|
Novena in Honor of Saint Mariana de Jesús,
The Lily of Quito Prayers to be said every day: Act of Contrition PRAYER: My Sweet Jesus, as You rested among the lilies in your celestial garden, You turned Your eyes from Eternity to the most fragrant Lily of Quito. From the moment of her creation, you provided her with all of the sweet blessings that you bestow upon souls which are to be placed before Your throne; I now prostrate myself before Your Divine Majesty imploring Your divine mercy through the merits of Your faithful servant and affectionate spouse St. Mariana de Jesus. Grant me, Lord, by the imitation of St. Mariana’s heroic virtues, a soul that will emit the fragrance of virtue as hers did, for the glorification of Your most Holy Name. Amen. My God of Infinite Holiness, One in Being and three in Person, I thank you for the innumerable graces with which you have bestowed upon your most affectionate servant, St. Mariana de Jesus, demonstrated through her example and holy life. O Lord, by the singular benefits that you grant to those who invoke her, with a lively faith in any tribulation, especially in times of plagues and earthquakes, continue to give to all devotees who appeal to you through St Mariana’s intercession the necessary graces. Do not deny the request I ask of You in this novena, if it will assist me to gain eternal salvation. Amen. Day One
The day of the Canonization of Mariana de Jesus the elderly Mrs. Maria Rodriguez de Coello is suddenly cured. “I had been debilitated for a year and a half, without being able to walk. September 10, 1948, I took a serious fall from which I fractured my left leg in three points; the foot, the knee and the end of my femur. “I was treated by three doctors. I was six months in bed with my leg set in a plaster cast without being able to move. The pains were atrocious. I was told that within two months I would be well… A year passes and I became worse. Due to the fact that I remained on bed rest, my liver swelled, and my kidneys refused to work. The doctors lavished their science and good will to cure me…. “Soon they brought a bonesetter to me that made me undergo unbelievable torments. They were useless. “From April 1949, I used crutches on which to drag my sore and broken leg. “….the Canonization of Blessed Mariana de Jesus occurred on July 9, 1950. That day I joined my hands before the statue of Blessed Mariana. I said to her crying: Give your feet to this sinner here!. Grant a miracle to me! “With faith, I recited the novena to her.” “ It was now that hour in which the Pope at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome would celebrate the great canonization of Blessed Mariana de Jesus. I told my daughter and my son-in-law of my desire to listen to this radio broadcast of the canonization. As always, they assisted me, they rose with me in the early hours of July 9, but they could not get the Vatican radio station. They tried for several hours until daylight.” “I must confess that I was very sad because I could not hear her canonization. I spent the whole morning very sad. Later, at two o’clock in the afternoon, I was alone in my room. No longer could I hold back my despair and my anguish. With my head between my hands, I murmured sobbing: “Saint Mariana de Jesus why do you not hear me?” At that very moment, something that I cannot explain shook my whole body. And without realizing it, I fell to my knees. Immediately I got up, threw away my crutches and started to walk. I left my room. My niece was the first one to see me. Frightened, she went to tell her mother. My daughter came in and gave me a hug. We were speechless with joy. We cried tears of joy and gratitude…. Then my son-in-law came in, he was speechless…” (When arriving at this point in the story, Mrs. Maria Coella dries her tears that are streaming down her cheeks. Thus ends the story of this miracle).
R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Mrs. Lida Rosa de Gavilanes suffered for six years from a terrible discomfort in the abdomen. The doctors of Riobamba could not alleviate the acute pain. Tired from all of the treatments, she went to Quito and she was examined by Dr. Serrano who discovered a cancerous tumor. She was told that on the following day he would operate. She replied that she had an urgent commitment and would return later. This woman had heard that the town of Chambo was going to be visited by the Sacred Relics of Saint Mariana de Jesus on Sunday, April 22. She wanted to be present to implore with all of her faith, the cure of this disease. Therefore, this good woman traveled to Chambo and passed the whole night in prayer in front of the Sacred Relics. She implored the priest who cared for these relics to agree to bless her with these relics and to touch the relics to her. Immediately she felt no pain. Until this time her whites of her eyes had been yellow. This disappeared completely. At the advice of the priest, she went back to Quito, so that Dr. Serrano could examine her once more. The cancerous tumor had disappeared. `You are healed ", was the answer of the doctor. The Saint of Quito has wanted once again to demonstrate her power and her mercy to her countrymen by this miraculous fact and evidence. V. Pray for us, St. Mariana de Jesus. R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Day Three
Mariana de Jesus cures a cripple This striking miracle happened in the city of Tulcán the same day of the arrival of the Sacred Relics into that city, in January of 1945. A poor woman, mother of four children, lay debilitated and completely crippled. She had been in this state for four years. Aware that the Sacred Relics were going to pass in front of her house, she asked her little children to carry her in their arms and place her in front of the door near the street. As the Relics approached, she cried out full of faith: “Mariana de Jesus: have compassion on this poor mother! Return my health to me in order that I may take care of my children” and she lied down and began to cry. On the following day, in a moment when one of her children was going to fall suddenly to the ground, she very instinctively went running to help him. She did not notice in the least that she had recovered the use of her limbs, until she felt that the bones of both knees cracking. Then realizing that she was cured, she began to cry with joy.
V. Pray for us, St. Mariana de Jesus. R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Day Four
The city of Cañar is saved from a catastrophe by a miracle of Santa Mariana de Jesus: Mr. Párroco of the city of Cañar says: “We would sin unjustly if we did not raise our voices to make evident our gratitude to Saint Mariana by the prodigy whereupon she saved Cañar from the rage of a great fire on the 17 of the month.”
“…Mr. Julio Delgado’s residence which was a
gasoline warehouse caught on fire. In an instant, with the explosion of
three gas tanks, the blaze in the building was of such a great dimension
that the flames of the fire could be seen from a great distance.
Humanly speaking, there was no possible salvation; Cañar would be a
complete inferno, since it was lacking of water, its buildings were
composed mostly of wood and the airflows circulated in such a way that
they would spread the flames quickly and uncontrollably. Like the parish priest of Cañar, I fulfill the sweetest obligation of representing my town in glorifying the sublime Protectress of Cañar.”
R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Day Five
Cure of an ulcer and a conversion. In the city of Guayaquil, away from my home, I visited a doctor since I had been ill with an ulcer in my leg. Upon examination, the doctor ordered the amputation of my leg on the very next day. Filled with bitterness, I grasped the holy picture of Mariana de Jesus with a relic that my mother had sent from Quito. Flooded with tears and thousands of exclamations to Mariana, I offered my leg to her. I presented to her this proposal: that if she freed me from the amputation of my leg, I would become her serious and most faithful devotee, and that I would go to confession and Holy Communion as a sign of my gratitude. The holy picture with the relic was placed on the bandage throughout the night. The following morning, I surprised the doctor with the extraordinary change that had occurred; He told me that I was lucky, because I no longer needed the amputation. Then still doubtful of that improvement, he examined me with thoroughness believing to be mistaken. With tears in my eyes, I give thanks to Mariana de Jesus, and fulfilled my promise as soon as I left the hospital. Thus it went, how after twenty years of not even attending a single Mass, I fervently received Holy Communion. Pledging allegiance, I am, forever, a true devotee of our kind compatriot.
R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Day Six:
In Milan, a girl is prodigiously healed of meningitis and infantile paralysis: My second daughter was seized suddenly with an attack of virulent meningitis, complicated with paralysis. Both doctors who attended to her declared this to be one of the most serious cases. Immediately, they decided to make an incision into the skull in order to diminish the cerebral pressure and evaluate the seriousness of the disease. As the liquid rapidly gushed forth, the doctors declared my daughter to be a completely lost case. In the middle of this terrible bitterness, I resorted to Saint Mariana de Jesus. I made a promise to her that I would publish the miracle if she would heal her. After an hour, I realized that her eyes were animated. Her little legs which before were completely contracted towards the chest and the head completely arched back, were now able to be moved and were flexible. The doctors were astonished when seeing this twisted body so close to death seemingly come back to life; nevertheless they told us that we should not delude ourselves because at times, this reaction was a precursor of death. In addition, the doctors told us that if even if she were to live, she could be a quadriplegic or blind, or severely brain damaged, or even perhaps all of these three things together. Doctor Brusa assured us that out of twenty thousand cases that he has had, this is the second one that had been healed. He stated that he would publish this case in a medical magazine so that medical students could study it. In this district, out of the fifteen children who were ill, the only one cured was my daughter. For greater certainty, I send the certificates of the doctors. I have fulfilled my promise. I thank and pay homage to my Holy Compatriot, by describing this miracle so that with this testimony, the confidence in her intercession is increased among the faithful.
R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Day Seven
An Italian, Mr. Fratta recounts the following event: We left Babhoyo in an automobile in the direction of Ambato with five people: I sat in the front seat with the driver. The others sat in the back seat. We had arrived at a point in the road called, “The Lemon”. The edge of the highway was covered with grass; so that the highway seemed wider than it was. Tricked by this illusion, the driver got too close to the edge; the car started over the cliff toward the river, which at that time was deep and torrential. Remaining on the edge of the cliff, the car balanced on its axle with all four wheels in the air. All the travelers hurried from the car to the highway to save their lives. The car seemed ready to loose ground, and two supported the car by holding onto the trunk. The passers-by approached us to help us to pull the car from the precipice. We tied a heavy cable to the car and we all tried to move this car over the enormous boulder. Our efforts were useless. Then we sent someone to the city of Montalvo to bring a truck back to tow the car. While we were working on the car, a young woman approached us dressed in black with a veil covering her head. She said; “Would you like the car back on the highway?” We replied that we would. She asked us “Are you devoted to Blessed Mariana de Jesus? I replied, “I am a devout Catholic; but not to Blessed Mariana, since I do not know who she is.” Indicating that she wanted to help, she said, “Give me some money so that I can buy a candle”. Accini gives me the money and I gave her a coin; and we continued working on the car. In a little while this young woman returned with the lighted candle. She placed the candle on a reddish stone and knelt to pray. At this point I realized that there was not a single house within 5 miles of this place. Later she came up to us with four strangers. She invited these four strange men to lift of the four corners of the car. They did as she asked. At that very moment, the car was found in the middle of the highway. Immediately I jumped into the car to see if the car would start. I noticed that it was in perfect condition. My friends got into the car immediately to continue on our way. Before leaving, I asked my companions if they saw the young woman so I could thank her and give her a monetary reward, but nobody seemed to know where she went. Then I heard my friends say that this young woman must have been Blessed Mariana of Jesus who had been seen several times in this area but on the other side of the river. (When arriving at this point in the story, Fratta spoke with a quivering voice. This vigorous hefty fellow was deeply moved, and his eyes were filled with tears as he takes out his handkerchief to dry them. He was silent for a little while.) He continues: “While we traveled up the mountain, I was in deep thought and I became quite emotional. When arriving at the town, I stopped the car and left the car telling Accini that I was going to walk the rest of the way up the hill. The impression of this incident was so intense; I began to cry like a child. When we returned to Guayaquil, I looked for an image of Blessed Mariana de Jesus and could not find one; some people told me that I would find one in the School of the Marianitas, on Chimborazo road. I went there. While the Mother Superior was being called for, I was invited into the receiving room. I fixed my eyes on a picture in which a young woman was sitting and teaching catechism to a group of children. I felt a tremor of fear and admiration within me. She was the same one that approached to us on the highway of Babhoyo. I was on the verge of fainting. When the Mother Superior entered the room, I exclaimed, without even first greeting her: “She is the same one!, She is the same one!” I then explained all that occurred. Fratta and Accini paid for a plaque and a statue of Mariana de Jesus and placed it on the rock at the place of the miracle. Today these men are great benefactors of the School of Marianitas. They have constructed a beautiful Chapel dedicated to their Benefactor, Saint Mariana of Jesus.
R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Day Eight
Cure of Mrs. Carmela de Elsitdie: Mrs. Carmela Martinez Tamariz de Elsitdie, matron of a distinguished family of the city of Cuenca, was suffering for eleven years of an ailment caused by gastrointestinal enlargement. She possessed such an enormous hernia of the abdomen that it drooped almost touching her knees. On June 19th, the day of the triumphant entrance of the Sacred Relics into Cuenca, she left her house taking flowers to place them at the Sacred Reliquary when they arrived and asked for the return of good health. Fulfilling her intention, she left to return to her house. As she passed in front of the church of Saint Alfonsus, she felt a sensation of excitement and well-being. She noticed that the overcoat that was almost impossible to fasten was now entirely loose. The enormous expansion of her abdomen had entirely disappeared along with all discomfort. On the following day, she appeared with her husband to relate this miracle. All of the medical professionals have affirmed that this type of cure could not be attributed to the forces of nature, nor could it be obtained by a surgical operation.
R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Day Nine
Example: Herman Toral, a six year old boy, was carried in arms of his two companions to his house, due to an attack of sharp pains in the abdomen accompanied by vomiting and fever. Examined by four doctors, all diagnosed the case as acute appendicitis and advised an immediate operation. A blood test was analyzed. The boy was found to have a highly elevated white blood count and sepsis in the bloodstream. The fever, the vomiting and the pains increased. Fearing the operation would be detrimental for her son, the mother asked Mariana de Jesus to intercede. She applied a relic of the saint onto his abdomen. At that point, the boy fell into a deep healing sleep. All the symptoms disappeared. He awoke perfectly healthy.
R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
A Short Novena Prayer to Saint Mariana of Jesus Holy virgin, Mariana, chosen from amongst us by Our Lord, Jesus Christ, at a tender age like a delicate lily to be transplanted into the celestial garden of Paradise; cultivated by His Divine hands and watered by gentle streams of His grace: we prostrate ourselves at your feet, imploring mercy so that, by your great merits of virginal innocence, and angelical virtues with which your Divine Spouse adorned you, obtain for us the grace we need to spend our life in innocence , keeping us out of mortal sin, cleansing our souls of our faults and defects in the beneficial fountains of penance, and obeying the holy laws of Our Lord and the obligations of our state, so that at the end of our life we will be found to be pruned into flowers most pleasing to Our Lord and worthy to be placed in the Eternal Gardens of Heaven. Amen.
Saint Mariana de Jesus, Lily of Quito, pray for us, the Church, Ecuador and the Americas, and most especially for the Clergy, the missions, for the religious communities and seminaries. Remember particularly Christian families, and all of the youth and children of the world. Amen. Litany to St. Mariana de Jesus Mariana of
Jesus, beloved spouse of the Divine Heart. ----------- Pray for us R. So that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. LET US PRAY: Oh God, who desired to have bloom in this age, Saint Mariana in virginal chastity and perpetual penance as a lily among thorns; I pray that through her merits and intercession I may deter my inclination to sin and vice and continue to follow on the road to perfection through Christ, Our Lord. Amen. Prayer to Saint Mariana de Jesus for our country Saint Mariana de Jesus, pure Lily of Quito, you offered fervent and continuous prayers to Our Lord for your fellow men, encouraged men to do good by heroic and singular examples of virtues and austere penances and appeased the Divine Wrath from punishing sin. In addition to the example of great charity and love, you offered to Our Lord the precious flower of your youth so that your fellow men would not perish. Deign, oh celestial maiden and holy sister of ours, to save our country from the abyss in which irreligion and immorality has thrown us. Restore the Faith that has died in so many hearts, return the sanctity of the customs back to our homes , defend our children from the plague of atheism, communicate to our girls your modesty and reserve and make the rules of the Gospel of Jesus Christ reign in both our civic and political lives. Oh Saint Mariana de Jesus, our heavenly compatriot! Intercede for our country, defend it from its enemies, and preserve it from infection of errors that cause discord and antichristian hatreds. May that heroic sacrifice that you made of your life for your country bear fruit by virtue of Christian order and civic virtues. Allow to flourish order, peace,and harmony, under whose protection all humanity can work for the prosperity of our country and the defense of the Church. Amen.
Imprimi Potest
Praep. Vicepr. Aequat.
Mons Victor M. Carrillo M., The Apostolate of Our
Lady of Good Success (262) 567-0920
www.ourladyofgoodsuccess.com
|
PRAYER:
Blessed Mariana de Jesus, who
appreciated the inestimable gift of the
faith which you received in holy baptism, being solidly taught the
divine mysteries and truths of the Faith, and conformed all your works
to the Catholic beliefs, from childhood on, you endeavored to increase
your faith through meritorious acts. Despite the fact that you were only
a delicate young girl of ten years old, you attempted to leave home with
your childhood companions, to become a missionary to pagans, even
prepared to give up your life for this cause if need be. Intercede for
me with your celestial Spouse, and attain for me from His Divine Mercy a
faith which intensifies so that I am not ashamed to confess my Faith in
word or work, nor should I be fearful of those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul . Rather may I gain a holy fear of the Lord who is
the Divine Judge who will decide my fate. May I grow in faith so that
by not refusing to lose my temporal life, I may gain Eternal Life.
Amen.
PRAYER:
Blessed Mariana de Jesus, you trusted in the extreme kindness and
infinite power of your Divine Spouse. Never becoming discouraged in
setbacks or annoyances in your consecrated life, neither in the corporal
diseases and tribulations of soul, nor in the contradictions of the men,
rather, hoping against all hope, did you face all of the difficulties of
your century. Living a consecrated life within the bosom of your
family, you were supported by the powerful arm of Jesus, who consoled
you. Attain for me, from the Divine Majesty, abundant grace to fulfill
all of the duties of my state, that I may live in the world but not of
the world through my Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.
PRAYER:
Blessed Mariana de Jesus, fervent virgin, whose thoughts, words
and actions from the age of reason until your dying breath, were
animated by the charity of God, pray for me to your most loving Spouse,
Jesus Christ. May He inflame my cold heart with that sacred fire that
spreads across the Earth, eager to consume everything in His Love. May
the Holy Spirit fill my heart with His Divine Love so that overflowing
as your heart was, I may imitate you in my words and example. Hence all
of my intentions, all of my efforts, my whole heart and soul will only
be occupied in serving Him, honoring Him and loving Him during this life
preparing me to be worthy to love Him and enjoy Him forever and ever in
the next. Amen.
PRAYER:
Blessed Mariana de Jesus, you gave to God the honor and the worship
due to Him as our Creator and Redeemer. By manifesting modesty with
great reserve as you attended the daily sacrifice of the Mass, and by
demonstrating profound humility as you received “The Bread of Angels”,
you were admitted by the Divine Mercy into the sacrosanct mysteries.
These sacrosanct mysteries convinced you of the infinite Majesty and
greatness of God and the smallness and baseness of man. Obtain for me
from your beloved and loving Spouse the virtue of Faith so that in
church and at home, and in all places and at all times, I give praise to
Him. May I glorify with my heart and my lips, and adore Him in spirit
and truth as He desires to be adored. Amen. 
PRAYER:
Most pure and angelic Mariana de Jesus, with holy fear of God, you
controlled your senses and practiced perfect mortification of your
body. As a result, you were found worthy of Jesus Christ, the reward
for extraordinary chastity. Emulating the purity of the angels, you did
not know the enticement of sensuality and could offer to your Divine
Spouse the purest lily of your virginity. Obtain for me from Our Lord
the knowledge of how to dominate my passions and desires, so that with a
chaste and pure life I find grace in the eyes of God and obtain the
Eternal Salvation of my soul. Amen.
PRAYER:
Most Blessed Mariana de Jesus, you were chosen by God as a victim
soul of expiation for the sins of your city. You embraced with heroic
generosity many austere penances such as fasting, hair shirts, and
disciplines until your tender and delicate body was a perfect image of
the Crucified Christ for the sake of obtaining mercy and pardon for your
nation. Obtain for me from Our Lord the grace which corresponds to my
Christian vocation in which Divine Providence has placed me. Intercede
for me so that I am able to mortify my body and control my disordered
appetites that keep me from fulfilling His Divine Will. Finally,
assist me to gain eternal happiness. Amen.
PRAYER:
Most blessed Mariana de Jesus, you were not chosen to consecrate
your life to God in a cloister, as you so desired, but instead guided
by Divine inspiration, you committed yourself to living a religious life
in your own home until death. You guarded with the great scrupulosity
and perfection the three vows that constitute this life, poverty,
chastity and obedience. By virtue of this total surrender of yourself
in the springtime of youth, and by the fidelity whereupon you kept your
holy vows until the death, attain for us from your most sweet Spouse,
Jesus, the grace that I need to serve Him perfectly in the vocation in
which Divine Providence has placed me. Amen.
PRAYER:
Blessed Mariana de Jesus, most devoted and privileged daughter of
the Most Holy Virgin, you venerated and honored Our Lady as Mother of
God and men. You commemorated in a thousand ways her indescribable
mysteries. Since childhood, you used Mary’s life as a model and
perfect example for all of your actions. Attain from Our Lord, Jesus
Christ, the most affectionate devotion which you constantly professed to
His Most Holy Mother. In a special way, attain for us the grace to
honor, venerate and love the mysteries of the Holy House of Nazareth, so
that we may be worthy to serve the Holy Family with perfect purity of
soul and body. Amen.
PRAYER:
Blessed Mariana de Jesus, most pure and fragrant lily of Quito, you
gave us the most extraordinarily heroic examples of charity during your
twenty-six years of precious existence. You exhibited the greatest
example of charity for your brothers, the inhabitants of Quito, who, at
that time, were excessively afflicted by the terrible scourge of the
plague and earthquakes by sacrificing your life for them. Attain for
us now from your Divine Spouse freedom from punishments of similar
plagues and calamities. Obtain for us the grace to practice, in good
health, all manner of virtue, so that afterward, we may die consumed in
the twin fires of charity of God and our fellow man, in order to be
found worthy to be at your side in Heaven. Amen.