Saint Monica Novena

August 27 is the feast of Saint Monica of Hippo in North Africa, mother of Saint Augustine. Because she prayed for 32 years for her son's conversion, she is a powerful intercessor when praying for family members who have lost their faith. There is a 3 day Novena chaplet to St. Monica that begins tomorrow and ends on the feast of St. Monica.

Here is the first day's prayer:

FIRST DAY

Prayer for Faith

O glorious St. Monica, transfixed with sorrow when you saw your beloved child Augustine living in the dark and gloomy abyss of error and vice, and straying far from the right path which leads to true felicity in the possession of God and His holy grace, hear our prayer, O afflicted mother. By that cruel sorrow, which with so much patience you did bear, and by those earnest sighs and bitter tears with which you did appeal to God to change the heart of your prodigal son, and by your wondrous confidence in God, which was never shaken, O grant to us, your children, that we may, like you, place all our trust in God, and in our trials and troubles be ever resigned to His holy will. While we ask you, O glorious mother St. Monica, to supply for us our special needs, we here earnestly ask you to pray for the erring children of Jesus, so many Augustines, straying from God and hurrying to ruin. Let that earnest prayer of yours go forth once more for us and for sinners, that we may live in the light of divine grace and be united again thereafter to bless the bounty of a loving God for eternity. Amen.

LET US PRAY. . O God, look graciously down upon Your children who sigh in this valley of tears. With hope we pray for our daily bread, for the forgiveness of our sins, for the never-failing help of Your grace, and for the faithful fulfillment of Your promises: to find life everlasting and a happy abode with You in heaven, through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer.

May God, through the merits and intercession of Saint Monica, increase our faith, strengthen our hope, and enkindle the fire of charity in our hearts. Amen.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be. . . Saint Monica, pray for us.

There is also a beautiful chaplet to Saint Monica. Because it has 6 sections, I will publish 2 of them per day of this novena. The chaplet begins with the prayer to St. Monica, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary.

Begin on the medal with the prayer of St. Monica:
"O holy Monica, by your burning tears and unceasing prayers, you did save your son from eternal damnation. Obtain for us the grace ever to comprehend what is most conducive to the salvation of our children, so that we may effectively restrain them from the way of sin and lead them by that of virtue and piety to heaven!"

On the first pendant bead, pray Our Father

On the second pendant bead, pray Come, Holy Spirit

On the loop:
For each group of five, on the large bead, pray one of the petitions below, followed by Hail Mary on each of the four small beads:

1) I join my tears to yours --- against the spirit of Despair, toward the spirit of Hope --- Saint Monica, pray for me (us) in the Holy Name of Jesus!
4 Hail Marys...

2) I join my tears to yours --- against the spirit of Anger, toward the spirit of Love --- Saint Monica, pray for me in the Holy Name of Jesus!
4 Hail Marys...

For more information on the St. Monica Novena and chaplet, go to the Via Rosa and Saint Monica Sodality websites.