Novena in Honor of the Immaculate Conception
November 29 – December 7
[Attributed to Fray Junípero Serra]
From Fray Serra’s introduction to this novena: “Persuaded that everyone has or will choose Mary as patroness, we will meditate and pray to Our Lady for nine successive days. This devotion will deepen our respect and gratitude, and enhance our affection… Hopefully those making this Novena will also give alms and engage in penitential works… This they will do for the glory of the Holy Trinity, whose beautiful daughter, mother and spouse is our Holy Mother Mary.”
The following prayers are recited during this novena:
- Act of Contrition
Most Holy Mary, worthy Mother of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, prostrate at your feet and confounded by human limitations, this lowly creature admits to having been ungrateful to you and your Son. I am ashamed a thousand times for having offended the Lord and I wish my heart could be broken to pieces out of pure sorrow and emotion. Aware of my spiritual blindness, I sincerely promise to change my life, to detest and confess my sins, hoping thereby that through the Precious Blood of your Son, as well as through your merciful intercession, I may achieve complete pardon for all my sins, receive the grace of final perseverance and attain happiness in heaven with you forever. Amen.
- Common Daily Prayer
O purest Queen of heaven and earth, most perfect work of the Holy Trinity, since from all eternity the Father chose you for His daughter, the Son selected you to be His Mother and the Holy Spirit selected you as His spouse, there could not be the slightest imperfection, not even the smallest shadow of original sin on your soul. As the first fruit of the redemption, your soul was free, beautiful and pure from the initial moment of your conception. Receive, O Mother, in virtue of this singular mystery, my short but prayerful offering or, to put it another way, the humble utterance of your lowly servant. I would like to offer you all the gold of the Indies and all the riches of the entire world. But what greater treasure could there be than a soul redeemed by the Precious Blood of your most Holy Son? Listen to this prayer, uttered by one of little virtue, for together with it I append the most fervent affections which the most gifted among your servants have offered you. In return, all I want is that for today, all the days of my life and at the moment of my death, I might have the grace of choosing you as mother, advocate and patroness. I ask that you take me under the mantle of your protection and, after gazing at me with your merciful eyes, you free me from human miseries, so that my soul may be happy with you in heaven. Amen.
- Specific Daily Prayer
[See below.]
- Prayer after the Daily Prayer
O most brilliant Lady of the Angels, Refuge of Sinners, I come before you as a sinner, humbled to the depths of my nothingness. I praise the Holy Trinity for the singular graces and prerogatives with which He has adorned you from the moment of your Immaculate Conception. I also wish to thank Almighty God for all He has given me through your intercession, not the least of which is this period of prayer. O most holy Virgin, if I possessed the sentiments of the saints, how fervent would be the prayer of my lips. Graciously receive my heartfelt thanks to be your submissive client. May that objective motivate every action of my life. Through your assistance, may I fulfill what I promise. You indeed have the power to help me attain this goal, so please do not refuse me. Do not turn away from me because of my lukewarmness, but enkindle a desire in me, your servant and slave, for the graces needed to attain eternal life. Praise be your Immaculate Heart. Amen.
- Hail Mary… (3 times)
Recite the Hail Mary three times to honor the Holy Trinity in recognition of the privileges accorded by the Father to His daughter, the Son to His mother, and the Holy Ghost to His spouse.
- Concluding Prayer
God hails you, Mary, Mother of God and Spouse of the Holy Ghost, temple and chalice of the Holy Trinity, Mary conceived without original sin. Amen.
Specific Daily Prayers:
First Day:
Happy and fortunate are those who have embraced the sovereign Queen as their ruler. This is true because the first quality constituting and adorning superiors is that kind of love which parents have for their children. I recall how much love, care and attention you have always bestowed upon your subjects. And since I am among those specially blessed people, help me, through your intercession, to respond in such a way that I may merit eternal life.
The angels, marveling at your beauty, ask: “Who are you, most pure dawn?” Upon seeing your response to God’s grace, they noticed that not for a single instant did even a shadow of sin stain your soul. Looking for ways of expressing your beauty, they likened you to a radiant star, more brilliant than the moon, a torch more glistening than the sun.
And, if the angels admire and speak of you in this lofty manner, what will we humans do? For our part, we attest that you are the most noble eagle which soars among the highest virtues and the most fertile tree in the forest of life. Give us not alone the fruit of those trees, which is the life of grace, but also the grace of life, God’s colorful rainbow. You are indeed akin to the most prudent Abigail, the most honest Abishag, whom God loved as His most faithful servants.
Finally, I believe you are, after God Himself, the unfathomable ark of perfection which no created understanding can fully appreciate. Though it is impossible to fully describe you or measure your influence, receive my heartfelt affection and grant me the grace to love you. Amen.
Second Day:
O Mary, you are the leader, the exemplar and the pattern which your subjects should imitate. Since you are, in every way, perfect, where could one find a more perfect role model than you, in whom the totality of virtues resides? Inasmuch as you were chosen for this role by God Himself, grant that we may so imitate you in this life as to be happy with you in the next.
O most pure Lady, in whom all perfection is found, a virgin before, during and after the birth of your divine Son, the valley in which abounds all nourishment, the bread of eternal life, esteemed by the Holy Trinity, in you resided the Precious Jewel of heaven and earth. You are the sheepskin of Gideon, imbued with the dew of grace, the giver of superabundant blessings and the source by which Christ the Lord grew in a hidden manner.
O Lady, you stand at the peak of the mountain because your own virtues exceed, without any hint of comparison, those of the other saints. God revealed in Ecclesiasticus that you lived in the heights, at the pinnacle of human perfection. If the saints are exalted, how much more are you! We who see this superabundance of virtues happily make our protestations of love and admiration. Amen.
Third Day:
O Mary, our Queen, not only because you look out for and defend your subjects, but because through your influence they are able to obtain what they could not acquire by themselves, you manifest your patronage by defending us against the enemies of body and soul, and by allowing us to reach a status in the spiritual order that would otherwise be beyond our grasp. Principal among those blessings is the grace of a happy death for those of us who, in this life, choose you as patroness.
O most pure star, placed in the galaxy of heaven by grace, you are the bearer of spiritual blessings, you are the sword of defense against our foes, you are the new Eve in contrast to the old, and all of this because you are the mediatrix of graces. You are the exemplar of modesty and virginity, you are the pinnacle of salvation, grace and glory. You are the army of God against Pharoah, our enemy, the expiation of all sin and the uprooter of heresy.
You are the sole hope of sinners and, finally, you are the heavenly Mother since, upon seeing the sufferings of your people, you have mercifully taken upon yourself the role of intercessor before the heavenly King, in order to diminish the punishment brought on by sin. Be, then, our Mother, I beg you, that all may praise you in this novena and thereby obtain pardon of their sins. Amen.
Fourth Day:
Sovereign ruler, the consolation of your subjects is experienced in the healing of pain, the successful outcome of business, the finding of refuge and, finally, the removal of all human obstacles.
You are the consoler of the needy and suffering. Those in want call to you for comfort. They ask you to fill their needs in this vale of tears. Graciously answer these supplications and obtain for your subjects enduring consolation. In return for our prayers, please grant our requests.
O prodigy of divine providence, your purity is so exceptional that it’s like was never, is not now, nor ever will be matched again. Praise be Almighty God who has entrusted this unique role to you.
If the Queen of Sheba marveled at seeing the palace of Solomon, what a plenitudinous treasure of graces, what an unfathomable lake of perfection, and what a soaring palm tree of virtue enrich and adorn you.
And if God has given all these graces to you, what mercies will the ship-wrecked achieve when they choose you as their port of call? As a healing for sin, as a propitiator for sacrifice, as a homeland for wanderers, as a reward for their efforts, we have chosen Mary, Patroness, Queen and sovereign. This is the best part and it will not be taken from us as long as we avoid offending God. Intercede for us, O benign ruler, lest we stumble into the fatal abyss of sin. Amen.
Fifth Day:
In order to attract followers, a leader has to be merciful, gentle and attractive. But you, O most gracious of all rulers, oblige and energize the wills of your subjects, as Saint Bernard said, by your sweetness and solicitude.
May those of us who are favored by your patronage obtain your mercy. Though we merit punishment for our failings, listen to the halting expression of our love.
O gentle victim offered to God as an expiation for human sinfulness, you are the Lord’s vineyard insofar as you offer Him the fruits of your virtues. You are also our source of strength since you give us, in the flowering of the Incarnate Word a taste of eternal life. Come from the heavenly wine cellar, you who give joy to the human heart, so that those who drink of you may thirst only for you again.
O root of Jesse, rod of Aaron, with which the Red Sea was divided, O vigilant guard who watches constantly over the faithful, leave us not alone, nor turn your merciful eyes from us. Hear our prayers during the Novena and help us attain eternal life through your assistance. Amen.
Sixth Day:
O most holy Lady, because the virtue of prudence demands that superiors endeavor to harmonize the present with the future, you desire that your followers obey you in this life so as to be happy with you in the next.
May we strive, O prudent Lady, through your intercession, to attain only those objectives that fit into the Lord’s plan for eternal life. May we enjoy your presence and, above all, may the longings of our hearts be filled, O blessed light, with the graces that bring understanding not only to the elect but to those who are in the darkness of sin, so that these latter people may be elevated to the state of grace.
In order that we may not weaken in our quest for virtue, you are like manna in the desert sustaining and strengthening those who require your assistance. By your many virtues, you are a force akin to the mountains of Lebanon against the powers of Satan.
Spreading ever further your lamp of charity, you are liberty for the captive, medicine for the ill, elixir for the thirsty and the ultimate provider for every needful person in this life. For others you are the book of life in which all is written by your caring hand. Drive out any doubt in our minds and enable us to give you thanks as we make our way securely to glory. Amen.
Seventh Day:
It is appropriate that a superior be wise so that he or she may know how to command subjects with wisdom. In you, O most learned ruler, this gift of knowledge is so extensive that you share in the very seat of wisdom. And since this wisdom can be shared, grant, O Lady, that we might acquire, first of all, fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, and that we may obtain the gift of loving you in this life so as to praise you in the next.
O heaven filled with a life more beautiful that the Empyrion, since only in you could fit He who cannot be contained in the entire universe; O fruitful field which no plow has ever touched but which brought forth the most fruitful harvest, O mysterious seven-branched candlestick that illumines the chambers of heaven, perpetually lit from the first moment of creation and which signifies the gifts of the Holy Ghost; you are the brightness of eternal light, you are the impregnable castle in which God Himself was protected; you are the seat of wisdom, the shining jewel in which there was never the slightest shadow even when all others were tainted with sin, you are the crown of the just, you are the city of refuge wherein sinners find a happy welcome.
Receive with special affection those who come to you in this Novena and protect us under the mantle of your mercy. Amen.
Eighth Day:
O Lady, you must indeed be strong and powerful in order to strengthen me in the struggle against weakness and my proclivity to sin. You were given this role because, from the first moment of your own conception, your lack of human weakness protected you against the designs of Satan.
Graciously help us, your friends here on earth, to acquire the spiritual strength needed for overcoming temptation. Thus we will be enabled one day to wear a victorious crown and praise you as the source of our strength.
Fragrant and beautiful rose, never touched by the slightest imperfection, you are the most lovely flower ever to bloom in the garden of virtue. O universal remedy for all pain and infirmity, model of life and virtue, you are the reliquary of the Holy Ghost, the justly acclaimed Queen of angels and men, the redemptress together with your Son, the olive branch announcing peace.
Like beautiful Rachel who sets the law aright; celestial Rebekah who provides sinners the garment of Esau in order that they might possess the first fruits of Jacob; sprout of Jesse, central branch of the great high priest, you are Queen and Mother, and to you we miserable sinners cry out.
By means of this Novena, kindly bring us those graces reserved for those who have recourse to you. Amen.
Ninth Day:
You are a most holy and patient instrument for God, a practitioner of those virtues which are indispensable for those who know so little about evil in this world.
Give to us, O Lady, the patience we need in undergoing the sufferings and punishments encountered in our service of the Lord. Help us always to choose you as our guide until that day when we arrive in glory.
O loving Mother, we will likely finish our earthly sojourn before exhausting our praises for your role in our lives. I can only say with the prophet: “May the acknowledging of my insignificance and the stuttering of my tongue be, in itself, your praise.” Your magnificence is such that neither men nor angels can adequately praise you.
O Lady, you are the dawn that announces our future happiness, the anchor which keeps us secure in the dangers of life, the arm which defends us against our enemies, the nourishment which sustains us in the service of your Son, the advocate who constantly pleads our cause and our final alleluia by which we will enjoy eternal glory in your adorable company. Amen.
Tenth Day: Consecration on Marian Feast Days
Most pure Queen, sovereign leader, most tender Mother, your humble subject, whose chief merit is that of being your servant, is prostrate at your feet with the consoling thought that never have you refused your mercy and assistance to anyone.
Surrounded by fears and horrors, my afflicted soul cries out for mercy. I desire to serve your son and you, most loving Mother, but often I find myself confused and unable to find the means for doing so adequately. The reason for this is that if I desire life in order to serve you, I seem to lack confidence in being able to persevere, thus running the risk of offending you. While I look forward to heaven, I am justifiably concerned about giving an account of my imperfect life.
Although I am anxious to take advantage of your patronage, I don’t know exactly what should be asked of you. You have always taught me to put aside my fears and place my complete confidence in your limitless kindness.
The very number of my offences enables your mercy to shine all the brighter. So dearest Mother, I beg you to accept my whole being which I place in your hands – begging that henceforth I may want what you desire. Hence, I personally ask for neither life nor death, buy only whatever you prefer for me. I promise to do nothing unless it be in accord with your promptings. I want my heart with all its affections to be lovingly imprisoned in yours.
I make this consecration through the merits of your Immaculate Conception, through the drops of blood which your heart distilled through the Incarnation and through the honors and favors which the Holy Trinity granted you, especially the one whereby you became the daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son and the Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Deign to receive this consecration which I profess before the triune God, before you, His spouse, before my guardian angel and before all the angels and saints.
Freely and without compulsion, I give myself as your servant, most holy and pure Mother. I give myself through your Son, although I really do not deserve to be your slave.
I want this to be a perpetual gift of myself and, in order to accomplish that ideal, I promise that henceforth I will accept the slightest suggestion or command from my superiors as coming from you, and I will renew this promise on all your feast days.
So that the entire world may witness this consecration, I hereby sign this document; if not with the blood of my veins, at least with the deepest intention of my heart.
Day and date: ____________________________
Your submissive subject: ____________________________
Most holy and immaculate Mary, since Almighty God has preserved you from all stain of sin, in order that you might be a worthy Mother for your only Son, who took on human flesh and became man in your womb, I beseech you, most pure and blessed of all women, to obtain for me complete pardon for all my sins so that I may merit in this life the eternity which I seek. This I ask through your Son who lives and reigns through all ages, world without end. Amen.
