"Holy Mary, aid the miserable, assist the desponding, strengthen the weak, pray for the people, plead for the clergy, intercede for the devout female sex. Let all who have recourse to thee experience the efficacy of thy help!"--HOLY CHURCH. Rules for the Proper Observance of Novenas _By St. Alphonsus Liguori_ 1. THE soul must be in the state of grace; for the devotion of a sinful heart pleases neither God nor the saints. 2. We must persevere, that is, the prayers for each day of the novena must never be omitted. 3. If possible, we should visit a church every day, and there implore the favor we desire. 4. Every day we ought to perform certain specified acts of exterior self-denial and interior mortification, in order to prepare us thereby for the reception of grace. 5. It is most important that we receive holy communion when making a novena. Therefore prepare yourself well for it. 6. After obtaining the desired grace for which the novena was made, do not omit to return thanks to God and to the saint through whose intercession your prayers were heard. On the Manner of Reading the Meditations and Observing the Practices HOLY SCRIPTURE says, "Before prayer prepare thy soul; and be not as a man that tempteth God" (_Eccles._ xviii. 23). Therefore place yourself in the presence of God, invoke the assistance of the Holy Ghost, and make a most sincere act of contrition for your sins. Offer up to God your will, your intellect, and your memory, so that your prayer may be pleasing to God and serve to promote your spiritual welfare. Then read the meditation slowly, reflecting on each point of the thought or mystery treated, and consider what you can learn from it, and for what grace you ought to implore God. This is the principal object to be attained by mental prayer. Never rise from your prayer without having formed some special resolution for practical observance. The practices at the end of each consideration in the following novenas will aid you to do so. Finally, ask for grace to carry out effectively your good purposes, and thank God for enlightening your mind during the meditation. Introduction Mary, the Help of Christians