HISTORY
Because his father had died leaving debts and his family was consequently homeless, Joseph Desa was an unwelcome addition when he was born in Cupertino, Italy in 1603. As a child he was slow witted and had a habit of standing with his mouth open staring into space. He also had a terrible temper, probably born of frustration. Even his own mother thought him worthless. As a young man he joined the Capuchins but was sent away because the ecstasies he experienced made him unsuitable for work. Finally he was accepted by the Franciscans who, seeing his holiness, put him forward to train for the priesthood. Joseph found the studies difficult, and the best he could do was to learn a small portion of the material he was supposed to know, and then pray that that’s what he would be asked. Whilst with the Franciscans he began to levitate in ecstasy at the mention of any holy thing and only a command from his superior could bring him to earth. He was also investigated because of his antigravitiational activities and subsequently moved into seclusion. He then had his own room and chapel and was unable to leave them. Often those in charge even forgot to bring him food but he accepted everything with humility. St Joseph of Cupertino died a holy death aged sixty. He is patron of students doing exams, travellers (especially those undertaking journeys by air), pilots, and is invoked by children, adults and the elderly who are unloved, abandoned or neglected.
PRAYERS TO ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO
Dear St. Joseph of Cupertino, who by your prayer retain from God the Grace to be asked in your examination only by the question you know. Grant me the favor which I am about to take. I am restrains; I promise to make you know and loved.
Please St. Joseph of Cupertino teach me the right answer in the examination without fear and doubt. Give me a retainable mind to recall the things I have learned and reviewed previously to feel secure. Enlighten me and bless my pen, My St. Joseph of Cupertino that I will choose and write the right answer. Please stay on my side. Guide me for I trust in your divine power and knowledge.
Bless also the examiners and correctors that they will be considerate in my papers so as to aid my passing in the examination given. Thank you very much O St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for me. Give me more strength, help me to recall whatever necessary for the board questions, and please help me to avoid mental blocks.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, please help me too, that I may succeed in the examination for greater Glory of God, Amen.
EXAM PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH CUPERTINO
This powerful prayer is very effective in examinations. It has to be said before appearing in the examination. There are two variants to this prayer. Both the prayers are equally effective. You can choose any one of these:
First Prayer: O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. Through Christ our Lord. St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us. Amen.
Second Prayer: O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed in the (here mention the name of Examination eg. History paper I ) examination.
In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. O St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for me O Holy Ghost enlighten me Our Lady of Good Studies pray for me Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me.
Remember, when you succeed in the exams then you should thank St. Joseph of Cupertino.
Table of contents
NINE DAY NOVENA
Prayer for a Successful Examination…Oh Great St. Joseph of Cupertino, who while on earth was given the grace of being asked in your examination only the questions you know. Please obtain for me the like favor on these examinations which I am now preparing for. In return, I promise to invoke you and make you known through Christ Our Lord. Amen. (Nine days straight and say 3 Our Fathers, 3 Hail Mary’s and 3 Glory Be’s afterwards.)
FIRST DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you were an unwanted child and were thought worthless even by your own mother. Intercede for all unwanted children that they may come to know they were born out of God’s love for them. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
SECOND DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you were an angry, frustrated child. We pray for all who struggle to express themselves, and that you help us overcome sins of anger. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
THIRD DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you experienced no love in your family and were considered of little account by all who knew you. We pray for all who have experienced the same. May we learn to treat everyone as having the worth they have in God’s eyes. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
FOURTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you suffered because you found it difficult to learn. We pray for all those who struggle at school. May they take comfort from the fact that although learning wasn’t easy for you, this didn’t stop you from becoming a saint. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
FIFTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you did the best with the intelligence you did have and put the rest in God’s hands. That way you passed all your exams and became a priest. We pray for all those struggling with exams. May we also do our best in everything and trust in God to guide our lives. We pray especially for (mention your request. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
SIXTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, even the thought or mention of anything holy made you levitate in ecstasy. Grant us something of the understanding and reverence for God and his saints that you had. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
SEVENTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, only when your superior ordered you to, were you able to come back down to earth. May we too have a love for and obedience to the teachings of the Church. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
EIGHTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, you were unjustly suspected, confined to your room and neglected by those charged with looking after you. You accepted all this with humility. We pray for all those unjustly imprisoned, and that we too may have the humility to accept injustice for the love of Christ. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
NINTH DAY:
Dear St Joseph, because you could levitate you are the patron of travellers, especially air travellers. We pray for all those travelling that they may safely reach their destinations. We pray especially for (mention your request). Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
Prayer before Exam…
Dear God,
Today I will take my examination which is so important to me though I am nervous. I’m not afraid because I know that as I write my answers it is your hands that work
And now, as I take this examination please enlighten my mind to able to answer correctly and to recall everything that I have studied. I will do my best in this exam and to you God I will entrust my fate I know that whatever will be the result, it is according to your will.
You have watched me as I worked hard to study for this exam although don’t feel very confident and that I don’t know if I am prepared I truly believe that you would give me what o deserve I deserve to pass this exam, God.
I am happy that today you are with me for with you I will win this battle and as I close my eyes and feel presence in this examination room you out confidence to my heart. Amen.
PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
O come Holy Spirit, fill my heart with your gifts, let my weakness be penetrated with your strength everyday, that I may state conscientiously, that I may do what is right and just. Let my charity be such, to offend no one and hurt no one’s feelings, so generous as to pardon sincerely any wrong done to me, assist me O Holy Spirit, in all the trials of life, enlighten me in my ignorance, advise me in my doubts, strengthen in my weakness, protect me in temptations and console me in afflictions.
Graciously, hear me O Holy Spirit, and pour your light into my heart, my soul, and my mind. Assist me to live a holy life and to grow in goodness. Holy Spirit, through you make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal. You who gave me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life be with me.
I, in this short dialogue, I want to thank you for everything and confirm for once, that I never want to be separated from you, no matter how great the material desires may be, I want to be with you and my love in your perpetual Glory. AMEN
youth.dioceseofroseau.org
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Although Saint Anne is not mentioned in the Bible, she is the holy mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus. When we pray the St. Anne Novena, we are asking help from our Blessed Mother’s mother!
Saint Anne’s feast day is on July 26th, so the St. Anne Novena is traditionally started on July 17th — but you can pray it anytime.
Devotion to St. Anne began early in the history of the Catholic Church. As she was favored by God to become the mother of the holy Virgin Mary, she is often invoked as the Patron of mothers as well as for relationships, among other things.
Answered Prayers from this Novena
I prayed this St. Anne Novena in hopes of finding a husband. Shortly after praying it, I met my future husband, John-Paul. I felt like St. Anne was watching over me and praying for me as I got to know, dated and fell in love with the man I would eventually call my husband.
– Annie, John-Paul’s wife
St. Anne Novena Prayers St. Anne Novena – Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Great Saint Anne, engrave indelibly on my heart and in my mind the words that have reclaimed and sanctified so many sinners:
“What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world if he lose his own soul?” May this be the principal fruit of these prayers by which I will strive to honor you during this novena.
At your feet, renew my resolution to invoke you daily, not only for the success of my temporal affairs and to be preserved from sickness and suffering, but above all, that I may be preserved from all sin, that I may gain eternal salvation and that I will receive the special grace of…
(State your intention here.)
O most powerful Saint Anne, do not let me lose my soul, but obtain for me the grace of heaven, there with you, your blessed spouse, and your glorious daughter, to sing the praise of the Most Holy and Adorable Trinity forever and ever.
Amen.
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Anne Novena – Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Glorious Saint Anne, how can you be anything other than overflowing with tenderness toward sinners like me, since you are the grandmother of Him who shed His blood for us, and the mother of her whom the saints call advocate of sinners? To you, therefore, I address my prayers with confidence.
Vouchsafe to commend me to Jesus and Mary so that, at your request, I may be granted remission of my sins, perseverance, the love of God, charity for all mankind, and the special grace of…
(State your intention here.)
…for which I stand in need at the present time. O most powerful protectress, let me not lose my soul, but pray for me that through the merits of Jesus Christ and the intercession of Mary, I may have the great happiness of seeing them, of loving and praising them with you through all eternity.
Amen.
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Anne Novena – Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Beloved of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, mother of the Queen of Heaven, take us and all who are dear to us under your special care. Obtain for us the virtues you instilled in the heart of her who was destined to become Mother of God, and the graces with which you were endowed. O model of Christian womanhood, pray that we may imitate your example in our homes and families. Please listen to our petitions,
(State your intention here.)
Guardian of the infancy and childhood of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain the graces necessary for all who enter the marriage state, that by imitating your virtues, they may sanctify their homes and lead the souls entrusted to their care to eternal glory. Amen.
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Anne Novena – Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Glorious Saint Anne, I kneel in confidence at your feet, for you also have tasted the bitterness and sorrow of life. My need, the cause of my request, is…
(State your intention here.)
Good Saint Anne, you who did suffer much during the twenty years that preceded your glorious maternity, I beseech you, by all your sufferings and humiliations, to grant my prayer.
I pray to you, through your love for your glorious spouse Saint Joachim, through your love for your immaculate child, through the joy you felt at the moment of her happy birth, not to refuse me. Bless me, bless my family and all who are dear to me, so that someday, we may all be with you in the glory of heaven, for all eternity.
Amen.
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Anne Novena – Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Great Saint Anne, how far I am from resembling you. I so easily give way to impatience and discouragement; and so easily give up praying when God does not at once answer my request. Prayer is the key to all heavenly treasures and I cannot pray, because my weak faith and lack of confidence fail me at the slightest delay. O my powerful protectress, come to my aid, listen to my petition…
(State your intention here.)
Make my confidence and fervor, supported by the promise of Jesus Christ, increase as the trial to which God, in His goodness, subjects me is prolonged, that I may obtain, like you, more than I can venture to ask for. In the future I will remember that I am made for heaven and not for earth; for eternity and not for time; that consequently I must ask, above all, for the salvation of my soul.
Amen.
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Anne Novena – Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Glorious Saint Anne, mother of the Mother of God, I beg for your powerful intercession for the freedom from my sins and the assistance I need in my troubles…
(State your intention here.)
What can I not hope for if you deign to take me under your protection? The Most High has been pleased to grant the prayers of sinners, whenever you have been charitable enough to be their advocate.
Therefore, I beg you to help me in all spiritual and temporal dangers; to guide me in the true path of Christian perfection, and finally to obtain for me the grace of a happy death, so that I may contemplate your beloved Jesus and daughter, Mary, in your loving companionship throughout all eternity.
Amen.
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Anne Novena – Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Good Saint Anne, so justly called the mother of the infirm, the cure for those who suffer from disease, look kindly upon the sick for whom I pray.
Alleviate their sufferings; cause them to sanctify their sufferings by patience and complete submission to the Divine Will; finally, deign to obtain health for them and with it, the firm resolution to honor Jesus, Mary, and yourself by the faithful performance of duties.
But, merciful Saint Anne, I ask you above all for the salvation of my soul, rather than bodily health, for I am convinced that this fleeting life is given to us solely to assure us a better one. I cannot obtain that better life without the help of God’s graces. I earnestly beg for them from you for the sick and for myself, and especially for the petition for which I am making in this novena…
(State your intention here.)
…through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of His Immaculate Mother, and through your efficacious and powerful mediation, I pray.
Amen.
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Anne Novena – Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Remember, O Saint Anne, you whose name signifies grace and mercy, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, and sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you, good, and kind mother; I take refuge at your feet, burdened with the weight of my sins. O holy mother of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, despise not my petition…
(State your intention here.)
…but hear me and grant my prayer.
Amen.
Pray for us, Saint Anne!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Anne Novena – Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Most holy mother of the Virgin Mary, glorious Saint Anne, I, a miserable sinner, confiding in your kindness, choose you today as my special advocate. I offer all my interests to your care and maternal solicitude. O my very good mother and advocate, deign to accept me and to adopt me as your child.
O glorious Saint Anne, I beg you, by the passion of my most loving Jesus, the Son of Mary, your most holy daughter, to assist me in all the necessities both of my body and my soul. Venerable Mother, I beg you to obtain for me the favor I seek in this novena…
(State your intention here.)
…and the grace of leading a life perfectly conformed to all things of the Divine Will. I place my soul in your hands and in those of your kind daughter. I ask for your favor in order that, appearing under your patronage before the Supreme Judge, He may find me worthy of enjoying His Divine Presence in your holy companionship in Heaven.
Amen.
Pray for us, Saint Anne & Saint Joachim, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Anne, Mother of the Virgin Mary
Saint Anne was born in Bethlehem and eventually married Saint Joachim, a shepherd from Nazareth, in Galilee.
Her name, Anne, actually derives from the Hebrew name Hannah meaning grace. There is not a lot of literature about the life of St. Anne, but what we do know about her comes from apocryphal literature, history and legend.
The story goes that St. Anne was married to St. Joachim for many years (some stories report as many as twenty years) without being able to have children. After much ridicule and sorrow because they could not conceive, both separately pleaded to God to take away their sterility, promising that they would dedicate their child to the service of God.
Their prayers were heard.
An angel soon appeared before both of them, declaring that St. Anne would conceive and give birth to a child who would be blessed by the entire world. That child was named Mary, and today, she is our blessed Virgin Mother. After their daughter’s birth, St. Anne and St. Joachim dedicated Mary to God at the temple of Jerusalem, where she spent a lot of her childhood.
St. Anne is the Patron of…
The intercession of St. Anne is called on especially in the following cases:
Mothers
Grandmothers
Unmarried women
Women in labor
Infertile women
Housewives
Cabinet-makers
Miners
You can pray the St. Anne Novena for any reason that you want, so go ahead and start praying!
www.praymorenovenas.com
(I collect prayers, and I’m especially fond of novenas. I find them to be a very practical means of organizing thoughts and hopes. A year or so ago, I was putting together a litany for parents with wayward children.
It was dedicated to a woman who was going through a very bad time with her daughter, a young woman whose life was being slowly ruined because of her addiction to drugs. I was shocked, and somewhat horrified, when I could not find a prayer concerning addiction, any kind of addiction. It was as though the church turned its face away from such degradation. Perhaps there is just too much shame in the idea of addiction to want to actually pray for someone in such trouble.
If that’s the case, then that is the real shame.
I was overjoyed when I finally came across the following novena. I can’t remember now where I found it, but in finding it I immediately became an ardent fan of Brother Kolbe.)
A Novena to Saint Maximilian Kolbe for the Grace to be Freed from Addiction
Saint Maximilian Kolbe, your life of love and labor for souls was sacrificed amid the horrors of a concentration camp and hastened to its end by an injection of a deadly drug.
Look with compassion upon (NAME OF PERSON) who is now entrapped in addiction to drugs/alcohol and whom I now recommend to your powerful intercession. Having offered your own life to preserve that of a family man, I turn to you with trust, confident that you will understand and help.
Obtain for me the grace never to withhold my love and understanding, or to fail in persevering prayer that the enslaving bonds of addiction may be broken and that full health may be restored to him, whom I love.
I will never cease to be grateful to God who has helped me and heard your prayer for me.
Amen.
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