St. Gerard Majella Annual Novena

Infobox Saint
name= Saint Gerard Majella
birth_date= April 23, 1725
death_date= October 16, 1755
feast_day= October 16
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church

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imagesize =215px
caption= St. Gerard Majella
birth_place= Muro Lucano, Italy
death_place= Caposele, Italy
titles=
beatified_date= |January 29, 1893
beatified_by= Pope Leo XIII
canonised_date=|December 11, 1904
canonised_by= Pope Pius X
attributes=
patronage= Children (and unborn children in particular); childbirth; mothers (and expectant mothers in particular); motherhood; falsely accused people; good confessions; lay brothers; and Muro Lucano, Italy.
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=

The Solemn Novena to St. Gerard Majella is held over 9 days in St. Joseph's Redemptorist Church, Dundalk, Ireland. It runs from 8th to the 16th October.

About St. Gerard Majella

Gerard was born as Gerardo Majella on April 23, 1725 in Muro Lucano, Italy. He was the son of a tailor who died when Gerard was 12, leaving the family in poverty. Gerard tried to join the Capuchin order, but his health prevented it. He was accepted as a Redemptorist lay brother serving his congregation as sacristan, gardener, ostiarius, infirmarian, and tailor.

When falsely accused by a pregnant woman of being the father of her child, he retreated to silence; she later recanted and cleared him, and thus began his association as patron of all aspects of pregnancy. He is a saint whose intercession is requested for children (and unborn children in particular); childbirth; mothers (and expectant mothers in particular); motherhood; falsely accused people; good confessions; lay brothers; and Muro Lucano, Italy.

He was a man of great depth, insight, prayer and kindness. Unfortunately his health was never good. He died on October 16th 1755, at 30 years of age. Gerard was beatified on January 29, 1893 by Pope Leo XIII, and was canonised on December 11, 1904 by Pope Saint Pius X. He was featured on an Italian 45-euro postage stamp in May 2005. The feast day of Saint Gerard Majella is October 16.

The Redemptorists Annual Nine Day Novena

St. Joseph's Parish Church,a redemptorist House in Dundalk, welcomes thousands of people from all over Ireland to the Annual Festival of Faith in Honour of St. Gerard Majella. After Bro. Gerard's Beatification in 1893, a triuum in his honour was preached in St. Joseph's by Fr. Hall, widely regarded as one of the greatest preachers of his day. The people of Dundalk took St. Gerard into their hearts after this sermon and continued to pay devotion to him on a regular basis. However during the 1930s, Fr. John Murray, started what has become the biggest festival of faith in Ireland, the Annual Nine Day Novena to St. Gerard Majella, beginning on the 8th October and finishing on his feast day, the 16th October. Fr. Hugo Kerr erected a shrine to St. Gerard in the church in 1939. Today the Novena continues to grow with over 10,000 people attending the Novena on a daily basis.

The Novena consists of 10 sessions a day, with the first session starting at 7am, running all day until the last session at 10pm, when the mass is conducted by candlelight. Prayers and Petitions are offered up daily by members of the public and are read out during each session. Due to the increasing numbers attending the Novena each year extra seating is added to the hallways, monastery rooms, side altars and the parish hall, where each session is shown live on large television screens.

One memorable event of the Novena from years past was the trumpet players that performed at each of the sessions on the last day of the Novena. The last days of the Novena also see an increase in attendance as those who are unable to make it throughout the Novena usually attend the last three days.

Highlights of the Novena

* Communal Celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (usually on the 5th Day)

* Healing Mass with the Anointing of the Sick and the Elderly (held on the Saturday)

* The Blessing of Babies (2.30pm service held on the Sunday)

* The Novena of All Nations (4.30pm on the Sunday)

* Taize Mass - Candlelight Session. Nightly at 10.30pm

* Guest Speaker - lay people sharing their experience of life situations.

Prayer to St. Gerard Majella

Almighty and Eternal God,we thank you for the gift of St. Gerardand the example of his life.

Because St. Gerard always had complete faith and trust in you,you blessed him with great powersof help and healing.

Through him, you showed your loving concernfor all those who sufferedor were in need.

You never failed to hear his prayeron their behalf.Today, through St. Gerard’s powerful intercession,you continue to show your lovefor all those who place their trust in you.

And so, Father, full of faith and confidence,and in thanksgiving for all the wonderfulthings you have done for us,we place ourselves before you today.

Through the intercession of St. Gerard,hear our petitions,and if it is your holy will, grant them. Amen.

Hymn to St. Gerard Majella

From Earth's Sorrow

From earth’s sorrow, from life’s tearland,

High above the clouds we gaze,

Where enthroned in starlike glory,

Reigns today the saint we praise.

"Refrain" Saintly Gerard, Blessed Brother, Thou whose heart did burn with love divine, Friend of Jesus, child of Mary, Make, O make our sinful hearts like thine.

Humble Gerard, lowly workman,

Patron of the hearts that toil,

Bless this bleak earth’s myriad toilers,

Lift their thoughts above earth’s soil.

Novena 2008

The theme of the 2008 Novena is A LIFE WORTH LIVING

Preachers include:

- Fr. Peter Burns, C.Ss.R

- Fr. Brendan Keane, C.Ss.R

- Fr. Michael Cusack, C.Ss.R

- Fr. Michael Dempsey, C.Ss.R

- Fr. Denis Luddy, C.Ss.R "(Holy Redeemer Church)"

- Fr. Derek Meskell, C.Ss.R "(Holy Redeemer Church)"

Guest Speaker : Mr. Tony Hanna, Co-Ordinator of Armagh Archdiocesan Plan

External links

* http://www.saintlucy.net/saintgerard.htm National Shrine of St Gerard
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z59ZRNIuWwc Presentation by Redemptorist Father Raymond Corriveau on St. Gerard Majella, C.Ss.R]

* [http://www.dundalkredemptorists.ie/ The Dundalk Redemptorists Website]

* [http://www.redemptorists.ie/Redemptorists Dublin Province]

* [http://www.redemptoristpublications.com The Redemptorists Irish Publications]

* [http://www.rc.net/redempt.au/majellal.htm/ Website about St. Gerard Majella's life]