# Fifth Day of the Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes and the Rosary of the Holy Spirit
*2017-02-05*

> Bill Young leads the fifth day of the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes, prays for the martyrs of Japan and Asian Catholics, and guides listeners through the special Rosary of the Holy Spirit.

## Opening and Context

Bill greets listeners, mentions the Super Bowl, and introduces the fifth day of the novena to Our Lady of Lourdes. February is dedicated to the Holy Spirit, and he notes that he had not yet prayed the Rosary of the Holy Spirit, which he will now do. He also highlights the feast of St. Paul Miki and his 26 companions, Japanese martyrs of 1597, and asks that we pray for the Church in Japan and other Asian lands.

## Litany of Our Lady of Lourdes

Bill recites the litany, invoking Mary as the Immaculate Conception, the dispenser of gifts, the comfort of the afflicted, and the advocate of souls. He follows with the traditional “Lamb of God” prayers and the Apostles’ Creed, affirming the core of our faith before moving into the novena prayer for the day.

## Novena Prayer for the Fifth Day

The novena prayer asks that no one who invokes Our Lady of Lourdes on this day be left without experiencing her powerful intercession. Bill suggests a concrete act of devotion—fasting or another form of self‑denial—as a sign of our love for the Holy Spirit.

## The Rosary of the Holy Spirit

Bill guides listeners through the special rosary. Each Our Father bead is replaced with a prayer to the Holy Spirit: “O Holy Spirit, my soul adores you; enlighten, guide, strengthen, comfort, and teach me. I promise to submit to your will.” Each Hail Mary bead is replaced with the invocation: “Come, Holy Spirit, divine power of love, fill my poor heart, purify it, sanctify it, and make it all yours.” He repeats this pattern for the five decades, emphasizing continual openness to the Spirit’s will.

## Closing Prayer and Personal Reflections

Bill concludes with the traditional “Hail Holy Queen” prayer, asking Mary to intercede for all, especially those who have never believed. He shares a personal story about his son’s doubts, the power of the rosary in his family’s life, and prays for the conversion of Asian peoples and for those who are far from God.

*May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts, especially when we pray for those who have not yet encountered Christ.*