According to an EWTN press release, Fr. Frederick Miller, Chair of the Department of Systematic Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., composed meditations and prayers which invoke Mary’s intercession for our nation. The Novena will be prayed publicly beginning on the Feast of the Archangels, Saturday, September 29 through October 7, the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary.
“Catholics have always turned instinctively for help to the Mother of God in times of need,” says Fr. Miller. “And so, in 2012, we turn to Our Lady for help. Many of the values that have shaped our country from the beginning seem to be at risk. Pope Benedict XVI and the American Bishops have noted the erosion of religious freedom, the first value guaranteed by the Constitution. This novena challenges all of us to a deeper conversion to Christ and a more generous life of charity. The proximity of this novena to the 2012 Presidential Election also offers an opportunity to pray for all of our government officials and to seek Divine assistance in the election.”
“This is a critical time for our nation,” said Michael P. Warsaw, President and Chief Executive Officer of EWTN. “My hope is that as many people as possible will spread the word about this important devotion to their friends and neighbors, prayer groups and parishes and in every way possible.”
During the Novena, leading bishops from across the nation will be celebrating the televised Mass from Our Lady of the Angels Chapel in Irondale, Alabama at 8 a.m. ET each day. Each bishop will deliver a homily highlighting the importance of prayer in the fight for religious liberty and will lead the novena prayers for that day.
Celebrants will include Denver Auxiliary Bishop James Conley, who will open the novena; Kansas City Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann; Mobile (Ala.) Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi; Allentown (Pa.) Bishop John Barres; Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput; and Birmingham (Ala.) Bishop Robert J. Baker, who will close the novena.
The Novena is available in both English and Spanish and can be downloaded for free from EWTN’s Novena website at www.religiousliberties.org/novena.
