Novena to Saint Thecla, Martyr
First Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Holy and true Father, the only true God, Creator of heaven and earth, King of the ages and giver of holiness, tender and kind, who forgive sins; you whom the holy seraphim proclaim holy, whom people on earth thank, adore and glorify;
you are the Holy One, the Almighty, who formed man from the dust and gave him the delights of paradise;
you who give grace, strength, courage and holiness to the martyrs who pleased you and bore the yoke of your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ:
we offer ourselves to you in this novena and ask your goodness for this grace that we need (…), through the intercession of Saint Thecla, first among women martyrs. Hear us, and do not send us away disappointed, so that we may sing your praise with her and thank your mercy for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once)
Second Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
O Christ our God, Son of the eternal Father, you redeemed us by dying freely on the cross, you, the innocent and holy one. You offered yourself to your Father as a pleasing sacrifice and paid the price of our salvation: your life-giving Passion, your pure Blood and your most holy Body. You gave us life by your Resurrection, and you granted your saints the grace to share, in a mysterious and painful way, in the fruits of redemption and salvation.
You granted Saint Thecla to be the first of your women martyrs. She renounced the world and scorned the instruments of torture and death, with no weapon but her faith in you, her trust in you and her love for you. In the midst of fire, lions, serpents and bulls, she remained safe from all harm and injury, glorifying you and proclaiming your infinite power.
We ask you, through her intercession, which you always hear, to give us the grace we need (…), so that we may thank you and glorify you with her all the days of our life and for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once)
Third Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, through whom we call the Father “our Father”, you came down upon the apostles and gave them the strength to bear witness, so that they proclaimed salvation to the world.
You strengthened the holy martyrs, so that they did not weaken before governors and rulers, but endured torment and did not deny Christ the Lord. You crown the heroes and rejoice in their feast. You dwelt in the heart of Saint Thecla and set her on fire with love for the divine Redeemer. You strengthened her and raised her up in the Church as a model of love and faith, so that she became an example in following Christ and spreading his holy teaching.
We ask you, Holy Spirit, to pour into our souls the grace of true witness, so that we may understand how great God’s love for us is, and to grant us, through her intercession, the grace we ask of you (…), so that we may thank you and praise you with her for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once)
Fourth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
O Virgin Mary, most holy Mother of God, daughter of the holy Father, Mother of the only Son and Spouse of the Holy Spirit, blessed among women, heaven from whose womb the Saviour of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, rose like the dawn;
our Mother and our advocate, our heavenly Queen, our guide to truth, freedom and happiness, and our way to true joy: pour out on us the blessings of heaven, have pity on our weakness, and keep us from all harm in soul and body.
Virgin Mary, by your prayers, so pleasing to God, you supported the martyrs and saints in their steadfastness and their sacrifices.
We ask you, our Mother, through the intercession of Saint Thecla, first among women martyrs, to pour out on us the grace we need (…), to intercede for our departed and to bless our lives, so that we may do the will of your Son Jesus all our days and for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once)
Fifth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Saint Thecla, apostle of Christ to our land, he drew you to himself in a wonderful way. You left your family, your people and your homeland, and travelled about proclaiming the word of truth and life, sowing the joy you lived wherever you went. You made the love of Jesus the centre of your life, and he made your devout heart his dwelling and his blessed throne. You were united with him, repeating with Saint Paul: “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” By his grace you became a beacon and a living example for all who follow Christ and carry his cross.
We ask you to have pity on those who suffer in body and spirit, and on those in despair and distress, and to intercede for our lost world.
Answer our prayers in this novena, so that we may obtain through your intercession the grace we need (…), live a sincere love for Jesus our Lord and sing his glory with you for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once)
Sixth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Saint Thecla, you followed Christ and lived out the greatest love through your sacrifices and by bearing the cross of martyrdom many times.
The Lord strengthened you, and you defied governors and rulers and all their power. You did not fear those who kill the body, but fixed your heart and spirit on the heavenly King, your divine Bridegroom, and no torment turned you away from the love of the cross. Your martyrdom, so dear to your heart, was your passage from this world of misery to the world that lasts. You drank from the fountain of life and became a fountain of graces and blessings for all who seek your intercession.
To you, our beloved advocate, we pray: pray for us to Christ Jesus, your Redeemer, who adorned you with the crown of martyrdom, that in his tenderness he may answer our request and grant us, through your intercession, the grace we need (…), and we will sing his praise and thank him for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once)
Seventh Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Saint Thecla, martyr of love, you preferred the Lord Jesus to everything, and your heart was never captivated by anyone but him. You made his Gospel and his holy mysteries the centre of your life.
You bore distress and torment with patience and joy, and amazed everyone by the strength of your faith, your steadfastness and your attachment to the mystery of divine love. You reached the fullness of self-giving, with no turning back. Nothing could separate you from his love: no death, no sword, no fire, no torture; no rulers and no kings could draw you away from the love of Christ your God.
Ask for us the grace to follow in your footsteps in love for the Church and for the salvation of souls. Teach us to pray as you did, and remember us before the cross.
We ask you, our advocate, to bless our families, our homes and our children. Light the way for young people, so that they may renew their faith and their trust in the Lord, who is always present in their lives, and that he may make their hearts his kingdom, so that they may be his witnesses in the world. Grant us the grace we need (…), so that we may glorify the Lord with you for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once)
Eighth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Saint Thecla, you fell in love with the Crucified One, and he gave you martyrdom as your wedding dowry; of your own free will you became with him a living offering.
The Lord filled your soul with love, chastity and holiness, and flooded your heart with hope, joy and peace. You offered yourself to him joyfully, repeating with Saint Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
The Lord did great things in you, because you trusted in his holy will. He protected you and kept you from all harm by the power of his Holy Spirit, and gave you glory and eternal happiness.
We ask you to help us in our needs, to answer our prayers, to heal our sick, to obtain for our country goodness, peace and prosperity, to protect us from the snares of the evil one, to intercede for our departed and to grant us the grace we need (…), so that we may be made worthy, with you and with the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, to glorify the Holy Trinity for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once)
Ninth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Saint Thecla, first among the women martyrs of divine love, pure bride of the divine Redeemer, companion of the apostles in proclaiming the word of life and salvation, emblem of faithfulness and model of sacrifice, beloved of the Crucified One:
you walked the road of suffering with your eyes fixed on the One who suffered, and you gave yourself, after the example of your divine Master, out of love and for redemption, repeating with Saint Paul: “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
You knew that victory lies in the love of Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of the world, and in carrying his cross.
Because of your patience in trials, your faith in him and your trust in him, the Lord granted you to rise above time and place. His Resurrection overshadowed you, and from his hand you received the crown of glory and of life.
So we ask you, our powerful advocate, to be our help and not to forsake us. Have pity on us, so that we may grow in trust in the Lord’s mercy and in surrender to his divine providence, and obtain the grace we need (…), for no one has ever turned to you and gone away disappointed.
Make us worthy to give glory with you to the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once)
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Saint Thecla, you teach every generation the love of devotion and faithfulness, and show that the way of witness and self-giving for the Lord is the way of glory and true happiness. All our lives we will never forget how much you have cared for us.
We thank you with all our hearts for the graces we receive from the Lord Jesus through your intercession, even though we are unworthy. Through your intercession we ask Divine Mercy for the forgiveness of our sins and a full awareness of the Lord’s will for us, so that, following your example, we may understand that Jesus is our way to the heavenly Father, and that he may be first in our lives, our hope and the balm for the wounds of our souls and bodies.
Through your prayers, may joy grow in our families and holiness in our souls; may our hearts be revived with an abundance of new life and new love for Jesus our Lord and for his Mother, the most holy Virgin Mary; and may we give glory and thanks to the Holy Trinity, who raised you up and crowned you first among the women martyrs of divine love in the Church, for ever.
Amen.
