Novena to Saint Rafqa
Prayer to be said every day
We ask you, Saint Rafqa: pour true joy into the heart of our suffering world. Comfort the sorrowful; plant in them happiness, warmth, light and life. Teach us to live in prayer the life of children of faith, so that our lives may remain full of God’s presence. Medicine could not heal you, yet you healed the sick through suffering and love. Wipe away tears, soothe wounds, bring back the clearness of love and song, and remain for us a living example in all things, so that we may be made worthy, with you and with the Virgin Mary, to glorify the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.
First Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Glory to you, God the Father, who called Saint Rafqa to the holy religious life and were both father and mother to her.
Adoration to you, O Son, who made her an apostle of suffering, redemption and joy.
Thanks to you, O Holy Spirit, who strengthened her in patience and struggle.
Through her intercession, Lord, answer my request and grant me the grace I ask of your divine goodness (name it), so that I may glorify you with her, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all the days of my life and for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once, then the prayer “We ask you, Saint Rafqa…”)
Second Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus, you filled Saint Rafqa with your tenderness, nourished her life with the Eucharist, filled her with joy and peace, and made her body and soul a holy spiritual temple. So in her religious life she brought together the way of mission and work and the way of asceticism and prayer. Through the intercession of Saint Rafqa, my Lord, send faithful workers, men and women, to your Church, and grant me the grace I ask (…), so that I may glorify you with her, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once, then “We ask you, Saint Rafqa…”)
Third Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Holy Spirit, you gave us Saint Rafqa as a model in carrying the cross. She repeated with Saint Paul, “I decided to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified,” and so she became a new apostle, an apostle of suffering, an advocate and model for suffering humanity. Make us able to carry the cross as she did, with faith, hope and love. Spirit of wisdom, through the intercession of Saint Rafqa grant me the grace I ask in this novena (…), if it is in keeping with your holy will, and I will give glory to you and to the Father and the Son for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once, then “We ask you, Saint Rafqa…”)
Fourth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Christ my God, you visited little Rafqa through the loss of her loving mother, and you gave her your own Mother, the Virgin, as her mother. Keep Saint Rafqa, Lord, as a leaven of holiness for Christian families and a living example for everyone who suffers, for the disabled and the infirm, for the blind, the sick and the sorrowful, for every child and every orphan, so that they may carry your cross with love and joy. Hear me, Lord, and grant me the grace (…) that I ask through the intercession of Saint Rafqa, so that I may praise you with her for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once, then “We ask you, Saint Rafqa…”)
Fifth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O heavenly Bridegroom, you captured the heart of pure Rafqa in the springtime of her life, so that she no longer saw beauty, happiness or rest except in you, through you and with you. You called her to the mission of the Gospel, and she worked and taught tirelessly, planting in the hearts of adults and children your words and your Gospel teaching, and the example of your saints, drawn from her own spiritual experience. Through the intercession of Saint Rafqa, grant me, my Lord, the grace I ask (…), so that I may live sincere love and true peace, of which you are the source, and glorify you with her for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once, then “We ask you, Saint Rafqa…”)
Sixth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus, you were Sister Rafqa’s guide and protector in times of hardship. She prayed to you and felt deep within herself that you were calling her to greater sacrifice and self-giving. So she entered the Lebanese Maronite Order, and was a living example to her fellow sisters in keeping the rule, in constant prayer and in silent work. Through her intercession, Lord, give help and Christian enlightenment to fathers and mothers, knowledge and spiritual understanding to teachers, and holiness of life to men and women religious. Grant me, Lord, through the intercession of Saint Rafqa, this grace (…) according to your will, so that I may answer your call in my life and glorify you with her for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once, then “We ask you, Saint Rafqa…”)
Seventh Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saint Rafqa, you asked the Lord Jesus for the grace to share in his life-giving Passion, and he answered you at once: you lost your sight, a disease of the joints kept you bedridden all your life, and you were nailed to the cross of pain and suffering for twenty-nine years. You were patient and thankful to God, repeating: “In union with the Passion of Jesus, with the crown of thorns pressed into your head, my Lord.” The smile never left your radiant face, and you remained joyful and glad in your sufferings.
I ask you, Saint Rafqa, to obtain for me from your divine Bridegroom the grace I ask (…), so that I may proclaim his glory with you all the days of my life and for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once, then “We ask you, Saint Rafqa…”)
Eighth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saint Rafqa, friend of the cross and partner of the Crucified in the work of redemption, remain with us, in our time and in generations to come, an apostle of suffering and joy, of goodness and love.
Pray that the sick and the suffering may courageously accept their share as a plank of salvation for themselves and for the whole world, so that in their bodies and spirits they may complete the sufferings of the divine Redeemer, becoming holy themselves and making the world holy. Join your prayer to ours, ask God for our forgiveness and his favour, and obtain for us the grace to persevere until our last breath.
Obtain for me from the Lord Jesus the grace I ask (…), so that I may glorify him with you for ever. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once, then “We ask you, Saint Rafqa…”)
Ninth Day
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saint Rafqa, true disciple of Christ and partner of the Redeemer in his saving Passion, you came to serve the Lord and became wholly his, a pure and perfect offering. Through your intercession I ask the Lord Jesus to bless my life, my family and my country, and to help me contribute to the coming of his Kingdom. Obtain for me the grace I ask (…), so that I may praise with you the Holy Trinity, who crowned you with eternal glory. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, once, then “We ask you, Saint Rafqa…”)
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Saint Rafqa, my beloved advocate, I thank you with all my heart for the grace I have received from the Lord Jesus through your intercession. I ask you always to intercede for me, to walk with me and to light my way. Teach me to love Christ as you loved him, and to follow in your footsteps in loving and serving others with joy and self-denial, so that I may glorify him with you for ever. Amen.
