Please join us in preparing for the Priesthood Ordination on May 27, 2023 by praying for the holy men who will be ordained. Through the intercession of St. John Vianney, may they find peace and joy in their coming vocation.
Novena from the Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado.
First Day
St. John Vianney, who accepted the Cross
"If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps."
(Matthew 16:24)
O holy priest of Ars, as a young seminarian you encountered many obstacles on the road to the priesthood, but you realized that to suffer was to suffer with Christ on Calvary, and so, if following our Lord meant taking up His cross you lovingly embraced it. Your motto in life became loving while suffering and suffering in our to love. You did not get discouraged, but your strong faith united you closer to Jesus ever day of your life. O great St. John Vianney, you know what is needed for salvation - strong faith able to accept the will of God in all things. If we want to serve Christ, we too must take up our crosses and follow Him. By your prayers, obtain for those to be ordained a heart full of courage and strength; obtain for them that same courage and strength to follow Jesus whole-heartedly even if it means following Him to Calvary. Intercede for our brothers before the Lord that they may do the will of God, obey the commandments, and loyally love the Church, the Bride of Christ.
Novena Prayer
O holy priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney,
you loved God and served Him faithfully as His priest.
Now you see God face to face in heaven,
You never despaired
but persevered in your faith until you died.
Remember now the dangers, fears, and anxieties
that surround those to be ordained
and intercede for them in all their needs and troubles.
O St. John Vianney,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for them in a special way during this novena.
Amen.
Second Day
St. John Vianney, full of zeal for souls
"What profit would a man show if he were to gain the whole world and destroy himself in the process?"
(Matthew 16:26)
O holy priest of Ars, you taught men to pray daily: "O my God, come to me, so that You may dwell in me and I may dwell in You." Your life was the very living out of this prayer. The divine life of grace abided in you. Your zeal for the salvation of souls was manifested by your total self-surrender to God, which was express in the confessional, at the altar, in the classroom, in fact, in every action you performed. O great St. John Vianney, obtain for those who are to receive ordination the realization that God also dwells in them when they are free of sin. Awaken in them a sense of self-giving for the salvation of souls. Obtain for all priests, religious and seminarians, by your intercession, a zeal for souls like your zeal. May they see that God dwells in them and in their fellow men. Obtain for them from our Lord, the grace to lead all men to salvation. Let your prayer be theirs: "If you really love God, you will greatly desire to see Him loved by all the world."
Novena Prayer
O holy priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney,
you loved God and served Him faithfully as His priest.
Now you see God face to face in heaven,
You never despaired but persevered
in your faith until you died.
Remember now the dangers, fears, and anxieties
that surround those to be ordained
and intercede for them in all their needs and troubles.
O St. John Vianney,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for them in a special way during this novena.
Amen.
Third Day
St. John Vianney, adorer of the Blessed Sacrament
"Let me solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you... The man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him."
(John 6:53, 56)
O holy priest of Ars, you had such an overwhelming love for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament that you prayed for hours in His presence. You said that "...when our Lord sees them coming eagerly to visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament, He smiles upon them. They come with that simplicity which pleases Him so much." O saint of the Eucharist, may your example enkindle in the men to be ordained a love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. By your prayers, never let them doubt Christ's Real Presence, but obtain for them a firm faith rooted in Him. Help our brothers not to be afraid to defend or preach Christ's Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Obtain for them the grace to approach our Lord with simplicity of heart as they lay their soul's innermost thoughts before His Sacred Heart. Keep priests, religious, and seminarians under your continual protection, that they may be supported by your example and assistance and be faithful devoted to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. May their lives reflect their belief in our Lord's abiding presence with us. O St. John Vianney, by the power of your intercession, give your new priests devotion to the holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Novena Prayer
O holy priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney,
you loved God and served Him faithfully as His priest.
Now you see God face to face in heaven,
You never despaired but persevered
in your faith until you died.
Remember now the dangers, fears, and anxieties
that surround those to be ordained
and intercede for them in all their needs and troubles.
O St. John Vianney,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for them in a special way during this novena.
Amen.
Fourth Day
St. John Vianney, greatly devoted to our Blessed Mother
"Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, the Creator of Heaven and earth."
(Judith 13:18)
O holy priest of Ars, your life was consecrated to the Blessed Mother. You prayed earnestly to her, entrusteing your priesthood to her care. You begged all the faithful to pray the rosary, the favorite prayer of Mary, our Mother. You summed up the reason for you great love of Our Lady by saying: "We have only to turn to the Blessed Mother to be heard. Her heart is all love." O great St. John Vianney, I ask you with all my heart, through the merits of Jesus and the intercession of Mary, the Virgin Mother, to make our brothers' lives patterned after that of our heavenly Mother, full of love for God and my neighbor. Obtain for them a deep love of our Lady and a filial confidence in her. She is the person to whom all can turn in times of distress, when lonely or upset, or in times of temptation. Inspire all priests, religious, and seminarians to consecrate their lives to their Mother in heaven. May priests throughout the world never desert the cross of Christ, but remain, as Mary did, at the foot of the cross.
Novena Prayer
O holy priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney,
you loved God and served Him faithfully as His priest.
Now you see God face to face in heaven,
You never despaired but persevered
in your faith until you died.
Remember now the dangers, fears, and anxieties
that surround those to be ordained
and intercede for them in all their needs and troubles.
O St. John Vianney,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for them in a special way during this novena.
Amen.
Fifth Day
St. John Vianney, lover of sinners
"Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light."
(Matthew 11:28-30)
O holy priest of Ars, you spent many long hours daily in the confessional. People came to you for forgiveness of their sins from far-off places. Although you despised sin, you always received the sinner with much love and forgiveness. O holy confessor of the Lord, St. John Vianney, awaken in those to be ordained a sense of sinfulness before the eyes of God. By your priestly example and prayers, grant them a love of the sacrament of Penance. Obtain for them the understanding that it is in confessing their sins that God's mercy is poured out. Obtain for our brothers a deep hatred of sin and the grace to resist temptation. Teach them the value of frequent confession, where they meet Jesus the Savior, the source of all mercy and consolation. Pray that all priests, religious, and seminarians may always love the sacrament of Penance. Pray that they may call sinners to repentance by their good example and lives given in complete service to our Lord.
Novena Prayer
O holy priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney,
you loved God and served Him faithfully as His priest.
Now you see God face to face in heaven,
You never despaired but persevered
in your faith until you died.
Remember now the dangers, fears, and anxieties
that surround those to be ordained
and intercede for them in all their needs and troubles.
O St. John Vianney,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for them in a special way during this novena.
Amen.
Sixth Day
St. John Vianney, model of purity
"Let no one look down on you... but be a continuing example of love, faith, and purity to believers."
(1 Timothy 4:12)
O holy priest of Ars, your life was a model of purity. Your life of chastity was a source of edification to all. You said that when a soul is pure all the court of heaven looks upon it with great joy. Today we are experiencing a great disregard for the virtue of purity; it is looked upon with ridicule by worldly standards. O great St. John Vianney, more than ever before, we need your prayers and help in avoiding sins of impurity. I ask you to help the men to be ordained keep pure in mind and in body and give good example in speech, conduct and in faith. Obtain for them the strength necessary to combat temptations against the virtue of purity which leads away from God. Unite your prayers with those of Mary Immaculate to implore God that all priests, religious, and seminarians be pure in mind and heart and preserve them from those sins which are so displeasing to God.
Novena Prayer
O holy priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney,
you loved God and served Him faithfully as His priest.
Now you see God face to face in heaven,
You never despaired but persevered
in your faith until you died.
Remember now the dangers, fears, and anxieties
that surround those to be ordained
and intercede for them in all their needs and troubles.
O St. John Vianney,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for them in a special way during this novena.
Amen.
Seventh Day
St. John Vianney, humble in all things
"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."
(Matthew 23:12)
O holy priest of Ars, your life was filled with humility. You wore an old cassock, you ate meager meals. You realized that before the throne of God you were one of His creatures, made to glorify God and praise Him in all things. You said that the "first virtue is humility; the second, humility; and the third, humility." You counseled people to remain humble, remain simple, and the more one is so, the more good he will do. Your simplicity of soul and your uncluttered way of life led you to sanctity. O humble St. John Vianney, intercede for us with Almighty God, to allow us to see that without the Creator nothing is possible and that we masterly on God for everything. He is our Creator, who keeps us in existence at every moment. Obtain for all priests especially those about to be ordained, religious, and seminarians the grace of humility. May their lives exemplify your humility and simplicity, a life uncluttered, a life totally dependent on God.
Novena Prayer
O holy priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney,
you loved God and served Him faithfully as His priest.
Now you see God face to face in heaven,
You never despaired but persevered
in your faith until you died.
Remember now the dangers, fears, and anxieties
that surround those to be ordained
and intercede for them in all their needs and troubles.
O St. John Vianney,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for them in a special way during this novena.
Amen.
Eighth Day
St. John Vianney, lover of penance and mortification
"If you find the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you."
(John 15:18)
O holy priest of Ars, you led a life of detachment from worldly pleasures. Your meals consisted of a boiled potato each day, you slept a few hours each night. But you did all of this so that you would be able to serve God to the best of your ability. Your life was portrayed by this saying "We complain when we suffer. We have much more reason to complain when we do not suffer, since nothing so likens us to our Lord as the bearing of His cross." O great St. John Vianney, in these days when we are surrounded by so many comforts and pleasures, it can be so difficult for us to do penance for our sins and live a life of detachment. I resolve to offer some sacrifice today for the expiation of the sins of those who are to be ordained and the sins of all mankind. I resolve to lovingly accept the cross God chooses to send me. May all priests, religious, and seminarians become men and women of sacrifice. May they willingly offer their whole lives to God! Obtain for them the grace to like their lives to that of Christ by the bearing of His cross.
Novena Prayer
O holy priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney,
you loved God and served Him faithfully as His priest.
Now you see God face to face in heaven,
You never despaired but persevered
in your faith until you died.
Remember now the dangers, fears, and anxieties
that surround those to be ordained
and intercede for them in all their needs and troubles.
O St. John Vianney,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for them in a special way during this novena.
Amen.
Ninth Day
St. John Vianney, good and holy priest
"Continue, therefore, to live in Christ Jesus the Lord, in the spirit in which you received him. Be rooted in him and built up in him, growing ever stronger in faith, as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude."
(Colossians 2:6-7)
O holy priest of Ars, you lived in an age of much upheaval, in a time when men turned their backs on God. Your bishop told you of a parish to which he wished to send you where there was no love. He assigned you to Ars and said that you would be the priests who would enable the people to know the love of God. Not only did you draw these people back to God, but your saintly reputation soon spread and many people were converted to a life of holiness. You said that a good priest, a priest after Christ's own heart, is the greatest treasure that God can give a parish. Give us such priests! O great St. John Vianney, once again we are living in days of upheaval. There is much evil in the world. Obtain for those to be ordained the grace to persevere in faith and never to despair. May they walk with the Lord and trust in Him all the days of their lives. Obtain through your heavenly intercession, for all priests, religious, and seminarians, the grace of modeling their lives after that of Jesus Christ. We need, more than ever, priests full of the love of God, able to bring the world to Christ. Pray for good priests, O great priest of Ars.
Novena Prayer
O holy priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney,
you loved God and served Him faithfully as His priest.
Now you see God face to face in heaven,
You never despaired but persevered
in your faith until you died.
Remember now the dangers, fears, and anxieties
that surround those to be ordained
and intercede for them in all their needs and troubles.
O St. John Vianney,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for them in a special way during this novena.
Amen.