Christina Miriam Wegendt FSP - The Saints Pray for Us (ESS)

Edited by
Christina Miriam Wegendt, FSP

Introduction by
Patricia Edward Jablonski, FSP

Nihil Obstat:
Rev. Reverend Vincent E. Daily, S.T.D.

Imprimatur:
+ Sen P. Cardinal OMalley, O.F.M., Cap.
Archbishop of Boston
October 27, 2011

The English translation of the Litany of the Saints from The Roman Missal 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

Design by Mary Joseph Peterson, FSP/Photo by Mary Emmanuel Alves, FSP

Illustration credits: , Virginia Esquinaldo

Special thanks to the following sisters for contributing prayers to this collection: Mary Emmanuel Alves, FSP; Elizabeth Marie DeDomenico, FSP; Donna Giaimo, FSP; D. Thomas Halpin, FSP; Anne Eileen Heffernan, FSP; Mary Lea Hill, FSP; Patricia Edward Jablonski, FSP; Margaret Charles Kerry, FSP; Christine Virginia Orfeo, FSP; Virginia Helen Richards, FSP; Mary Elizabeth Tebo, FSP; Marianne Lorraine Trouv, FSP; Susan Helen Wallace, FSP; and Christina Miriam Wegendt, FSP.

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Friends are special. They understand us. They share our happy and sad times. They help us to become the best persons we can be.

Some very close friends of God live in heaven. We call them the saints. During their lives here on earth the saints tried their best to love God with all their mind, and heart, and soul, and to love their neighbor as themselves. They wanted to think, act, and love just as Jesus, Gods Son, did. They werent always successful, but they never gave up trying.

Every saint especially imitated one of the virtues of Jesus. Some saints became very merciful like Jesus. Others became very patient or very forgiving just as Jesus is. Still others loved and helped the poor and sick in imitation of Jesus.

Now heres some wonderful newsthe saints in heaven want to be your friends, too! They want to lead you closer to Jesus. They want to pray to God for you in all of your needs. (We call this kind of prayer intercession.) The saints want to help you reach heaven, where youll be happy with God forever.

As a Sister of the congregation of the Daughters of St. Paul, Ive written and edited many stories about the lives of the saints for young people. Ive learned a lot in the process. One thing Ive found out is that the saints are all very different from each other. Some were quiet and shy. Others were very talkative and outgoing. Some were great leaders. Others liked to be followers. Some were young. Others were older. Some were poor. Others were rich. They came from every nation on earth. They lived in every period of history.

Reading about the saints helps us to get to know them better. We discover that every saint has a unique personality. This means that each of us can find heavenly friends with whom we feel very comfortable, just as we feel especially close to our good friends here on earth.

I have some favorite saintly friends. Besides the Blessed Mother, they include St. Paul, St. Thrse of Lisieux, St. Bernadette, St. Faustina, and St. John Vianney. These saints show me many ways to come closer to Jesus. They teach me how to pray and how to trust in God. Best of all, theyre always ready to pray for me to God. Since they are very pleasing to the Lord, hes happy to give them the graces they ask for.

In this book you will find prayers to thirty different saints. I hope that you and they will become very good friends. I hope that they will keep you always close to Jesus. I know that they will pray for you. May God bless you!

Sister Patricia Edward Jablonski
Daughters of St. Paul

First Century, Nazareth
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother
of God: January 1

Mary, my heavenly Mother, you said yes when God asked you to be Jesuss mother. What a surprise it must have been to be greeted by an angel and asked such a question! You had great faith in God. Even before Jesus was born, you loved and cared for him. As he grew up, you taught him how to love God and to love others. Watch over me, Mary, and pray for me, that I might be like Jesus. May I be filled with compassion and mercy for others and ready to help those in need around me, even when its difficult. I know you want to watch over me, just as you cared for and watched over Jesus. Help me to remember that I can always turn to you for help, Mary. Amen.

Born 1910, Aljustrel, Portugal
Died 1920, Lisbon, Portugal
Feast: February 20

Born 1908, Aljustrel, Portugal
Died 1919, Aljustrel Portugal
Feast: April 4

Blesseds Jacinta and Francisco, how wonderful it must have been to see Mary, the Mother of God! It took a lot of courage for you to be her messengers, especially when people refused to believe you.

Help me to pray for the peace that our world needs so badly. Help me to offer my own acts of love and sacrifice to make up in some small way for the sins that offend God.

You are the two youngest children ever to be considered for sainthood. Remind me that even though Im young, my love and my efforts to be like Jesus can make a real difference in the world. Amen.

Born 1920, Wadowice, Poland
Died 2005, Vatican City
Feast: October 22

Blessed John Paul II, you lived your life with courage and enthusiasm. Thank you for showing us how to follow Jesus during challenging times. You never let even the most difficult experiences spoil your dreams or dampen your faith.

You visited many countries, and brought the message of Jesus to our families through television, radio, and the Internet. You reminded us over and over: Do not be afraid.

Sometimes, even though I dont want to be, I am afraid. I ask you to help me to live in strong faith and unselfish love. Please ask Jesus to give me the strength I need to be and to remain his true follower. Pray that, like you, Blessed John Paul, I will always keep close to the Blessed Mother, who leads us all to Jesus. Amen.