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Day Nine
Act of Repentance
To be said first, each day of the novena
I believe in Thee, O my God.
Strengthen, O Lord, my faith.
I hope in Thee, O my God.
Affirm, O Lord, my hope.
I love Thee, O my God;
increase, O Lord, my love.
I repent of having offended Thee.
O my God, help me
to have contrition,
so that with the help
of Thy grace and the
powerful patronage of
Holy Mary of Good Success,
I may never sin again.
O Lord, have pity and mercy on me.
Amen.
Opening Prayer
To be said each day of the novena
O most Excellent and Immaculate
Queen of Heaven,
Holy Mary of Good Success,
most favored Daughter of
the Eternal Father,
most beloved Mother of
the Divine Son,
most cherished
Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
sublime Throne of
the Divine Majesty,
August Temple of the Holy Trinity,
in whom the Three Divine Persons
have placed the treasures
of Their Power, Wisdom and Love!
Remember, Virgin Mary of Good Success,
whom God hath made so great
so that thou canst give succor
to miserable sinners;
remember that thou hast often
promised to show thyself
a merciful Mother to those
who have recourse to thee.
I come to thee then,
Mother most merciful,
and I beg thee,
for thy love of the Most High,
that thou should obtain for me
from God the Father
a lively Faith that
never loses sight of the eternal truths;
from the Son, a firm Hope that
always aspires to reach
that glory that He won
for me with His Blood;
and from the Holy Ghost,
a charity so inflamed
that I will always live
loving the Supreme Goodness
and thee, Most Holy Virgin,
until through thy intervention
I will love and enjoy
thee eternally in glory.
Amen.
We salute thee Mary,
as the Favored Daughter
of God the Father.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary,
as the Chosen Mother
of the Divine Son.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary,
as the Singular Spouse
of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary... Glory be to the Father...
Day Nine
Consider how the humble sister
felt on hearing the command of Holy Mary,
to have a statue made of the same size
and appearance as the apparition.
She excused herself saying that
it would be impossible,
that no sculptor could reproduce
such rare beauty or render
with precision its proper proportions.
The beautiful Lady,
with a most amiable forbearance,
replied to her,
“Do not fear for this reason.
Take off the cord around
your waist and measure my height.”
Since, from a natural fear,
the religious did not dare
to touch Mary with her hands,
the Heavenly Queen herself took
the end of the cord and held it
to her head, while the sister
touched it to her feet to measure
the exact height of the marvelous vision.
Then Holy Mary said:
“Here, as I told you, you have the
height for the statue that you
should order to be made, and
the rest of the measurements should be in proportion to it.
Place the statue in the place I have
indicated with a crosier and the
keys of the cloister in my right hand,
for I desire to be Advocate
and Protectress of this Convent.”
Having said this,
the vision disappeared.
The heart of the sister who had
just received such a signal favor
and so pleasing a mission was penetrated,
filled with gratitude and warm sentiments
for Mary Most Holy!
O my soul, search in your heart
for those sentiments, and be
dissolved in gratitude for Mary of Good Success,
our Advocate and Protectress.
Let me venerate her Image
with the most tender gratitude and
the vehement desire of corresponding
to such singular benefits
by leading a life that is holy,
obedient, and observant of all
the duties of my state of life.
Then the holy sister who had been
favored with this vision
made efforts to find an
accomplished sculptor to begin
the work on this statue that Mary herself
had ordered to be made.
Thus this statue, full of sweetness
and majesty, will last
until the end of time.
Venerated in the upper
choir of this Convent,
the religious there always have
recourse to her in their
most grave conflicts.
So also has she been the
refuge of all people who come to her
in their necessities, and
through her intercession many
portentous favors and
special graces have been obtained.
The measurements given by Mary
symbolize the measure of her humility,
obedience, and love of God and neighbor,
which she gives to us so that
we might strive to reproduce them.
Imitate her, and you will carry
an image of the Virgin Most Holy in your heart.
Strive like that holy sister
to make the moral image of your
Virgin Mother in your customs
and sentiments, in your bearing
and way of acting, in your fidelity
to your daily duties and prayers,
in your meekness and candor,
in your purity and detachment
from earthly things,
thus aspiring only to heavenly goods.
Prayer
Oh God! Tender Father of Thy creatures
Who in every manner demonstrates
Thy paternal care and guidance for us,
principally by giving us
Mary Most Holy as our advocate,
protectress, and model ideal of virtue,
infuse our hearts with a constant desire
to imitate our Mother and Queen,
modeling our thoughts, desires,
and actions after those of
Mary Most Holy so that
we might be like Her in all that
our fragile nature permits.
Assisted by Thy Divine Grace,
may we conquer our passions
and receive the choicest graces that
our Mother grants to her children
who confidently come to her as
Advocate in their pressing needs.
May we find her ready to assist us
in the last difficult moment of life,
and afterward enjoy the pleasure of her
company in Heaven forever and ever.
Amen
Act of Thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin
To be said each day of the novena
O Virgin blessed among all women!
We lack the words to give thee thanks
for the innumerable blessings that we
have received from thy hand.
The day of thy birth
can be called the day of thanksgiving,
happiness, and consolation.
Thou art the honor of mankind,
the joy of Paradise,
the beloved gift of God,
and the well-being of our country.
What merit do we have,
Blessed Virgin of Good Success,
to deserve to have thee
as our Mother?
May God be forever blessed
Who hath desired it so!
Blessed also art thou, Virgin Mary,
because despite our ingratitude,
thou dost show us
thy propitious favor.
Thus art thou, most clement Mother,
our consolation on earth,
our refuge, our help,
and our protection in both
our public and private needs.
Safeguard us from war,
pestilence, hunger, storms,
earthquakes, and all the calamities
that we merit by our guilt.
Pray for the Holy Church
and for her visible head.
Hear the supplications of those
who invoke thee.
Be thou our Advocate, our Mother,
for as thus do we place our confidence in thee.
To thee do we have recourse,
and through thy intercession
we hope to achieve from
thy Son pardon for our sins
and perseverance in grace until death.
Amen.
Here, each one raising up
his heart to God, should ask,
through the intercession of
Blessed Mary of Good Success,
that grace or favor which
he desires to receive.
Praises to the Holy Virgin
To be said each day of the novena
O Virgin Mary, our Mother
preeminent above all on earth.
Response: Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
Above all others, thou wert
attentive to the
Word of the Father,
Who doth great things in thy honor.
Response: Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
Thou art the most worthy
temple of the Most Holy Trinity.
Response: Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
In thee is that same purity the Angels enjoy.
Response: Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
The Christian world proclaims that
thou dost reign on the
right side of the King of Kings.
Response: Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
O Mother of Grace, our Hope!
Port of the shipwrecked
and star of the sea,
Response: Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
Gate of Heaven, health of the sick,
light in the darkness.
Response: Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
Through thee, we will find
ourselves before God
in the court of the Saints,
where He lives and reigns forever.
Response: Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
Guide our steps and help us,
O sweet Mary, in our last hours.
Response: Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
Receive this praise
from our tender lips,
which cannot express
thy singular grandeur.
Come to our assistance
and show us mercy,
because thou art our Mother.
Antiphon: Holy Mary, save the miserable,
help the weak, intercede for the afflicted,
plead for the people,
intercede for the clergy,
petition for the faithful.
Permit all those who
celebrate thy holy memory to
experience thy favor and assistance.
V. Pray for us, O Virgin of Good Success!
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final Prayer
We ask thee, our Lord and God,
that Thou grant us health of
soul and body through the
intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary.
Through her merits and
those of her
sovereign Child Jesus,
we hope to be freed from
the present evils and
to attain eternal happiness.
Amen.
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