The 54 day Rosary Novena history
Among the numerous texts and prayers written by Blessed Bartolo Longo, there is the “Novena of Petition”, composed in July of 1879. Having been struck down with typhoid fever, Bartolo Longo wrote it in order to ask for graces in the most desperate cases.
Every day he went before the Picture of the Virgin of the Rosary to be inspired and to do some corrections. But one day, owing to a serious worsening of His illness, he taught that the only remedy was to take the Picture of the Virgin from the Chapel and place it in His bedroom. Turning to Saint Catherine of Siena so that she would intercede in His favour with Our Lady, he suddenly recovered. Since then, the Heavenly Mother has been granting graces to anyone prays to Her with the Novena written by Her most profound devotee.
In 1894, at Arpino (Italy), Saint Catherine of Siena, represented at the feet of the Virgin in the Pompeiian Icon, appeared to a dying young girl and invited her to recite the Novena and to pray it together with her. At the end of the prayer the young girl was perfectly cured. The Novena, approved by Pope Leo XIII on November 29th, 1887.
Among the many persons prodigiously cured by Our Lady of Pompeii, there is also the Commendatore Agrelli’s daughter of Naples, to whom Our Lady appeared personally in 1884 and told her: “Whenever you wish to obtain graces from me, make three Novenas of Petition and at the same time recite the fifteen decades of my Rosary and then three Novenas of Thanks”. The young Fortunatina Agrelli made according to the Virgin’s indications and was miraculously cured.
The Novena consists the 5 decades of the Holy Rosary of the day, each preceded by the five prayers of the Novena of Impetration (the first prayer followed by the first decade, the second prayer followed by the second decade and so on). At the end of these first 27 days, continue to recite the Holy Rosary for another 27 days in the same way, alternating the decades with the prayers of the Thanksgiving novena regardless of whether the request has been fulfilled. This is the 54 day rosary novena.
Text of the Novena of Petition to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii
O Saint Catherine of Siena, my Protectress and Teacher, who from heaven assist your devotees as they recite Mary’s Rosary, come to my aid in this moment and deign to recite along with me the Novena to the Queen of the Rosary who has established the throne of her graces in the Valley of Pompeii, that through your intercession I may obtain the grace I desire. Amen.
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, etc. I. O Immaculate Virgin and Queen of the Holy Rosary, in these times of dead faith and triumphant impiety you have desired to establish your throne of Queen and Mother in the ancient land of Pompeii, the resting place of deceased pagans. From this place in which idols and demons were worshipped, you today, as the Mother of divine grace, shower the treasures of heavenly mercy far and wide.
O Mary, from this throne upon which you graciously reign, turn upon me as well your benign eyes, and have mercy on me who am so greatly in need of your help. Show yourself to me, just as you have shown yourself to so many others, as the true Mother of mercy: while I with all my heart greet you, and invoke you as my Sovereign and Queen of the Holy Rosary.
Hail, Holy Queen II. Prostrate before your throne, O great and glorious Lady, my soul venerates you amidst the groans and sighs which afflict it beyond measure. In this state of anguish and affliction in which I find myself, I confidently lift up my eyes to you, who have deigned to choose the land of poor and abandoned peasants as your dwelling-place. And there, before the city and amphitheatre where there reign silence and ruin, you, the Queen of Victories, have raised your powerful voice to call from every part of Italy and the Catholic world your devoted sons and daughters, to build a Temple to you. May you now be moved to pity for this soul of mine that lies here humiliated in the mud.
Have mercy on me, O my Lady, have mercy on me who am overwhelmingly covered in misery and humiliation. You, who are the extermination of demons, defend me from these enemies besieging me. You, who are the Help of Christians, deliver me from these tribulations which wretchedly oppress me. You, who are our Life, triumph over death which threatens my soul in these dangers to which it is exposed; grant to me peace, serenity, love and health. Amen.
Hail, Holy Queen III. The knowledge that so many have been helped by you, solely because they turned to you with faith, gives me new strength and courage to call upon you in my needs. You once promised St. Dominic that those wishing graces shall receive them through your Rosary. Now I, your Rosary in my hands, dare to remind you, O Mother, of your holy promises. Indeed, you yourself work endless miracles in our times in order to call your children to honour you in the Temple of Pompeii. You therefore long to wipe away our tears, you yearn to relieve our pain! Then I, with my heart bared and with burning faith, call upon you and invoke you: My Mother!… Dear Mother!… Beautiful Mother!… Most Sweet Mother, come to my aid!
Mother and Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii, delay no longer in stretching your powerful hand out to me, to save me: for you see, delay would be my ruin.
Hail, Holy Queen IV. And to whom else might I go, if not to you who are the Solace of the wretched, the Comforter of the forsaken, the Consolation of the afflicted? I confess to you, my soul is miserable: weighed down by enormous faults, it deserves to burn in hell, unworthy of receiving graces!
But are you not the Hope of those who despair, the Mother of Jesus the only mediator between God and humanity, our powerful Advocate by the throne of the Almighty, the Refuge of sinners? Then, only say a word on my behalf to your Son, and He shall hear you. Ask of Him, O Mother, this grace which I am so greatly in need of. (Here express the grace you desire.) You alone can obtain it for me: you who are my only hope, my consolation, my sweetness, my whole life. So I hope. Amen.
Hail, Holy Queen V. O Virgin and Queen of the Holy Rosary, you who are the Daughter of our Heavenly Father, the Mother of the divine Son, the Bride of the Holy Spirit; you who can obtain everything from the Blessed Trinity: I beseech you, seek this grace so necessary for me, provided that it be not an obstacle to my eternal salvation. (Here repeat the grace you desire.)
I ask this of you through your Immaculate Conception, your divine Maternity, your joys, your sorrows, your triumphs. I ask it of you through the Heart of your loving Jesus, through those nine months you bore Him in your womb, through the hardships of His life, His bitter passion, His death on the cross, His most holy Name and His most precious Blood. Finally, I ask it of you through your sweetest Heart: in your glorious Name, O Mary, who are the Star of the sea, Our Powerful Lady, the Sea of sorrow, the Gate of Heaven and the Mother of every grace. In you I place my trust and my every hope; save me, I pray. Amen.
Hail, Holy Queen V. Queen of the Holy Rosary, pray for us
That we may become worthy of Christ’s promises. Prayer – O God, by His life, death and resurrection your Only Begotten Son obtained for us the fruits of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech you, that by venerating these mysteries of Virgin Mary’s Holy Rosary, we imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
PRAYERS TO ST. DOMINIC AND TO ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA TO OBTAIN GRACES FROM THE BLESSED VIRGIN OF POMPEII
O holy priest of God and glorious Patriarch, Saint Dominic, who were the friend, the beloved son and the confidant of our heavenly Queen, and who worked many miracles through the power of the Holy Rosary; and you, Saint Catherine of Siena, the leading daughter of this Order of the Rosary and a powerful mediator by the throne of Mary and the Heart of Jesus, with whom you exchanged hearts: O my dear holy Saints, consider my needs and pity the state I find myself in. On earth you possessed a heart open to all the miseries of others, and a hand powerful enough to take care of them. And now, in Heaven, neither your charity nor you power has been lessened.
On my behalf then, pray to our Mother of the Rosary and to her Divine Son, for I have great faith that through you I shall obtain the grace I ardently desire. Amen.
Three Glory be to the Father.
Text of the Novena of Thanks to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Here am I at your feet, O Immaculate Mother of Jesus, who delight in being invoked as Queen of the Rosary of the Valley of Pompeii. Rejoicing in my heart, my soul overwhelmed by the most ardent gratitude, I return to you, my generous Benefactress, my sweet Lady, the Queen of my heart, to you who have truly shown yourself as my Mother who so dearly loves me.
In my laments you heard me, in my afflictions you comforted me, in my anguish you gave me peace. Sorrows and the pains of death were besieging my heart, and you, O Mother, from your throne in Pompeii, by your compassionate gaze, offered me relief. Who has ever turned to you with confidence and has not been heard? If all the world only knew how good you are, how compassionate with those who suffer, all creatures would turn to you. May you for ever be blessed, O Sovereign Virgin of Pompeii, by me and by everyone, by humanity and by the Angels, by Heaven and by earth. Amen
Glory be to the Father.
Hail, Holy Queen II.
I offer thanks to God and to you, O divine Mother, for the new favours that have been granted to me through your compassion and mercy. What would have become of me, had you turned your back on my groans and my tears? May the Angels of paradise and the choirs of Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins and Confessors thank you for me. May all the souls of sinners saved by you, who now enjoy the vision of your immortal beauty in heaven, thank you for me.
I wish all creatures to join me in loving you, and that all the world repeat the echo of my thanks. What have I to offer you, O Queen, rich in mercy and magnificence? What remains of my life I dedicate to you, and to the propagating of your cult everywhere, O Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, through whose invocation the grace of the Lord has visited me. I shall promote the devotion of your Rosary; I will tell everyone of the mercy you have obtained for me; I shall always proclaim your goodness towards me, so that others as well, unworthy as I and sinners, may turn to you with confidence.
Glory be to the Father.
Hail, Holy Queen III.
By what names shall I call you, O snow white dove of peace? By what titles shall I invoke you, whom the holy Doctors called Our Lady of creation, Gate of life, Temple of God, Royal Palace of light, Glory of the heavens, Holy among the Holy, Miracle of miracles, Paradise of the Most High? You are the Treasurer of graces, the Almighty of supplication, indeed, the very Mercy of God which descends upon the unfortunate.
Yet I know that your heart takes pleasure also in being invoked as the Queen of the Rosary, of the Valley of Pompeii. And when invoking you in this manner, I hear the sweetness of your mystical Name, O Rose of Paradise, transplanted in the Valley of tears to relieve the sorrows of us banished children of Eve; red Rose of charity, more fragrant than all the perfumes of Lebanon, drawing the hearts of sinners to the Heart of God in your Valley by the fragrance of your heavenly sweetness.
You are the Rose of everlasting freshness who, nourished by the streams of heavenly waters, planted your roots in soil scorched by a shower of fire; a Rose of unblemished beauty, who planted the Garden of the Lord’s delights in a land of desolation. May God be exalted, who made your name so wondrous. Bless, O nations, the Name of the Virgin of Pompeii, for all the earth is full of her mercy.
Glory be to the Father.
Hail, Holy Queen IV.
In the midst of the storms raging about me I lifted my eyes to you, new Star of hope that appeared in our times over the Valley of ruins. From the depths of sorrow I raised my voice to you, O Queen of the Rosary of Pompeii, and I experienced the power of this title so dear to you. Hail, I shall always cry, Hail O Mother of mercy, immense sea of grace, ocean of kindness and compassion! Who shall worthily sing the glories of your Rosary, the victories of your Crown?
The world has freed itself of Jesus’ arms to become abandoned in those of Satan, yet you make ready to restore it to health in that Valley where Satan devours souls. Triumphant you rode over the ruins of the pagan temples, and upon the decay of idolatry placed the footstool of your rule. You transformed a region of death into a Valley of resurrection and life, and upon the land ruled over by your enemy you established a City of refuge, where you welcome the nations unto their salvation.
Behold your children, spread throughout the world, who raised a throne to you in this place, as a testimonial) of your miracles, as a trophy of your mercies. From this throne you have called me also, among your chosen children: upon me a sinner your merciful gaze has rested. May your works be everlastingly blessed, my Lady: and blessed be all the miracles worked by You in this valley of desolation and ruin.
Glory be to the Father
Hail, Holy Queen V.
May every tongue resound with your glory, O Mary; may the evening hand on to the following day the harmony of our blessings. Let every generation proclaim you blessed, and let all the regions of the earth and the heavenly choirs repeat, blessed are you. I too shall call you three times blessed with the Angels, the Archangels and the Principalities; three times blessed with the angelic Powers, the Virtues of the heavens and the celestial Dominations. I shall proclaim you most Blessed with the Thrones, the Cherubim and the Seraphim.
O my Sovereign Rescuer, may you never turn your merciful gaze away from this family, this nation, the entire Church. Especially, do not deny me the greatest of graces: that I never become separated from you through my weakness. Let me persevere until my last breath in the faith and love with which my soul in this moment burns.
And grant that all of us who contribute to the maintenance of your Shrine in Pompeii, and to the building-up of its charitable works, be included in the number of the chosen. O Holy Rosary of my Mother, I press you tightly to my bosom and kiss you with veneration. (Here kiss your rosary.) You are the way leading to every virtue, the treasure of merits for paradise, the pledge of my predestination, the strong chains binding the enemy, the source of peace for those who honour you throughout life, the promise of victory for those kissing you at the point of death. In that last hour I await you, O Mother. Your appearing will be the sign of my salvation; your Rosary shall open before me the gates of Heaven. Amen
Glory be to the Father
Hail, Holy Queen V.
Queen of the Holy Rosary, pray for us.
Prayer – O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who taught us to turn to you with confidence and call you: Our Father, who art in heaven; O gracious Lord, ever merciful and forgiving: through the intercession of Immaculate Virgin Mary, hear us who take delight in being called children of the Rosary. Accept our humble thanks for the gifts we have received; and daily render the throne you have established in the Shrine of Pompeii more glorious and lasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen
Chaplet of the Holy Face
