Father arose, instantly cured. So well has the saint kept this promise, that this devotion in his honor became universally known as the Novena of Grace. Its efficacy is not restricted to the dates mentioned. It may be made very appropriately in preparation for the feast of St. Francis Xavier, viz., the 3d of December. Though any prayers may be said in honor of the saint, the following are generally recommended.
Prayer to St. Francis Xavier
Used for the novena from the beginning and attributed to Father Mastrilli, S.J.
MOST amiable and most loving St. Francis Xavier, in union with thee I reverently adore the divine majesty. I rejoice exceedingly on account of the marvelous gifts which God bestowed upon thee. I thank God for the special graces He gave thee during thy life on earth and for the great glory that came to thee after thy death. I beseech thee with all my heart to obtain for me by thy powerful intercession the all-important grace of living and dying in a holy manner. I entreat thee to obtain for me also the special grace I desire to receive in this Novena (here you may mention the grace, spiritual or temporal, you wish to obtain), and if what I ask is not for the glory of God and for the greater good of my soul, obtain for me that which is most conducive to this end. Amen.
V. Pray for us, St. Francis Xavier.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray
O God, who didst vouchsafe, by the preaching and miracles of St. Francis Xavier, to join unto Thy Church the nations of the Indies; grant, we beseech Thee, that we who reverence his glorious merits may also imitate his example, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
