St. Albert the Great Church, 1395 Girard Drive, will host a St. Thérèse of Lisieux Healing Novena with Mass and blessing with a relic at 5 p.m. daily starting Sept. 22.
The novena will conclude with a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre on Oct. 1, the feast day of St. Thérèse.
Prayers will be offered each night during Mass for a different intention, including healing from chronic and terminal illness, broken and struggling marriages, past sins, mental illness, abortion, abuse and loss of a loved one.
On the first day, Sept. 22, Mass will be celebrated for healing from the evils of war and its victims. The sacrament of the anointing of the sick will be offered during the Mass Sept. 23.
Father Michael Schultz, associate pastor of St. Albert, said the novena is a fruit of the National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis in July.
“It’s one way we felt we could continue the spirit of the congress,” he said.
Father Schultz noted that he and St. Albert’s pastor, Father Christopher Lubecke, had also been discussing healing and devotion to the saints. They began looking for a way to bring the two together.
Following each Mass, a blessing with St. Thérèse’s relic will be offered, Father Schultz, said noting his devotion to the 19th-century saint known as the Little Flower.
“She’s known to send spiritual roses into people’s lives,” he said.
St. Albert has invited various priests to celebrate the Masses and give a homily addressing the particular prayer intention each day of the novena. All are invited to attend one or all the Masses.
“Come and pray for yourself or a family member. Intercessory prayer is very powerful,” Father Schultz added.
Confession will be available from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. each night. Individuals are encouraged to bring roses for the altar and sanctuary.
