Bishops to Lead Novena Prayers on Network
EWTN Global Catholic Network has collaborated with one of the pre-eminent Marian theologians in the U.S. on the creation of a new “Novena to the Mother of God for the Nation.” Fr. Frederick Miller, Chair of the Department of Systematic Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., composed the 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 29th through Oct. 7th, the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary.
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 Most Rev. James D. Conley, Bishop-designate of Lincoln ( Neb.), who will open the novena; Kansas City (Kan.) 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.
“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.”
The Novena is available in both English and Spanish and can be downloaded for free from EWTN’s Novena website at http://www.religiousliberties.org/novena.
“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 obtain a copy of this powerful Novena and join together in prayer. I also hope that people will spread the word about this important devotion to their friends and neighbors, prayer groups and parishes and in every way possible.”
New This Week From EWTN Home Video
EWTN ON LOCATION: Napa Institute – 2012 Conference: EWTN goes on-location for Napa Institute’s 2nd Annual Conference, “Catholics in the Next America.” Join event hosts Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., President, and Timothy Busch, Esq., Chairman; and an impressive line-up of speakers including: Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Cap., Building a Culture of Religious Freedom; Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Beauty and Freedom; Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., A Blueprint for Helping Our Universities Remain Catholic and Does Apologetics Belong to a Bygone Era or is it the Foundation of the New Evagelization?; Fr. Robert Barron, Evangelizing a Secular Culture and A Survey of Modern and Post-Modern Thought; Frank J. Hanna III, Catholic Education in the Next America: Where Do We Go From Here?; Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., The Wonderful but Wild Marriage between Faith and Reason; Tim Gray, Ph.D., Making the Church Visible: A Biblical Vision of Religious Liberty; and Hugh Hewitt, In, But Not Of: A Guide to Christian Ambition and the Desire to Influence the World. Get it here: http://bit.ly/PlUrGp.>
