Introduction
The Novena is a traditional Catholic prayer practice. An individual, a group, a family or a community holds an intention for nine days. The prayer that is repeated daily for nine days is generally a way of asking God for a special help or blessing.
This Novena, respecting the pious tradition of Catholic prayer, is meant to be a prayerful foundation to contemplate the meaning of the mission of St. Margaret of Scotland as we engage the search for new school leadership in our administration and classrooms. Values drawn from the mission statements of school and parish help us reflect on our identity – personally and institutionally. This reflection is done in the form of prayer, rather than simply in group discussion because the conversation is incomplete without God. Our identity and mission derive from God’s action and our response in faith. And we seek the active energy of the Holy Spirit as we move forward.
Make it your own! The prayer as given here is adaptable to various needs. It may be prayed in a group or privately. The lighting of a candle, an ancient symbol of prayer, can add to the experience of the Novena. Praying outside surrounds us with God’s great beauty and reminds us of his care for each of us – his loved ones.
The Order of the Novena
- The Novena service can begin with a bell chime, a hymn, or silence.
- Intercessory prayers, suited to the day’s theme, may be expanded into additional sharing of community needs and intentions.
- Reflection questions within the Novena may be revisited in discussion at the end of each day’s prayer.
- All may share on provided cards phrases or sentences expressing personal reflections on the mission value of the day. These anonymous cards will be collected to ascertain the community’s sense of mission as it relates to our search priorities.
Participation in this Community Novena for Catholic Education will yield benefits to those who take up the practice, and to the efforts of the St. Margaret of Scotland community.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7: 7-8
MISSION STATEMENTS
St. Margaret of Scotland Parish is a diverse urban Catholic parish. Inspired by the Holy Spirit and the Example of our patroness, we are called to be a vibrant voice and beacon of the Catholic faith in our neighborhoods. We proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in work and action by
- Praying and celebrating as a Eucharist community,
- Educating children and adults to live a full Christian life in today’s world,
- Serving others with unconditional generosity, and
- Living just lives and working for a more just society.
St. Margaret of Scotland Parish School is a diverse, urban, vibrant and inclusive Catholic community. We are committed to providing an outstanding learning environment for children, pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, in which they are challenged to meet their academic potential and recognize their giftedness in body, mind and spirit. Our students embody the example of our patron saint by becoming responsible leaders and caretakers of our community through works of service and social justice.
