We conclude this Year of St. Paul with a special novena of prayer, beginning Saturday, June 20 and concluding on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Monday, June 29.  All Masses during the novena will include a special procession to the place of prayer in honor of St. Paul.  You are invited to join in the novena at home by praying each day for a special intention and by praying our prayer for the year of St. Paul.
 
Novena Prayer

Glorious Saint Paul,
Apostle to the Gentiles,
when the Lord called, you answered,
and you spread the good news of the Gospel
to the very ends of the earth.
Pray for us, that we may serve Christ as you did:
proclaiming the name of Jesus
in good times and bad,
when convenient and when inconvenient.
Pray for us, that we may welcome
all the people we meet
with compassionate hearts and open minds.
Pray for us, that Christ may live in us as he lived in you.
We pray in the name of the One
who is your Lord and ours,
Christ Jesus the Lord.  Amen.
 
Intentions for each day
 
Saturday, June 20  Yesterday marked the beginning of the Year of the Priest.  Let us ask St. Paul's intercession for our priests and for all the clergy, that they may give witness to the Gospel as he did, not with words only, but with a life poured out in loving service of God's holy people.
 
Sunday, June 21  Saint Paul said, "I was gentle among you as a nursing mother."  On this Father's Day, let us ask St. Paul's intercession for all fathers, that they may be wise and loving as they care for their children.
 
Monday, June 22  "Let the peace of Christ control your hearts," St. Paul said.  Today, let us pray for the world, especially our own nation, that we may have the courage and imagination to work for the peace we pray for.
 
Tuesday, June 23  St. Paul preached the Gospel when convenient and when inconvenient.  Let us pray for those who do not believe as we do, especially for those who are hostile to us, that we may find common ground of mutual respect and understanding.
 
Wednesday, June 24  St. Paul said to Timothy, "let no one have contempt for your youth."  Today, let us pray for all young people, that they may grow in wisdom and grace and be kept safe from all harm.  May each of our young people discover their vocation in life, and live it to the full.
 
Thursday, June 25  Saint Paul said, "this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory."  Let us pray for all who are sick, for those who struggle with chronic physical or mental illness, and for all who care for the sick.
 
Friday, June 26  Saint Paul said, "I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need."  Let us pray for all who have been affected by the economic recession, especially the unemployed and families struggling to make ends meet.
 
Saturday, June 27  Saint Paul said, "the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."  Let us pray for Jewish and Muslim believers, that we may live at peace with each other, as children of one loving God and Father.
 
Sunday, June 28  Saint Paul said, "do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord."  Let us pray that we too may be missionaries of the Gospel, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to others by the love we show in our daily lives.
 
Monday, June 29  St. Paul said, "be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."  As the Year of St. Paul comes to an end, we pray in thanksgiving for the life, witness, and inspired teaching of St. Paul.  May his writings and his powerful intercession continue to guide the Church to unity and peace.  Saint Paul, pray for us!
 
Pray with St. Paul throughout the Day

• Morning  "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."  (Ephesians 5:14)
• At Mealtimes  "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God."  (I Cor 10:31)
• Evening  "Christ died for us, that all of us, whether awake or asleep, together might live with him.  (I Thessalonians 5:9-10)