"The Power of Prayer is Awesome...
Miracles do happen... usually when someone prays, and God, in His Divine Mercy, answers..."

Novena in honor of Saint Odilia

First Day

All powerful Father, you alone are Holy; without you nothing is good. I come before you, trusting in your love for me and praying to you through the intercession of St. Odilia, Virgin and Martyr. I ask you to help me become the person you have called me to be. I ask this with the same trust that inspired St. Odilia to leave her home in order to follow Christ more closely. Father, increase my confidence in your love for me, and, if it be your will, grant my special request. I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

Our Father....Hail Mary....St. Odilia, pray for us.

Second Day

Lord, Our God, for the glory of your name, you gave St. Odilia the courage to give her life in martyrdom as a witness to Christ. Through her intercession to help me to know your will and give me the courage to do it, so that I may be true to Christ until my death. If it be your will for me, grant my special prayer and let me come one day to live with Christ in glory, with St. Odilia and all the saints. I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

Our Father....Hail Mary....St. Odilia, pray for us.

Third Day

Father, I ask through the intercession of St. Odilia, that I may grow stronger as a Christian. Help me to see myself as a pilgrim in this world, a person called to respect and love all, a sinner who has been saved by you. I ask you, Father, to grant my special petition, if it be your will, and to give me a greater love for your Son, Jesus Christ so that I may no longer live for myself, but may only strive to please you in all I do. I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

Our Father....Hail Mary....St. Odilia, pray for us.

Fourth Day
Merciful Father, I have failed in my life because of my weakness. As a sinner, I come before you to ask your forgiveness. I ask through the intercession of St. Odilia and all your holy people, to be restored anew to your love. Give me holiness of soul and body, and bring me into your divine life. May I obtain these favors, as well as my special prayer, if that be your will for me, through the merits of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

Our Father....Hail Mary....St. Odilia, pray for us.

Fifth Day
Father, source of salvation for all people, I praise you that through the intercession of St. Odilia, the patroness of the eyes, so many people have been strengthened in the faith that made her so loyal to Christ, your Son. Through her prayers, many have been cured of blindness and other ailments of the eyes. I ask, Father, that you let me become a sign of your love for all people, and, if it be your will for me, that my special request be granted. I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

Our Father....Hail Mary....St. Odilia, pray for us.

Sixth Day
God and Father of all gifts, I praise you, the source of all I am and have. I thank you for your kindness, and especially for the gifts many have received through the help of St. Odilia. Through her intercession, may you be my strength in adversity, my health in weakness, my comfort in sorrow. I know, Father, that you will never forget me and my plea. Because of this, I know that you, Father, will give me the strength to give myself in greater service to you and my neighbor. I ask for all of these things, and my special prayer, if that be your will for me, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

Our Father....Hail Mary....St. Odilia, pray for us.

Seventh Day
Ever-living God, hear the prayers of all who recall the example of St. Odilia. She sacrificed all she had to you. Guide me on my way; help me grow in my imitation of St. Odilia, so that I can keep my soul free from all defilement, and so that I can become ever more the temple of your spirit. Grant that I may one day live with you and all the saints in heaven. I ask you to grant this, and my special request, if this be your will for me, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

Our Father....Hail Mary....St. Odilia, pray for us.

Eight Day
Lord God, Almighty Father, May I follow the witness of St. Odilia, who chose to follow the Cross, the Sign through which you have given all life and hope. I ask you, Father, to awaken in my life a desire to follow Jesus and to choose the Cross as my sign of strength in sorrow, of joy in tribulation, of life through death. I ask that you grant this, and my special petition if that be your will for me, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

Our Father....Hail Mary....St. Odilia, pray for us.

Ninth Day
O god of love, your Son has shown us the way of accepting your will. Hear my prayers, through the intercession of St. Odilia, the patroness of the Order of the Holy Cross. May all who suffer pain, illness or disease realize that they are chosen to be saints, and may they come to know that they are joined in Christ in suffering for the salvation of the world. I ask you to give me the grace of imitating Christ and St. Odilia and to resign myself to your will for me. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

Our Father....Hail Mary....St. Odilia, pray for us.

The Litany of St. Odilia
For Private Recital Only.

Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven,
have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost,
have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
have mercy on us.
Holy Mary,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, excellent companion of St. Ursula,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, wonderful Virgin and Martyr,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, privileged spouse of Jesus,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, who out of love for Jesus, left thy country,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, who after the example of Jesus,
courageously carried thy cross,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, who preferred death to the loss of virginal purity,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, faithful to God even in torment,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, who died a Martyr's death,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, protector of the order of the Holy Cross,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, whose name is glorified by miracles,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, patroness of the eyes,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, powerful intercessor with God,
Pray for us.
St. Odilia, our help and hope in all our needs,
Pray for us.

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth, as it is in Heave. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Heavenly Father, we come to Thee trusting in Thy mercy. May we be heard through the merits of Thy son, our Savior Jesus Christ, and through the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary and the Virgin Martyr St. Odilia. Give us what is best for now and forever.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Father in Heaven, Thou hast shown us Thy kindness by giving Saint Odilia to us as the protectress of the order of the Holy Cross and patroness of the blind and afflicted. We humbly ask to be protected, through her intercession, from the darkness of ignorance and sin and to be cured of blindness and other sickness.

Through Him Who is the source of all healing and life, Jesus Christ. Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Short History of St. Odilia, Virgin and Abbess
PATRON OF THE EYES

Odelia was born into nobility in Obernheim in the Alsace region of France. Her father, Lord Adalrie, upon discovering that this newborn daughter was blind, order that she be put to death. Fortunately, Odelia's mother, Lady Bereswinda, negotiated with her husband to let Odelia live, but the agreement was that Odelia be sent off in secret never to return home. Lady Bereswinda found a peasant whom she trusted to be Odelia's foster mother, but contrary to the agreement, told this woman the truth. The peasant woman took Odelia to Baume-les-Dames and sent Odelia to the local convent when she reached 12 years of age. At the convent, she was baptized by the Bishop of Ratisbon, Saint Erhard. When Saint Erhard touched Odelia's eyes with the baptismal chrism, her eyesight was miraculously given to her. Fully aware of the truth of Odelia's past, the bishop immediately set off to give her father a first hand account of the event. The news spread faster than Saint Erhard could travel and upon discovering what had happened, Hugh, Odelia's brother, began preparations for the joyous return. Upon discovering the news and upon learning of Hugh's plans, Lord Adalrie flew into a fit of rage and struck Hugh, killing him. For only a short time (just long enough for Odelia to be accepted back into the family), the Lord was remorseful over his treatment of Odelia and Hugh; however, he soon returned to his old ways. Odelia fled from home when she discovered that her father had, against her wishes, planned to marry her off to a wealthy German baron. Her father did not relent and tracked Odelia down. Upon finding her, his plans to put her to death were once again changed, no one knows why. Odelia convinced her father that her only spouse was her Lord Jesus. To be finally rid of her, Odelia was given her release and a home in Alsace. Odelia promptly turned this castle into an abbey where there were many reports of conversions and miraculous healings.