In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Open our lips, O God, to bless Your holy name; cleanse our hearts of evil thoughts
and enlighten our minds, so that we may make this novena with full attention and fervent devotion,
and obtain the graces we most need.
Amen.
Act of Faith
My Lord and my God, my Creator, my Protector, my Redeemer, my Judge, my final end
and my eternal happiness, have compassion on me and strengthen my faith in You;
make my steps firm in righteousness and goodness, and lift me from my falls by the grace of repentance,
through the intercession and merits of Your servant Saint Anthony the Great, star of the desert and model of living faith.
With him I adore You and praise You for ever.
Amen.
– Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Act of Hope
Hope of the wretched, refuge of the needy and redeemer of sinners,
be my hope, my refuge and my protection, so that I may carry Your cross with patience and hope,
following the example of Saint Anthony; that I may overcome the temptations of the devil, endure the trials of life patiently and attain salvation
through the intercession and merits of Your Blood and Your Passion, and glorify You with all Your saints for ever.
Amen.
– Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Act of Love
Set my heart on fire, my Lord, with love for You and fill me with Your grace,
so that I may walk the path of perfection that Saint Anthony opened, and cry out with
the Apostle Paul: “Neither death nor life, nor powers nor principalities, can separate me from the love of my Lord.” And may I praise You,
united with You in love, for ever.
Amen.
– Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
Prayer
Saint Anthony, star of the desert,
you who fulfilled the evangelical counsels, became a father and shepherd to Christ’s rational flock
and made them keep the apostolic faith in its fullness, who brought many to true repentance
and walked the narrow way that leads to the Kingdom of heaven,
we ask you, great saint, to obtain for us from God the grace to imitate your life,
to do His holy will in our thoughts, words and deeds, and to walk in His straight paths.
And since we have taken you as our patron at all times,
we trust that we will receive the grace (mention it), so that I may be firm in my faith and hope and praise Him with you for ever.
Amen.
– Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
This prayer is said for nine days.
Hymn to Saint Anthony (to the melody of “Ya Oum Allah”)
(A translation of the meaning of the Arabic hymn.)
O Saint Anthony, of venerable majesty, father of monks and model of perfection,
how often you sought solitude far away, how often you renounced all in the wilderness!
Pray for us through all ages, and keep your children firm in the faith.
You left your cave when love’s cry called you on the day of battle;
your body shone with the colour of your purity, and the voice of witness filled your steps.
You went to tear away the veil of corruption from the truth amid the waves of persecution;
you confronted the injustice of the cruel with truthful words and a beating heart.
Companion of the martyr before the judges, you tightened on him the belt of hope;
he drank the flames like a cup of water, with the smile of heaven on his lips.
Worries swirl around us, and we stumble in our faith:
speak to the Lord on our behalf, lest we sink beneath our weaknesses.
