# Novena of the Blood Shed by Jesus
*2015-07-02*

> Bill Young celebrates the feast of St. Oliver Plunkett and leads a nine‑day novena honoring the precious blood of Christ, offering a series of prayers to the Trinity, the Blessed Virgin, and the saints.

## Feast of St. Oliver Plunkett

Good afternoon, I’m Bill Young. Today, July 2nd, is the feast day of St. Oliver Plunkett, an Irish priest who studied in Rome and returned to Ireland as archbishop. In the persecution of the 17th century he was forced to hide his faith, was captured by the British, tried in England, and, after a brief deliberation, was executed in 1681. We ask for his intercession today.

## The Novena of the Precious Blood

This month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood of Christ. The novena we pray was composed by the venerable Father Basilio in Italy (1588–1617) and is intended for nine consecutive days. The opening invocation is:

“O Father, O Son, O Holy Spirit, Most Holy Trinity, O Jesus, O Mary, O Saints of Paradise, I ask this grace through the Blood of Christ, that, if I have faith and persevere in prayer, I may receive the grace I humbly request, according to God’s holy will. Amen.”

We follow with a short petition:

“Oh God, come to my aid. Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.”

## Apostles’ Creed and Marian Devotions

We recite the Apostles’ Creed:

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth; I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended into hell, rose on the third day, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.”

Then we offer a series of prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, invoking her intercession through the merits of Christ’s blood in the various moments of His Passion—His agony in the garden, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the crucifixion, and the piercing of His side. Each prayer follows the pattern:

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; bless us, your children, and the fruit of your Son, Jesus. Holy Mother of God, pray for sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

## Invocation of Angels and Saints

We then call upon all holy angels and the saints in heaven to unite their intercessions with the Virgin Mary:

“All holy angels of Paradise, contemplate the glory of God and join your prayers with our dear Mother and Queen, Mary most holy, that we may obtain the grace we seek through the merits of the Precious Blood of our Redeemer. We also invoke the holy souls in Purgatory, that they may pray for us before the Heavenly Father.”

## Closing Prayer

Finally we conclude with a simple, heartfelt invocation:

“Jesus, sweet and merciful, have compassion on me and on all souls, living and deceased, whom you have redeemed by your Precious Blood. Blessed be the Blood of Jesus, now and forever. Amen.”

We repeat the opening invocation, reaffirming our trust in the Trinity and in the intercession of Mary and the saints.

*Through steadfast prayer and trust in Christ’s Precious Blood, we seek the grace that aligns with God’s holy will.*