Day 1 – May 19, 2023 (Kevin Loos)

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Following the Ascension of our Lord, tradition says that we disciples fathered in the upper room together with Our Blessed Mother for the novena, nine days of prayer in anticipation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to the disciples to empower them to ”be my witnesses...even to the ends of the earth.“ (Acts 1:8) Today, as disciples of Jesus, we too join together in prayer for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our parishes, our faith communities, our families, and in ourselves. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses of love of God for our world. This novena to the Holy Spirit has been designed for either individual or communal prayer. The spiritual impact of serious prayer and reflection is immeasurable. The format of the novena will be: 1. Invocation to the Holy Spirit 2. Scripture passage for focus 3. An image to focus on and pray with 4. Meditation 5. Prayer for the day 6. Concluding prayer to the Holy Spirit