long as I may live. Surround me with thy powerful patronage, and obtain for me from God the grace to imitate those virtues with which thou wast so abundantly adorned. Grant that I may know and bitterly lament my sins. Obtain for me a most lively affection for Jesus and Mary, and fidelity and constancy in the practice of the duties of my state. Preserve me from every danger in life, and assist me in the moment of my death, so that, safe in paradise, I may unite with thee, most blessed Mother, in praising the Word of God made man in the bosom of thy most pure child, the Virgin Mary. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, three times.
Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIII, March 20, 1886.
INDULGENCED PRAYER TO ST. JOACHIM
St. Joachim, spouse of Anne, father of the Blessed Virgin, aid thy clients here on the way to salvation.
Indulgence of 300 days. — Pius X, June 16, 1906.
The Novena of Grace in Honor of St. Francis
ORIGIN OF THE NOVENA
The Novena of Grace, which begins on March 4th and ends on the 12th, the day of the canonization of St. Francis Xavier, owes its origin to the saint himself. At Naples, in December, 1633, Father Marcello Mastrilli, S.J., was at the point of death. The saint appeared to him, and bidding him renew a vow he had made to labor in Japan, said: " All those who implore my help daily for nine consecutive days, from the 4th to the 12th of March included, and worthily receive the sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist on one of the nine days, will experience my protection and may hope to obtain from God any grace they ask for the good of their souls and the glory of God." The
