Novena in honour of Saint George

Pray the following prayers for nine consecutive days:

PREPARATORY PRAYER

Almighty and eternal God!
With lively faith
and reverently worshipping
Thy divine Majesty,
I prostrate myself before Thee
and invoke with filial trust
Thy supreme bounty and mercy.
Illumine the darkness of my intellect
with a ray of Thy heavenly light
and inflame my heart
with the fire of Thy Divine love,
that I may contemplate
the great virtues and merits
of the Saint in whose honour
I make this novena,
and following his example imitate,
like him,
the life of Thy Divine Son.

Moreover, I beseech Thee to grant graciously,
through the merits and intercession
of this powerful Helper,
the petition which through him
I humbly place before Thee,
devoutly saving,
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Vouchsafe graciously to hear it,
if it redounds to Thy greater glory
and to the salvation of my soul.

Amen.

PRAYER IN HONOR OF SAINT GEORGE

O GOD, who didst grant to Saint George
strength and constancy in the various torments
which he sustained for our holy faith;
we beseech Thee to preserve,
through his intercession,
our faith from wavering and doubt,
so that we may serve Thee
with a sincere heart faithfully unto death.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

INVOCATION OF SAINT GEORGE

Faithful servant of God
and invincible martyr, Saint George;
favoured by God with the gift of faith,
and inflamed with an ardent love of Christ,
thou didst fight valiantly
against the dragon of pride,
falsehood, and deceit.
Neither pain nor torture,
sword nor death could part thee
from the love of Christ.
I fervently implore thee
for the sake of this love
to help me by thy intercession
to overcome the temptations that surround me,
and to bear bravely
the trials that oppress me,
so that I may patiently carry the cross
which is placed upon me;
and let neither distress nor difficulties
separate me from the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Valiant champion of the Faith,
assist me in the combat against evil,
that I may win the crown promised to them
that persevere unto the end.

PRAYER

My Lord and my God!
I offer up to Thee
my petition in union
with the bitter passion
and death of Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
together with the merits
of His immaculate and blessed Mother,
Mary ever virgin,
and of all the saints,
particularly with those of the holy Helper
in whose honour I make this novena.

Look down upon me,
merciful Lord!
Grant me Thy grace and Thy love,
and graciously hear my prayer.

Amen.

A CRY FOR RELIEF in 1600, Part the Second

by Squire William Blundell

6.

In time to come, as heretofore,
Most certainlye shee shall prevayle
'Gainst all the force and sleightie wyles,
Whearwith hellgates may her assayle;
Whoe shoote against this brazen valle
With their fond boultes themselves will gaule.

7.

Themselves to gaule they vil be sure
Whoe stryve to ruinate thy howse,
And to withdrawe thy children deare
From saufte lappe of thy dearest spouse,
Thy children whom, with streames of bloode,
Thou bought, sweet Lorde, upon the Roode.

8.

Upon the Rood thou bought our soules
With pryce more worthe then all thou bought,
Yett doth the fëëde [fiend] our foes so biynde
Both soules and pryce they sett at nought;
They reaken not anoughe their ill
Except with theirs our soules they spill.

9.

Our soules to spille they think full soone,
Or els our bodies to inthralle ;
Or, at the-least, to wantful state,
Through hard pursuits, to bring us all;
Come quicklie, therefore, Lord Jesus,
And judge this cause twixt them and us.

10.

Geeve judgment, Lord, twixt them and _us,
The ballance yett let pittie houlde
Let mercie,measure their offence, , _ i
And grace reduce them to thy foul de,-
That wee, all children of thy spouse,
May live as brethren in thy house.

A CRY FOR RELIEF in 1600

by William Blundell of Crosby Hall

I.

We Catholicks tormented sore
With heresies fowl railinge tonge,
With prisons, tortures, loss of geodes,
Of lande, yea lyves, even thieves amonge
Do crave with harte surcharged with grieffe
Of thee, sweet Jesu, some relieffe.

2.

We crave relieffe in this distresse,
We seeke some ease of this annoye,
Yett are wee well content with all,
So thee in end wee may enjoye ;
Ourselves to thee wee do resygne,
Relieve us, Lord, our cause is thyne.

3.

Our cause is thyne, and thyne are wee,
Who from thy trueth refuse to slyde
Our faithe thy trueth, true faith the cause
For which these garboyles wee abyde,
True faith, I say, as plaine appears
To all whoe shutt not eyes and ears.

4.

To all whoe shutt not eyes and ears
'Gainst fathers, scriptures, Church and thee,
Whoe built thy Church as Doctors all
With scriptures playnlie doe agree,
Not soone to falle upon the sande,
But on a Rocke stille sure to stande.

5.

Still sure to stande, yea, on a hille,
For all her friends and foes to see,
Her friends to foster and defend,
Her foes to vanquish gloriousíie,
From age to age this hath shee done,
Thus shall shee do in time to come.

Prayer for the Conversion of England

"With full confidence we call upon these (Our Lady, St Peter and St George) to be our pleaders before the throne of God that receiving the joy of ancient days, it may fill you with all joy and peace in believing" Apostolic Letter of Pope Leo XIII to the English People, 14 April 1895."

The following prayer was also indulgenced on the same occasion.

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and our own most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England, thy Dowry, and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee. Through thee it was that Jesus our Saviour and our Hope was given unto the world; and he hath given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother. Intercede for our separated English brethren, that they may be united with us in the one true Fold. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works, we may all deserve to see and praise God together with thee in our heavenly home. Amen.

Ad sanctissimom Virginem pro Anglis fratribus precatio. O beata Virgo Maria, Mater Dei, Regina nostra et Mater dulcissima bcnigna oculos tuos convcrto ad Angliam, quae “Dos” tua vocatur; a convorto ad nos, qui magna in te fiducia confidimus. Per te datus est Christus Salvator mundi, in quo spes nostra consisterct; ab Ipso autem tu data es nobis, per quam spes eadem augeretur. Eia igitur, ora pro nobis, quos tibi apud crucem Domini excepisti filios, o perdolens Mater: intercede pro fratribus dissidentibus, ut nobiscum in unico vero Ovili adjungantur summo Pastori, Vicario in terris Filii tui. Pro nobis omnibus depreccare, o Mater piissima, ut per fidem, bonis operibus fecundam, mercamur tecum omnes contemplari Deum in coelesti patria et collaudare per secula. Amen.

Pope Leo XIII (300 days indulgence, plenary indulgence once a day for Catholics who pray the prayer each day, with the usual conditions of sacramental Confession,Communion at Mass and prayer for the intentions of the Pope).

Ignatius Spencer, Passionist, Crusader of Prayer for England