St. Francis Xavier Novena
The Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier, one of the most celebrated novenas in the Church. It is traditionally prayed March 4-12, honoring the great Jesuit missionary.
Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier - Day 1
Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier - Day 1
Opening Prayer
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Francis Xavier, patron of missionaries and apostle of the East, we begin this Novena of Grace with confidence in your powerful intercession. You who converted thousands by the power of God's grace, pray for us now.
The Grace of Conversion
Before Francis Xavier became the greatest missionary since St. Paul, he was a vain and ambitious young professor at the University of Paris. It was there that St. Ignatius of Loyola approached him with a question that would change his life: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" — Mark 8:36
Those words pierced Xavier's heart. Slowly, painfully, he surrendered his worldly ambitions and gave himself entirely to God. His conversion was not instantaneous — it was a gradual yielding of his will to divine grace. But once the transformation was complete, nothing could hold him back. The man who had sought the world's glory became consumed with one desire: the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
Prayer
Lord God, through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier, grant me the grace of deep conversion. Like Xavier, I have pursued worldly ambitions and forgotten eternal ones. Turn my heart toward You. Shake me from my complacency. Let the question that converted Xavier convert me also: What profit is the whole world if I lose my soul?
Novena of Grace Prayer
O most amiable and loving St. Francis Xavier, in union with you I reverently adore the divine Majesty. I rejoice in the singular gifts of grace bestowed upon you during your life, and in your glory after death. I beg you to obtain for me, through your powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings — that of living and dying in the state of grace. I also beg you to obtain for me the special favor I ask in this novena. Amen.
Closing Prayer
St. Francis Xavier, you who experienced the transforming power of God's grace, pray that we too may be converted — deeply, completely, and irrevocably — to the love of Christ. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Francis Xavier, pray for us!