<p>For centuries, Christians have gone on pilgrimages to holy places, seeking grace and conversion. The Michaelmas Novena is such a pilgrimage — not measured in miles, but in prayer.</p><p>Each day, Fr. Ambrose Criste and the entire abbey community will guide us as we ask God for a specific grace: to recognize the darkness, to turn back in conversion, to walk under angelic protection, to persevere with zeal, and to radiate Christ&#039;s light into the world.</p><p>Our destination is the altar of God, where Christ&#039;s victory over sin and death is renewed in the Eucharist. The journey culminates on the Feast of St. Michael (Sept. 29), when Solemn Vespers fills the abbey church with chant, incense, and a glorious sign: the rose window&#039;s light falling directly upon the altar.</p><p>This is the goal of our novena. This is our pilgrimage into the Light.</p>

Michaelmas 2025 Novena: A Pilgrimage Toward the Light

Great Saint Michael, Prince of the Heavenly Host, your name is a question filled with awe: "Who is like God?" Your vocation is to reveal His power and His wisdom, and so your name teaches us that nothing can compare with His might and goodness.
 
What is there that we cannot hope to receive from God's hand through your intercession and care? We entrust to you the intentions we bring in this novena: for Holy Church in Her trials; for our homelands so much in need of healing and grace; for our families who are shielded by the angels who guard us on our way to heaven; for the sick; for sinners; for the dying; for our dear, departed loved ones; and for protection from all the forces of evil who oppose these intentions.
 
We expect great things and abundant blessings as we invoke you. Christ the Lord is your King and ours; we are safe under your shield and with your fiery sword of burning love for Him.
 
We thank you in advance for the gifts to be obtained in this novena and promise in our gratitude to make your name and devotion known as much as we are able.
 
Blessed be God, glorious in His fair hosts of angels led by you, Michael, the leader of the bodiless powers of heaven! Amen.

<p>People all over the world are living and dying every day without knowing the love of Jesus. Family Missions Company was founded in 1997 to address this injustice. We are an apostolate of lay, Catholic foreign missionaries committed to sharing the Gospel, serving the poor, and making disciples across the globe. When we make real friends with the poor, lives are transformed, hope is restored, and the Kingdom of God grows!</p><p id="isPasted">What leads someone to abandon the comforts of modern life and follow Jesus into mission? Watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v&#61;VMgKOBq883U&amp;list&#61;PLCeR3RiqRsZpX4u6HvU0tyMTlSa59BkeI"><strong>Call to Mission testimonies</strong></a> of FMC&#039;s missionaries to find out!</p><p>Might God be <a href="https://www.familymissionscompany.com/become-a-missionary/"><strong>calling YOU</strong></a> to be a lay foreign missionary? Schedule an <a href="https://calendly.com/fmcvocations/full-time-missions-inquiry?month&#61;2025-12"><strong>introductory call</strong></a> with us!</p><p>Learn more about FMC and how you can <a href="https://www.familymissionscompany.com/donate/"><strong>support our mission</strong></a> to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth!</p>

Advent Retreat with Family Missions Company

In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, thank You for calling us to participate in Your mission, which is the greatest and holiest duty of the Church.

We thank you for our Baptism, in which You make us partakers of Your own Divine Life.

We thank you for the gift of Confirmation, in which You empower us to become witnesses to Your love and to Your Gospel.

We thank you for the Most Holy Eucharist, in which You give us Yourself as food to nourish and strengthen us.

Help us, Lord, to be courageous, evangelistic missionaries in our everyday lives. Teach us to see You in our brothers and sisters – regardless of race or language. Help us to live our lives in such a way that our words and actions proclaim You as Christ, the Lord.

Bless in special way those missionaries who have given their lives to You, to serve You in difficult and often dangerous situations. Give them the grace each day to be a conduit of Your love and mercy to the poor and those furthest from You. And keep them holy as they spread Your Gospel even to the ends of the earth. 

We ask all of this through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier and St. Therese of the Child Jesus, co-Patrons of Missions.

Amen!

In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

<h2>What is the purpose of this community of prayer?</h2><p>The purpose is to find peace of mind and heart by putting our trust in God through prayer, meditation, and abandoning ourselves to the Lord. We will encourage you throughout this Novena and lift each one of you in prayer. </p><h2>&#34;What if....?&#34;</h2><p>Many of us suffer from worry, anxiety, and fear. These negative feelings can easily overwhelm us, up to the point where we begin struggling with our faith. </p><p>Indeed, there are so many reasons to develop fear and worry today. Wars, violence, crime, natural disasters, unemployment, illness, future uncertainty... The list goes on. </p><p>We keep asking ourselves &#34;What if?&#34; while imagining the worst outcomes; living under the weight of this uncertainty eventually takes its toll on both our physical and mental health. </p><p>While there is no way to know what future will hold, <strong>we do have a powerful weapon against fear: trusting in God who loves us</strong>. Jesus came to save us, to set us free from all of our enemies. Putting our trust in God, we can gradually overcome all negative thoughts we&#039;re constantly fighting. No, it&#039;s not a miraculous cure, but <strong>God can work wonders in hearts that believe in His power.</strong> </p><h2>Every day, for the duration of the Novena, you&#039;ll receive:</h2><ul><li>A Bible verse to fight fear and anxiety.</li><li>A prayer.</li><li>A short meditation. </li></ul><p class="hoz_important">if you are suffering from depression and/or anxiety, and/or having suicidal thoughts, please seek professional help. Prayer does help and accomplishes miracles, but no one in their right mind would tell a cancer patient to &#34;just pray their cancer away.&#34; The same applies to mental illnesses. Emergency international resources can be found <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines">here</a> and <a href="https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/">here</a>.  </p><h2>Click Join to receive the prayers</h2><p><a href="https://hozana.org/en/intentions">Click here to leave your prayer intention.</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Photo </strong>by Gorjan Ivanovski on Unsplash. </p>

Novena for Peace of Mind

Kneeling at your feet, sweet Mother of God and Queen of Peace, I, your loving child, confidently turn to you in my need, seeking your intercession for peace of mind and comfort to my troubled heart. (Mention your petition here.)
O listen to me, dear heavenly mother. Come to my aid and refuse me not as I cry to you. For you are my mother, and you fail no one who has recourse to you, O Consoler of the afflicted, O Queen of Peace. 
Amen.

<h2>A Walk of Faith for Valentine&#039;s Day!</h2><p>Now is the time to experience the spirit of Valentine&#039;s Day, by confidently entrusting our desires to live a Christian marriage to St. Valentine, a great martyr and the patron saint of lovers.</p><p>Be assured that we share your hopes and keep your intentions in our hearts every day!</p><h2>The Grace of Love: a Gift from God</h2><ul><li>Pray for yourself: pray that you meet someone in accordance with the Lord &#039;s heart.</li><li>Pray for yourself: entrust God with your desire to live a fruitful Christian marriage.</li><li>Pray for a single person you know who suffers from loneliness.</li><li>Pray for all those who desire to get married.</li><li>Pray that marriages be based on the « Rock of Faith » .</li><li>Pray for young people who are not looking to commit to the Sacrament of Marriage </li><li>Pray that the world regains a deep sense of commitment to sacraments.</li></ul><p>… other ideas? Share them with us!</p><p><strong>St. Valentine will certainly be happy to hear them and present them to the Lord!</strong></p><h2>Commitment</h2><p>Commit yourself to offer your thanks to St. Valentine: if you feel that he answered your prayers, celebrate his Feast Day in a spirit of gratitude for his intercession on your behalf!</p><h2>Click Join to receive the prayers</h2><p><a href="https://hozana.org/en/intentions">Click here to leave your prayer intention.</a></p>

Meet Your Soulmate with the Novena to St. Valentine

Loving Father,
You know that the deepest desire of my heart is
to meet someone that I can share my life with.
I trust in Your loving plan for me and ask that I may soon meet
the person that you have prepared for me.
Through the power of Your Holy Spirit,
open my heart and mind so that I recognize my soulmate.
Remove any obstacles that are in the way of this happy encounter,
So that I might find a new sense of wholeness, joy and peace.
Give me the grace too, to know and accept, if you have another plan for my life.
I surrender my past, present and future into the tender heart of Your Son, Jesus,
full of confidence that You will hear and answer my prayer.
AMEN.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.
St Valentine, pray for me.