Welcome to the Jesuit USA East Province Novena of Grace registration. We ask that all participants register and include their petition or intention for us to include on the altar during the 9 day novena.

The Novena of Grace takes place from the 4th to the 12th of March. The first Novena of Grace of Francis Xavier, nine days of prayer, is said to have taken place in Goa, India, in 1615, when a boy, crippled from birth, was cured. After Francis Xavier was named a Saint on 12th of March, 1622, the Novena of Grace grew in popularity around the world. The novena is often celebrated in a church, where a preacher gives a sermon, traditionally on the life of the Jesuit missionary, St Francis Xavier.

For the nine days, nine Jesuit scholastics will lead the novena and share a reflection. There is a set prayer that will be emailed to you each day of the Novena. It is traditional to pray the Novena for a particular intention; to ask for what you desire from God. Pray for your own needs, those of your loved ones, or the needs of the world.

Grace can be seen as the power within us that gives us the strength to reach out to others in generosity, care and love. Grace is a traditional term used in the Catholic Church for a favor or gift from God. Christians often ask God for favors, or graces. In doing this we acknowledge that God is the giver of all gifts.