Why pray the Rosary every day for a year?


Each time the Blessed Virgin has appeared-- whether it be to Saint Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes; to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco at Fatima; or to Mariette Beco at Banneux-- she has asserted the importance, saving grace, and power of praying the Holy Rosary on a daily basis. Based upon her words, the Rosary is penance and conversion for sinners, a pathway to peace, an end to war, and a powerful act of faith in Jesus Christ. Pope Paul VI presented the Rosary as a powerful means to reach Christ "not merely with Mary but indeed, insofar as this is possible to us, in the same way as Mary, who is certainly the one who thought about Him more than anyone else has ever done."

To show us how this is done, perhaps no one has been more eloquent than the great Cardinal Newman, who wrote: "The great power of the Rosary consists in the fact that it translates the Creed into Prayer. Of course, the Creed is already in a certain sense a prayer and a great act of homage towards God, but the Rosary brings us to meditate again on the great truth of His life and death, and brings this truth close to our hearts. Even Christians, although they know God, usually fear rather than love Him. The strength of the Rosary lies in the particular manner in which it considers these mysteries, since all our thinking about Christ is intertwined with the thought of His Mother, in the relations between Mother and Son; the Holy Family is presented to us, the home in which God lived His infinite love."


As Mary said at Fatima, "Jesus wants to use you to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish the devotion to My Immaculate Heart throughout the world. I promise salvation to whoever embraces it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by Me to adorn his throne."



Novena to Saint Cajetan of Thiene, Patron Saint of the Unemployed

Posted by Jacob

Today, August 7, we celebrate the feast of Saint Cajetan of Thiene (also known as Saint Gaetano, 1480-1547), zealous reformer of the clergy, founder of the Theatine Order, and patron saint of the unemployed. As many of the prayer requests that I receive involve prayers for those who are unemployed or seeking work, I will pray this novena to Saint Cajetan beginning today, for the next nine days—for all those who are seeking employment, both requested on this blog and maintained in the quiet of their hearts.



For those of you who wish to join me in this novena to Saint Cajetan, each day of the novena begins with the prayer for that day, followed by saying the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, and Doxology (Glory Be) three times each. The intercession, “Saint Cajetan, pray for us” is prayed three times, followed by the daily prayer (below).


Saint Cajetan, pray for us. Intercede for us with Jesus Our Lord!



Daily Prayer (said each day)

O glorious St. Cajetan, you studied to be a lawyer, but when you felt that the Lord was calling you to his service, you abandoned everything and became a priest. You excelled in virtues, shunning all material rewards for your labor, helping the many unemployed people of your time. You provided loans without interest and you attracted a lot of benefactors who donated to your resources so that you could go on with your activities. Look on us with mercy. We wish to find employment that could help us and our families live with dignity. Listen to our petitions, dear saint; you who could easily give up the food on your table for the needy, bring our petitions to Jesus (here make your request). Amen.



First Day

You were a model of virtue among the priests of your time, O St. Cajetan. You sought not to receive payments from your ministry, and you taught people how to pray the rosary and develop devotions to saints. You were truly a spiritual shepherd, and your concern was always focused on the salvation of souls. But despite this, you were also aware that with hungry stomachs, the faithful would have difficulty in understanding God’s Word. You embarked to help them, not just by giving them bread but helping them gain their living by work. Look on us with pity, O glorious saint. We have many unemployed people in our midst and their families go hungry. We ask you to guide the fathers and mothers who are looking for work. Amen.

Second Day

Despite your busy schedule, dear saint, you spent eight hours a day in prayer. Your happiness consists in being united with Jesus, to savor his presence in the Eucharist. Guide us to be like you by giving priority to prayer in our life. Enable us to savor Jesus’ presence and help us become contemplatives like you. Inspire us to understand that prayer is not just asking Jesus for our needs, but being with him, delighting in his presence. We ask you, dear saint, to lead us in this direction that we may learn to delight in Jesus’ presence. Amen.


Third Day

Since your death, dear St. Cajetan, the unemployed people of the world had sought your intercession. Work is the key to a happy life. Look with pity on the millions of people in our country who wake up each morning without certainty of finding food because they don’t have work. These people become victims of desperation and some even resort to crimes to survive. Help our government leaders formulate policies that will bring about employment. You who established a bank for the needy inspire our leaders to extend loans for the poor so that they may provide for the needs of their families. Amen.


Fourth day

O glorious St. Cajetan, like the society where you lived, we are also beset by the same economic set up where the poor are becoming poorer and the rich, richer. You fasted so that the money you saved could be used to buy food for the poor, you did not accept any payment for your ministries because you wanted people to help the needy. You lived very frugally because you wanted to teach the rich about the need to share. Look with pity on our society where resources are wasted in buying useless goods, while the poor and the needy among us have not received the basic necessities. Inspire us to share that nobody among us would go hungry, and that everybody may live with dignity. Amen.


Fifth day

O glorious St. Cajetan, you spent long hours helping the sick and worked yourself to exhaustion in helping victims of plagues which were frequent in your time. You cared for the sick not just to heal them, but to guide them to a happy death. You wanted their souls, not their bodies. Help us to understand that we have to prepare ourselves to a happy death. May we likewise see that the most terrible sickness is our sinfulness, and we always have to examine ourselves for the sins we commit daily. Inspire us to have repentant hearts that we may always be prepared to meet the Lord. Amen.


Sixth Day

O humble St. Cajetan, you spoke with rulers and kings, but you never gave them much importance. You know that prestige, honor, and positions in society could only be good if they are use to help the needy and the poor. For this reason, you also confronted tyrants and stood against armies that looted, killed, and raped. Your humility did not prevent you from becoming a prophet. You only feared Jesus. Help us to remain humble and self-effacing, knowing that before God, we remain nothing. We can only be someone if we stand close to Jesus. Inspire us to follow your footsteps so that we, too, may fight for justice and help stop corruption in our government. Amen.

Seventh Day

O glorious St. Cajetan, your unceasing fasting and penance help people understand that God must be loved above all things and above all persons. You sacrificed anything or anyone that could block you from loving God with your whole soul, mind, heart and body. By eating little, you showed to others that man does not live on bread alone. You renewed the faith of many people, touched their hearts, and helped much in the reformation of the Church. Inspire us to fast and do penance for our sins. Instill on us the spirit of sacrifice that we, too, may love God intensely as you did. Amen.

Eighth Day

O glorious St. Cajetan, it pained you to see the Catholic Church divided into hostile groups. You always prayed for unity in the Church, asking laypersons, priests, and bishops to support the Pope through preaching, prayer, and sacrifices. You see the Church as the bride of Christ, the sacrament by which men and women can become holy. You worked hard for the return of the Protestants to the Catholic Church, and you preached against Protestant reformers who were attacking the heart of Catholic teachings. Teach us then to work for unity in our Church and at the same time, to defend her from sects and religious movements that attack her. Inspire us to follow your path. Amen.

Ninth day

O glorious St. Cajetan, you received many special blessings from Jesus, visions and mystical experiences because of your union with him. While contemplating the mystery of incarnation, Mary appeared to you and put on your lap the baby Jesus. You held on to the baby and made your heart his dwelling place. Jesus truly loved you and his Mother trusted you. Listen then to our petitions on this last day of our novena and bring them to Jesus. Prove to us that now in heaven you are closer to Jesus and he listens to you. Amen.

14 comments:

  1. Anonymous said...

    would like to have Litany of St. Cajetan

    regards
    S. Stephen
    ssmvrgf@bsnl.in

  2. Anonymous said...

    would like to request u to prayer for my special intention
    thank you

  3. Anncie said...

    I would like to be a testimony to St.Cajetan,.. I was totally depressed about the fact that i was unemployed for a long time..But one day i came to know about St. Cajetan and i prayed his most powerful novena.. and by his grace and GODS grace i ve been offered a job right on the 9 th day of the novena.. Praise the lord..... Thank you St.Cajetan for praying for us..

  4. Anonymous said...

    Dear St.Cajetan,
    Please find Jeff a job.
    In Jesus name I pray

  5. Anonymous said...

    I prayed the novena to St Cajetan for my son who was unemployed for 7 months. On the 10th day, he received a job offer. The one he had been hoping for. Thank you St Cajetan.

  6. Anonymous said...

    Thank you kindly for the option to request!! I would like to be included in prayer to find suitable employent in the field which best fits me and my families needs. I've been unemployed for 2 yrs. Blessings & faith!

  7. Anonymous said...

    Dear Saint Cajetan..

    Thank you for presenting me your prayer now that my family needs it the most. I wish to ask for your mercy to please protect my husband from being unemployed. As he is having trouble at his current job and is nearing loosing it. I am pregnant with my second child and have quit my stable job so I could bare this child not knowing that my husband's job will be in jeopardy. My son will also be going to school already. We surely need the income of my husband and I pray that he won't be demoralized by all the negativity that has transpired at his current job. I am praying for security, peace of mind and positive future. These we ask through your intercession and mercy of our Lord God..Amen!

  8. Anonymous said...

    Please Saint Gaetano, intercede, and pray for me. Despite my earnest attempts, I have been unable to find gainful employment most of my life (almost 50 years) due to mental illness (chronic lifelong depression). I am most happy working alone doing even menial work (right now I mostly collect abandoned material for re-cycling and I actually like it) but am sometimes verbally harassed by people when doing so. Some even get suspicious of my "dumpster diving" activity as to call the police who also pre-judge me and those encounters leave me feeling dirty and more like a nuisance to society instead of someone trying to do his part to the best of their current ability. Please lead me to gainful, safe and harassment-free employment Saint Gaetano. I pray also to Saint Rapheal to heal me soon and help me soon find a good wife. I also pray to Saint Micheal for his protection from harassment and strength to endure this trial. Thank you Jesus, my Lord.

  9. Anonymous said...

    Please St Cajetan, help me to find employment that will allow me to provide for my family. Thank you Jesus! Amen.

  10. Anonymous said...

    Dear St. Cajetan

    Please show us your mercy and assist my loved one with employment. Please hear our prayers.

  11. Anonymous said...

    I have been blessed praying to St Cajetan for employment for my son. He did intercede for me and prayed to our lord and now my son has been offered employment. I have not stopped praying to him

  12. Anonymous said...

    Dear St. Cajetan,
    I've been hardly seeking for my employment, I want to ask mercy through God's love to help me to be employed as a nurse in to an institution, in which the Lord will put me as soon as possible, I will do my best to do my duties and responsibilities to serve people. So that I may also be able to help my family and relatives especially in financial problems.
    This I ask through Christ our Lord Amen.

  13. nomsa said...

    St cajetan please intercede with god and ask him to assist me with job that I will be able help my family in evrything , I promise if my wishes come true I will help those who in need by donating to them . Tnk you jesus

  14. Anonymous said...

    Dear st. Cajetan,
    Though I presently have a job which I'm so grateful for. But I seek more for a job that could be more secured, and enable ♏ε̲̣̣̣̥ to be chanced in contributing ♍Ɣ share in every way to the church and also be able to use ♍Ɣ gifts and talents to the glory of God. I pray for ♍Ɣ family,friends and loved ones who also seek for same help. Amen.

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