Invitation
to Prayer
We invite you to pray and reflect, drawing inspiration from the following prayers, as well as from the novena and litanies dedicated to Blessed Marie-Catherine de Saint-Augustin.
O Mary,
who, to remind us of your universal mediation,
have desired to be honored under the title of Our Lady of all Graces,
grant us, through your Divine Son, the blessings of life, the riches of grace, and the splendor of glory.
Amen.
O Mary, Mediatrix of all graces,
Pray for us.
O Mary,
against the scourge of fire and all the afflictions of soul and body, protect us.
O Mary, Mother of the Redeemer,
we love to invoke you under the title of Our Lady of Protection, because you love us and watch over us.
Watch over the men and women of this world, over the elderly and the young in particular. Watch over our Holy Father the Pope, the pastors, and the entire Church.
May Christians, with you, be stronger in their faith and more faithful to the Gospel. May they desire to serve their brothers and sisters, and may priestly and religious vocations multiply.
O Our Lady of Protection,
guard our hearts, our minds, and our bodies; guard our souls, and grant the world peace—God's peace. Amen.
OUR LADY OF PROTECTION, PROTECT US.
Lord Jesus,
For Your glory and the good of souls,
deign to glorify Your humble spouse,
the faithful servant of the poor and the sick,
the Blessed Marie-Catherine of Saint-Augustin,
whom You associated with Your sufferings for the salvation of the Canadian homeland.
Grant her the grace to assist us by obtaining the favors we ask through her intercession.
Amen.
To pray longer…
Litanies of Blessed Marie-Catherine de Saint-Augustin (Original English version written by Elisabeth Holland)
Lord, have mercy on us. (bis)
Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. (bis)
Lord, have mercy on us. (bis)
Lord, hear us, Lord, graciously hear us.
Heavenly Father, who are God, have mercy on us.
Son, Redeemer of the world, who are God, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, who are God, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, who are one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Blessed Marie-Catherine de Saint-Augustin,
Blessed Catherine, who had a great desire to do God’s will,
Blessed Catherine, raised by her grandparents to love the poor and the sick,
Blessed Catherine, who entered the Monastery of Bayeux to offer herself to the Lord at the age of twelve,
Blessed Catherine, full of compassion, tenderness, modesty, and faithfulness,
Blessed Catherine, invincible in patience,
Blessed Catherine, tireless in charity,
Blessed Catherine, humble, courageous, and kind to all,
Blessed Catherine, virtuous in all things to a heroic degree,
Blessed Catherine, a victim for souls, especially those in purgatory,
Blessed Catherine, a missionary, who vowed to live and die in Canada,
Blessed Catherine, united with Jesus on the Cross,
Blessed Catherine, struck by the plague during the crossing aboard the ship “Le Cardinal” and healed by the Virgin Mary,
Blessed Catherine, called by the Indigenous people “the one who makes the inside more beautiful,”
Blessed Catherine, devoted to the service of the poor and the sick,
Blessed Catherine, chosen by God to fight spiritual battles against demons (forces of evil) in Canada,
Blessed Catherine, who had Father Jean de Brébeuf as her heavenly director,
Blessed Catherine, devoted to the cause of the First Nations of Quebec,
Blessed Catherine, a soul chosen by God for exceptional graces,
Blessed Catherine, co-founder of the Church in Canada, through her life offered for the salvation of the country,
Blessed Catherine, our compatriot, our very dear friend,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Pardon us, Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, Jesus.
Jesus, hear us, Jesus, graciously hear us.
Novena in Honor of the Blessed Marie-Catherine of Saint-Augustin
You are invited to embark on a nine-day journey of prayer (novena) through the intercession of the Blessed Marie-Catherine of Saint-Augustin.
Take time to create a prayerful atmosphere within and around you. A spirit of surrender is required, allowing you to receive what will be most beneficial for yourself and the person for whom you are seeking a favor. Read the text for the corresponding novena day, and take a moment for silent meditation and inner reflection.
Now, address the Blessed Marie-Catherine of Saint-Augustin by reciting the following prayer and inserting your request:
Lord Jesus,
for Your glory and the salvation of souls,
deign to glorify Your humble bride,
the faithful servant of the poor and the sick,
the Blessed Marie-Catherine of Saint-Augustin,
whom You associated with Your sufferings
for the salvation of the Canadian homeland.
Grant that she may assist us (state your intention here...)
by obtaining the graces we ask of You through her intercession.
Amen.
You may also add the following prayers:
Hail Mary...
Our Father...
Glory Be...
Invocation
Blessed Marie-Catherine of Saint-Augustin, pray for us.
If you wish, you may share your prayer intention with us so we can unite in prayer with you and give thanks for the assistance obtained or to come through the intercession of the Blessed Marie-Catherine of Saint-Augustin.
Blessed Catherine, from your birth, you were marked from the seal of the Spirit. At your baptism, it was prophesied that you would walk on your way to sainthood. With the Grace of God our Father, may we live as you from Love received at our Baptism.
Blessed Marie-Catherine, God put in your heart a profound inclination to “do his will every day and in all things.” Help us to be listening at God’s will, our Father, and to correspond to his Grace of every moment.
Blessed Marie-Catherine, we know that the entry in Christian life is a call for sainthood. And the Eucharist is the sacrament of meeting with God that permits us to know his will and gives us the strength to accomplish it. Help us to find in this sacrament of relief that we need to follow the Christ along the road his has traced for us.
Blessed Marie-Catherine, you have understood that Mary is the model of Christian life, the model of those you wish to listen to “the Word of the Lord” and put it in application. (Luc. 11,28) Help us to see in Mary the one to whom we can entrust and to whom we can trust entirely, because Jesus himself made her become our mother. (Jn 19,27)
Blessed Marie-Catherine, God has marked your existence of special favors. Those actions of God tell us his love for us and the place of Mary for the sake. Those interventions of God also tell us that you were holding a special mission. Help us to be aware of God’s design on us and gives us the assurance that nothing is impossible to God when it’s about his Kingdom come.
Blessed Marie Catherine, even with your young age, you have embraced religious life for the love of God that was calling you to testimony of his presence in an unknown country, fulfilled of obstacles where you had to suffer a big spiritual dolor. You have desired and accepted everything because of this great Love.
Teach us to better discern « God’s Will » and to accomplish it, without refusing the sacrifice that need to be made. Guide us in sainthood that units in a same love God and all his children.
Blessed Marie-Catherine, you have treated the sick with charity, tenderness and patience without any distinction of race, language or religion. You knew how to touch hearts and souls with your love. Help us to listen and to give assistance to those around us that suffer physically or morally. Help us to be witness of Love around them. And when we are given to assist a dying person, may we, following your example, help him/her to go meeting God in peace and with serenity.
Blessed Marie-Catherine, people originating from First Nations were considering you as a mistress of spiritual life. They were saying of you: “she who beautifies the soul.” For us also you are a model of prayer. Make that in your example, our heart and our spirit turn to God as the source of the light et the love. May our prayer be the one of Jesus himself so the Father can develop in us the qualities of his Son and this way, we may in all circumstances behave like children of God.
Blessed Marie-Catherine, you have been named one of the “Founders of the Canadian Church”. Please still continue today the work you have begun. Make that, taking support on your sainthood and inspiring ourselves from your virtues, we be faithful to the high values that have drawn the richness of our country. Give us to develop more and more the heritage of the faith and civilisism that we have received. Please listen to the demands we are presenting to you, for the greater glory of God and the joy of our salvation.
Source : La vie de Mère Catherine de Saint-Augustin. Paul Ragueneau, s.j. 1671
