jesus and willed with Him his death for the salvation of all humanity, pray for us, for our loved ones who suffer in hardship, pain, and loneliness, and for all people and nations in turmoil today.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Closing Prayer
Mother of Perpetual Help, we who call on your most powerful name, thank you for the graces we have received through your intercession and for hearing our prayers today. "For God who is mighty has done great things through you, and God's mercy is from age to age, on those who fear Him."

Amen.