St. Francis of Assisi Novena

Though he chose not to be ordained a priest, St. Francis is one of the most revered saints of the church. The great respect accorded to St. Francis is primarily due to his life of service, insistence on the practice of absolute poverty, and great humility. He founded the Order of the Friars Minor, co-founded the Poor Clares, and the Order of St. Francis.

About St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, to a rich silk merchant on 1181 AD. His nickname “Francesco” means “the Frenchman”, given by his father probably because of his love for anything French. His mother was a French woman of noble birth.

He became a soldier early in life and fought for Assisi. In 1204, while recovering from an illness, he had a vision of which caused him to return to Assisi. There his spiritual awakening followed. He spent a lot of time asking God for direction and caring for poor people, including lepers.

Another vision followed of Christ asking him to repair His church. St. Francis perceived this as directing him to repair a local church, so he sold cloth from his father’s store to help fund the repairs. His father became angry, so St. Francis renounced all worldly possession and spent his time as a beggar, restoring many other churches in the area.

In 1209, after hearing a sermon about preaching the Good News, he started doing just that and living in poverty. He was soon joined by other friends, mostly from the educated class, who joined his life as a beggar. One of the most famous saints he inspired was St. Clare of Assisi, with whom he co-founded the women’s order of the Poor Clares.

He is renowned for his love of animals, the environment, and his desire for peace. He even went to see a the muslim leader of Egypt to seek peace.

He was graced with the stigmata shortly before his death on Oct. 3, 1226. He died singing psalms of praise. He was canonized on July 16, 1228, by Pope Gregory IX. His feast day is celebrated on Oct. 4.

St. Francis of Assisi Novena Prayers

Opening Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Holy Saint Francis, through your kind intercession we seek holiness above all things. We seek the faith, hope and love that allowed you to joyfully renounce the pleasures of earthly life and to radically follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray for us that we enjoy the privilege of suffering with and for the poor in the example of Jesus. Help us to be always grateful for the all blessings we have received and the strength to overcome our most pressing concerns, especially…

(Mention your intentions here, followed by the daily prayer)

Concluding Prayer

St. Francis, help us in praying for the grace to truly repent for our sins and actively seek reconciliation with God. May the blessings we obtain through your intercession deepen our faith, and inspire us to store treasures in Heaven, where we hope to spend eternity with the Almighty Father.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and forever shall be, world without end. Amen

St. Francis of Assisi, Pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Daily Prayers for St. Francis Novena

Day One

St. Francis, as you left a comfortable life to lead a life of poverty and service to our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask you to pray that we also realize the folly of seeking to amass material gains and experience worldly pleasures. This day I humbly forego (_____) as an offering to God our Father, hoping this act signals a start of my conversion.

Day Two

Holy St. Francis, when you decided to serve in the manner of our Lord Jesus Christ you entrusted your whole life to his Divine Providence. Emboldened by your example, I resolve to entrust the favorable resolution of my situation to God our Father, through your most kind intercession.

Day Three

Glorious St. Francis, you have acted as a peacemaker even in the face of extreme physical danger. Through your prayers, may we also be imbued with a desire to find peaceful resolutions to the problems that plague us, even in the most trying of times. As an offering to our Almighty Father, I resolve to forgive all the wrongs I have suffered from my fellow men.

Day Four

Holy St. Francis, your concern for God’s creation has caused you to be named patron of ecology. May we, through your prayers, follow your footsteps in being good stewards of all of creation which God our Almighty Father has provided. May we also be faithful stewards of the skills and abilities we have been given.

Day Five

Blessed St. Francis, when you were blessed with the decision to serve our Lord, you abandoned everything and surrendered yourself totally to God’s will. Obtain for us the same trust in God, that the Holy Spirit may guide our every thought, word and deed.

Day Six

Holy St. Francis, through your prayers, may we be blessed with the desire to give all of our strength, and abilities towards serving God’s purpose in our lives. May our lives be filled with complete faith and the hope of spending eternity with our Heavenly Father.

Day Seven

Glorious St. Francis, you were untiring in your service to the poor. Obtain for us the same capacity for mercy and desire to give of ourselves that we may one day be considered worthy of the promises of Christ.

Day Eight

Holy St. Francis, you spent your life evangelizing and won over many people to God. We beseech you to have pity on us poor sinners, that through your intercession, God may grant that our doubts be replaced with the certainty that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide us through life’s many trials towards His eternal kingdom.

Day Nine

Almighty Father, through the kind intercession of St. Francis, we humbly ask for the grace to be free of the fears and anxieties that beset us, especially (repeat your special intentions and requests here).

May we be relieved of the causes of our distress, that we may be able to better serve as the instruments of your Divine Purpose on earth.

Patronages

St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of Italy and Ecology.