Children's Rosary: Novena to the Holy Spirit

Novena to the Holy Spirit

Dearest Holy Spirit, confiding in Your deep, personal love for me, I am making this novena for the following request, if it be Your Holy Will to grant it:(mention your request*). 

Teach me, Divine Spirit, to know and seek my last end; grant me the holy fear of God; grant me true contrition and patience. Do not let me fall into sin. Give me an increase of faith, hope and charity, and bring forth in my soul all the virtues proper to my state in life.

Make me a faithful disciple of Jesus and an obedient child of the Church. Give me efficacious grace sufficient to keep the Commandments and to receive the Sacraments worthily. 

Give me the four Cardinal Virtues, Your Seven Gifts, Your Twelve Fruits.
Raise me to perfection in the state of life to which You have called me and lead me through a happy death to everlasting life.I ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen. 
(novena obtained from EWTN website)

*May the Holy Spirit blow through our hearts, families, parish and the Children's Rosary as in the first Pentecost bringing us a renewed Spirit of prayer and love of God and neighbor. 

The Friday after Ascension Thursday is the day Mary and the Apostles began the very first novena to the Holy Spirit.  May we too begin a novena calling down the Spirit to blow through our hearts, families, and parishes as in the first Pentecost bringing a renewed Spirit of prayer and love of God and neighbor.

The Children's Rosary annually prays a novena to the Holy Spirit during the nine days preceding Pentecost.  It is my hope and prayer that both our children and parents may join in the prayers.  In the Acts of the Apostles we are told that Jesus promises "you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. And when He had said this, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight." (Acts 1:8-9)  

Ascension Thursday marks the departure of Jesus but we are assured that the Advocate is coming and this news is one of hope. This year our parish of St. Thomas has chosen various ways to celebrate Pentecost.  One of those is to invite the parish to pray this novena in their homes.  Last year members of the Children's Rosary from the parish prayed this novena and this year the whole parish is joining this prayer effort.  This in itself is a beautiful testament to the power of the Holy Spirit and the graces which are bestowed upon those who seek the assistance of the Spirit. The novena prayer above is to be said daily for nine days beginning tomorrow May 10th.