Pray this novena to Saint Monica, for the conversion of your children.
By the sign of the Holy Cross, God our Lord, deliver us from our enemies. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Act of Contrition
My Lord Jesus Christ, divine Redeemer and Savior of souls, who, through the pious tears of your servant Monica, deigned to completely convert the heart of his son Augustine, and from the day of his total and blessed conversion you inspired him to always do fruits of true penance; through the blessed tears of that mother, and through the deepest and most sincere conversion of that blessed son, grant, mercifully, to our souls, that pain of true repentance, which safely reaches the forgiveness of all guilt; that cry of sincere repentance that erases all iniquity and every stain. And by making such fruits of true penance, may they return justification and peace to our contrite and humiliated spirit, which must convert and desire to see You glorious forever. Amen.
Preparatory Prayer (Every day)
Oh glorious Saint Monica, mirror of wives, model of mothers, consolation of widows, admirable woman, in whom God infused the spirit of prayer and granted that gift of tears with which you knew how to do violence to the God of mercies, so that he might have compassion on your groaning, hear your prayers and grant you your supplications, we who suffer and cry on the sad paths of life, begging you to reach us with the spirit of prayer that you had and the mercy that our faults deserve, so that by pouring out with humility our heart before the God of all piety and mercy, may we obtain the grace to live the holy life that you lived on earth, and may we deserve the glory that you now enjoy in heaven, in the company of our parents, husbands and children, and all who through the blood and by affection they belong to us and are, in Jesus Christ, our Lord, loved and dear to our hearts. Amen.
Prayers
O Lord, who comforted Monica in her trials, comfort those who suffer from loneliness and abandonment in our society, let us pray to the Lord.
O Lord, who exchanged Monica's tears for joy, grant us that we may never grieve anyone, but that we may rather be a cause of joy for our brothers, let us pray to the Lord.
O Lord, who comforted Monica in her prayers for the conversion of her son, help us not to despair in times of trial, but to place all our hope in him, let us pray to the Lord.
O Lord, who granted Saint Monica to overcome the difficulties of her marriage with fortitude, grant that all spouses who have difficulties may know how to offer each other consolation, let us pray to the Lord.
O Lord, who wanted Saint Monica to be a model of virtues in family life, look to all the mothers in the world, so that they always know how to lead their children towards you, let us pray to the Lord.
O Lord, our mother Saint Monica who, on her deathbed, asked her family to remember her before your altar, accept the prayers of our communities for our deceased brothers and sisters, let us pray to the Lord.
Acclaim
With your tears of love,
Mother of the great Augustine,
you gave the Church a Doctor,
You gave a seraphim to heaven.
Hail to you, blessed woman,
changes and only in your brokenness,
which you foretold with your weeping
new triumphs of the Cross!
Every tear that falls
by your pale countenance
It's a radiant reflection
of the sun of eternal light.
With your tears of love…
Like a mourning soil
of solitary torture,
your prayers go up to heaven
from the valley of pain;
God hears you, and your fruits,
of the power of God,
a surrendered giant falls:
and he is the son of your love!
With your tears of love…
First day
Modesty
Prayer
Lord, omnipotent God, who has pleased you to adorn your chosen servant Saint Monica, from her tender childhood, with the lovely gifts of modesty, chastity and modesty; because she pleased you with these most precious virtues, grant me the grace to love and practice them like her, so that with her I may serve you and please you, my God and my Lord; in the midst of the vanity and corruption of this century, and thus deserve to obtain the prizes that you have reserved for your chosen ones in eternal bliss. Amen.
Pray the Prayers and Acclamations.
Pray three Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be to the Father.
(A few moments of silence and meditation and let us ask for the grace we wish to obtain through the intercession of Blessed Saint Monica.)
Pray the Final Prayer.
Second day
Theme: Devotion
Prayer of the day
Oh God of infinite glory and majesty! How ineffable did you delight in the feelings of piety and devotion with which your most faithful servant Saint Monica loved and served you, when with so much pleasure she preferred the secret delights of prayer and recollection to the tender caresses of her own and to all the seductive caresses of the flesh; Grant me, through the intercession of this most devoted servant of yours, the grace to love you and serve you without sin until death, and to always prefer the pleasure of pleasing you to all the vanities and pleasures of the earth, and thus deserve enjoy in one day the eternal and purest delights of glory. Amen.
Pray the Prayers and Acclamations.
Pray three Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be to the Father.
(A few moments of silence and meditation and let us ask for the grace we wish to obtain through the intercession of Blessed Saint Monica.)
Pray the Final Prayer.
Third day
Theme: Zeal
Prayer of the day
Oh God, infinitely kind and adorable, who instilled in the heart of your most beloved servant Saint Monica, the zeal for your glory and the health of souls; who, being a troubled and afflicted wife , knew how to drink in silence the cup of her tribulations. And with his most holy examples and very prudent advice, he knew how to edify and console many mothers and wives. As she pleased you with her heroic patience, grant me to equally know how to suffer, in silence, my labors and to edify my neighbors with my words and examples. So that I may serve you with all my heart and everything I do may be for your glory and my satisfaction, in accordance with the designs of your adorable will. Amen.
Pray the Prayers and Acclamations.
Pray three Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be to the Father.
(A few moments of silence and meditation and let us ask for the grace we wish to obtain through the intercession of Blessed Saint Monica.)
Pray the Final Prayer.
Fourth day
Theme: Prayer
Prayer of the day
Oh God, most gracious and merciful, who in the maternal heart of Saint Monica you deigned to infuse the spirit of humility and prayer so that in constant supplication she prayed, in your presence, for the salvation of her husband and the conversion of her dear son Augustine. For how much she pleased you with her prayer and her tears, grant me that same spirit of humility and prayer that she had, so that I may know how to pray before your divine acceptance, for the great needs of my soul and of all those who are close to me. commissioned by You, and from You I deserve to obtain for myself and for them, first, Your grace, and then, glory. Amen.
Pray the Prayers and Acclamations.
Pray three Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be to the Father.
(A few moments of silence and meditation and let us ask for the grace we wish to obtain through the intercession of Blessed Saint Monica.)
Pray the Final Prayer.
Fifth day
Theme: Faith
PRAYER
Oh, omnipotent God and most faithful in your promises, you deigned to inspire your servant Saint Monica with such great faith regarding the conversion of her son Augustine; who in the days of his bitterness, assured his own son that he had
to come to where she was, and you made the prophecy of a holy Bishop come true, who, upon seeing Monica's faith and tears, said: “it is impossible for the child of so many tears to perish” ; For how much the faith of that holy mother pleased you, grant me to have so much confidence in your power and mercy, that I achieve what I ask of you in this novena and for this my soul may glorify you, forever and ever. Amen.
Pray the Prayers and Acclamations.
Pray three Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be to the Father.
(A few moments of silence and meditation and let us ask for the grace we wish to obtain through the intercession of Blessed Saint Monica.)
Pray the Final Prayer.
Sixth day
Theme: Hope
Prayer of the day
Oh omnipotent God and Father of all consolation, who deigned to encourage so much hope in the heart of your servant Saint Monica, who in the most bitter days of tribulation, when her son was further away from You, never stopped hoping, with great confidence, for the fulfillment of your desires and the attainment of your mercies; Grant me, through her intercession and merits, that firm hope that she had, so that I never fail in my prayer and deserve to obtain what I ask for the consolation of my soul and your glory. Amen.
Pray the Prayers and Acclamations.
Pray three Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be to the Father.
(A few moments of silence and meditation and let us ask for the grace we wish to obtain through the intercession of Blessed Saint Monica.)
Pray the Final Prayer.
Seventh day
Theme: Charity
Prayer of the day
Oh God, infinitely good and worthy of being loved, who so consoled your servant, Saint Monica, in the last hours of her life, seeing at her side the son of her soul, Augustine, totally converted to You and sanctified by the waters of the baptism, exclaimed that there was nothing left for him to do in this world, other than return to You, to love You and possess You forever; for that great love with which Augustine's mother loved you on earth, grant me, I pray you, oh my good God! May I love You with her, and may I live so detached from all the things and ties of this world, that I desire nothing outside of You, and thus deserve to possess You and enjoy You for ever and ever. Amen.
Pray the Prayers and Acclamations.
Pray three Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be to the Father.
(A few moments of silence and meditation and let us ask for the grace we wish to obtain through the intercession of Blessed Saint Monica.)
Pray the Final Prayer.
Eighth day
Theme: Perseverance
Prayer of the day
Oh God of the chosen and predestined, who deigned to grant your servant Saint Monica such a sweet and blissful death in a strange land, that without caring for the honor of her body, she only thought of handing over her soul to You, and commissioned the her son Augustine, who, letting her body rest on earth, wherever she would have died, did not forget to pray during the days of his life for his mother's soul before the altar of the Lord; by the precious death of that holy mother, grant me the privilege of dying in You and for You, as a true daughter of the Church, so that I may enter into possession of blessedness, where I will see myself surrounded by my husband, my children and of all the beings dear to my heart, and together with them praise your mercies there forever. Amen.
Pray the Prayers and Acclamations.
Pray three Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be to the Father.
(A few moments of silence and meditation and let us ask for the grace we wish to obtain through the intercession of Blessed Saint Monica.)
Pray the Final Prayer.
Ninth day
Theme: Intercession of the Saints
Prayer of the day
Oh God! May you always delight in the glory of your saints and show yourself admirable in them so that they may be venerated among the peoples; and so in the transfer of the holy relics of your servant Monica, from the port of Ostia to the Eternal City, you deigned to honor her with the joy of the people who greeted her as she went, with the devotion of so many mothers who went out to offer her her children and her tears and you accompanied her on that glorious journey with the wonders of your omnipotence, performing, through her mediation, much-desired miracles; by the gentle aroma that the venerated remains of that holy and admirable woman exude in your presence, deign to awaken me from my indifference, resurrect me with your grace and grant me as much as I ask for my eternal health and that of all those who You placed under my love and care. In this way, may your name and the name of Monica, your servant, be glorified forever and ever. Amen.
Pray the Prayers and Acclamations.
Pray three Our Fathers, 3 Hail Marys and 3 Glory Be to the Father.
(A few moments of silence and meditation and let us ask for the grace we wish to obtain through the intercession of Blessed Saint Monica.)
Pray the Final Prayer.
Final Prayer (Every day)
Most glorious and blessed, Saint Monica! Great in patience, magnanimous in hope, and happy in triumph; wise and prudent woman, who knew how to build your house and shone in it like the sun when it dawns in the heights of the sky, and in everything you were an enlightened example to the Christian woman; Now that you are in “the land of those who live forever, where there is no mourning, nor groaning, nor any pain”, remember those who still groan and weep in this valley, where you groaned and wept; and intercede before the Lord so that he may have compassion on so many mothers and wives in their tribulations and labors, and so that he may collect our groans and hear our prayers and grant us, like you, the end of all our desires, and we may deserve, one day , reign and rest in glory like you, surrounded by all the ones dear to our hearts, and bless, there, with you, the eternal mercies of the Lord, forever and ever. Amen.