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The novena prayer to the Holy Face of Manoppello is said for
nine days before the third Sunday of May. The custom has been kept for over 200
years and is an act by which the faithful prepare for the solemn procession
through the streets of the town. The novena prayer is preceded by the Invocation
and after each part the Lord's Prayer is said. The novena prayer may also be
said in any circumstances when we want to ask the Holy Face of Jesus for
intercession.
The third Sunday of May, the solemn procession along the streets of
Manoppello
NOVENA PRAYERS TO THE HOLY FACE
Invocation:
Oh! most holy and amiable Face of our adorable Lord, with devout recollection of
spirit, at the foot of this Altar, on which You are exposed to our sight, we
wish to offer You a little crown of homage and affection in this holy novena.
Mercifully accept our devotion, fill us with all Blessings, inflame our hearts
with Your holy love and sanctify our souls so that we may be acceptable and our
prayers dear to You. Amen.
Our Father....
Prostrate with tenderness, and humble before Your holy Presence, we adore You,
full of love for us, Oh! most holy Face of our beloved Redeemer. With You we
feel the bitter suffering, when in the Garden of Gethsemane, You sweat Your
Blood, and received the betraying kiss of Judas. We implore You, through the
merits of Your invincible love and patience, to grant us a perfect contrition
for our sins, the sight of which caused You to sweat Blood, and to suffer the
affront of a traitor who was the image of ours, miserable creatures, who have
betrayed You several times.
Our Father…
We adore You, most lovable and precious Face of our beloved Jesus. We feel Your
inexplicable suffering when in the house of Annas, and when you were treated
like a vile servant, beaten and branded with heavy blows. Oh, what sorrow we
feel when we think that we have renewed, in many ways and with many unworthy
actions, so horrible and barbarous affront to You! Most humbly we beg pardon of
You, imploring You Oh! most Holy Face, to grant us the strength to avoid every
offence to You in future.
Our Father…
Oh! most sacred Face of our compassionate Jesus, who in the house of Caifa was
covered with a flood of spittle, scourges and affronts, we adore You. Ah, most
amiable Face, the desire and joy of Angels, we are guilty of so many affronts
inflicted on You. The Jews preceded us and perpetrated the wicked intentions and
greed of our hearts! Oh! most sacred Face, most worthy of all veneration and
love, with weeping eyes we beg Your mercy. Oh! dearest Jesus we promise You,
with the help of Your most holy grace, never more to fall again into such
excesses.
Our Father …
We adore You, venerable and most sacred Face of our dear Lord, we repent of the
intense and repeated sufferings You bore, when the Jews, instigated by Satan,
pulled away with rage and violent fury, sometimes the hair of Your head, other
times Your beard. Oh! Jesus, through Your goodness, make us still enjoy the
fruit of such bitter derisions, and such bitter pain You bore. Ardently we
implore You, Oh! most Holy Face: with the hope that You will hear our community
prayers.
Our Father…
We adore You, splendid Face of the Son of God. By wicked hands You were covered
with dirtiest of linen. Oh! most beautiful and serene eyes, that rejoice in
Heaven and on earth, how awesome the confusion they caused You! Oh, most pure
and innocent eyes, thus you paid for our curiosity and the unrestrained look of
our guilty eyes. Our beloved Jesus, gaze at our souls always with pitiful eyes,
so that we may never hide ourselves from your divine light. Make our eyes never
more to offend You with immodest looks, and cause our eyes to close at the sight
of all impure things, so that they may always yearn for heaven.
Our Father…
Oh! most holy and amiable Face of our Saviour, we feel with You that confusion
and suffering which You endured, when in every tribunal they offended Your ears
with shouts of such clamour and demanded Your death. We realise that it was we
ourselves who, through the Jews, shouted so cruelly and now we are sorrowful
about it. We wish in the future, to use our tongue only to thank you, to bless
you and to praise You. We wish to amend for so violent excess of cruelty. Oh!
Lord, sanctify our mouth, so that at all time and in all places, we may be able
to praise and thank You.
Our Father …
We adore You, Oh! sacred Face of our most loving Redeemer, crowned with most
piercing and acute thorns. Oh! majestic Countenance of the King of glory, we
know too well, that circle of thorns was a cruel consequence of our rash
judgements, our arrogant thoughts, our impurity and our revenge. We acknowledge
this, and now we humbly beg Your pardon. Oh! most beautiful Face, from which
gush forth so many rivulets of precious Blood! Mercifully let today one drop
fall on our hearts, and thus we will be made clean and purified of all filth. My
beloved Jesus, in imitation of You we wish to crown ourselves not with roses,
not with the objects of pleasures of this earth, but only with thorns.
Our Father…
We adore You, most holy Face of our beloved Jesus. All along that tormenting
journey of Yours to Calvary, You were so cruelly covered with dust and mire. We
feel with You that vivid and unspeakable suffering that You endured in such
affront. Oh! Lord, in order to do in some way reparation for that bitter
derision, we offer you hundreds and thousands of acts of homage, reverence,
honour and adoration. At the same time we beseech You, Oh! most afflicted Face
of our beloved Jesus, deign to show that towards us You are always sweet,
luminous and smiling; and drive away from our souls the darkness of sin, so that
we may appear before You always pure and holy.
Our Father…
We adore You, loving and most precious Face of our Jesus. And adoring, we share
with you all Your pains, and especially that which You suffered when You were
made to drink myrrh and the bitterest gall. Oh! mouth of Jesus, true fountain of
all sweetness, this most disgusting drink heaped on You so many blasphemies, so
many detractions, and so many obscene talks, and so many other outrageous
insults. When we consider one of them! Oh, what anguish and torment we inflicted
on You! Oh! most adorable and divine Face of Jesus, with words of authority, one
day You would pronounce our last judgement! We humbly pray, then, deign to open
to us and mercifully admit us into Your most blessed Kingdom.
Our Father …
Conclusion:
Most tender and affable Face of our Jesus, be pleased with the homage and ardent
offerings of ours. As we render You our devout and most loving tribute, so may
we be free from all spiritual and temporal scourges in this life, and after
death, we may praise you and glorify You eternally with the Angels in Heaven.
Amen.
V/: Let the light of Your Face Shine on us, Oh! Lord.
R/: You have poured Your Joy Into my heart.
Let// us pray:/
Oh! God, Father of infinite goodness, manifest to all who come into this sacred
house, Your divinity through the holy Face of Your beloved Son, disfigured in
his redeeming passion. Deign, Oh! God, that burning with love for You on this
earth, we may one day contemplate You in the splendour of Your glory. We make
this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
HYMN TO THE HOLY FACE
Jesus Christ, thy Holy Face,
I adore thee my Saviour always:
Mighty Sun of paradise,
Thou art my heart’s joy n’ peace!
Oh Holy Face, affection ardent,
Affable and sought without end;
Oh, Holy Face, so much loved
Fo’ noble favours ever received
Praise n’ thanks to yo’ hands for ever
That rained upon us greatest treasure
Sovereign gift from heavens above
That gave us always celestial love
Beloved people for ever mine
Embrace my blessings divine
Chase off from spirit thine
Each and every fear and pain
Beyond oppression raise thy eyes
Behold your Lord’s Holy Face
Lo, in every misery and peril
Lord defends you without fail
All powerful Holy Face
You give always heavenly grace
So clement, admire Him ever
So alike you just and sinner
The Sixth Station
at the Municipal Museum in Żywiec
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