On April 16 we will begin the Novena to Saint Benedict Menni, prophet of Hospitality and founder of our congregation.
Not only are we preparing ourselves as a Hospitaller Family to celebrate the feast of our founder, but we are also preparing ourselves because on that same 24 April, we will begin our General Chapter, a moment guided by the Holy Spirit, where we will seek to come together as a congregation and renew the readiness of our journey, to God’s plans.
It is therefore very important to begin to prepare our hearts for these important moments and the Novena to St. Benedict Menni is a perfect way to do this.
Surely you have heard of novenas, but do you really know what a novena is?
What is a novena?
The novena (from the Latin novem), as proposed by the Catholic Church, consists of praying for nine consecutive days, generally to entrust an intention to God or to ask for a particular grace. This traditional form of prayer, very popular and encouraged by the Church since the Middle Ages, generally invokes the intercession of the Virgin Mary or a saint.
What is its origin?
Today, the nine days of a novena are generally considered to refer to the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost. After the Thursday of Jesus’ Ascension the first novena began. This was the time of persevering prayer experienced by Mary and the Apostles in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit on the feast of Pentecost. “They all continued steadfastly in prayer with one mind” (Acts 1: 14) at the end of which they received the Holy Spirit. So, we too can live the novena as a time of prayer in expectation of a grace.
Which ones are there?
There are many, and everyone can do as they see fit.
On this occasion, we invite you to pray for 9 days, in preparation for the feast of Saint Benedict Menni, for the sick in body and soul, for our Congregation, for our Hospitaller Family, for the 22nd General Chapter and for all your personal requests.
Let us live this preliminary moment, asking for the intercession of our Founder and renewing our links with the Hospitaller mission.
