St. Gabriel Possenti Novena

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St. Gabriel Possenti was an Italian seminarian who lived in the 1800s. He was a member of the Passionists. 

St. Gabriel Possenti died before he was able to be ordained a priest. During his short life, he was well-known for his holiness and his devotion to the Sorrows of Mary. 

You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy man in your life!

About St. Gabriel Possenti

St. Gabriel Possenti was born as Francesco Possenti in Assisi, Italy in 1838. He had twelve siblings, and his father worked for the government. 

Not long after Francesco was born, his family moved to a different city because of his father’s work. Over the next few years, two of his sisters and his mother died.

In Francesco’s youth and adolescence, his piety and his charity towards others became apparent. However, he also had several noticeable faults, such as vanity and anger.

As a young man, Francesco became immersed in the social scene of his city. Others soon began referring to him as “the dancer.” 

Francesco was educated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, and he attended the Jesuit college in his city. He was an excellent student.

During his adolescence, Francesco fell seriously ill. He promised to enter religious life if he recovered from the illness, but he did not follow through on this promise when he recovered. Similarly, he promised to enter religious life when he escaped death from a stray bullet while hunting. Again, he failed to fulfill his promise.

After two of his brothers died, Francesco suffered from a severe throat abscess. He made the same promise to enter religious life. This time, he began the process of entering the Jesuits. But the process came to a halt for unknown reasons.

Then, an outbreak of cholera brought about the death of his sister who had cared for him after their mother’s death. Because of the epidemic, city and Church officials conducted a procession in honor of Mary. When an icon of Mary passed by Francesco, he realized he needed to act on his call to religious life. Francesco consulted with a priest and determined that he should enter the Passionist religious order.

Francesco’s father was opposed to Francesco’s decision and had several relatives attempt to talk Francesco out of it. When these attempts failed, his father realized that Francesco’s call was real and his intentions good.

Francesco left home and set out with his brother to join the Passionists, who were a great distance away. In 1856, he received the Passionist habit and the name Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. One year after entering the novitiate, Gabriel made his vows.

Gabriel made great strides in both his academic life and his spiritual life. But it was not long before he contracted tuberculosis. 

Gabriel was not afraid to die, but he prayed that he might die slowly in order to better prepare for his death. He was joyful in his sufferings. He set an example of virtue and holiness to his brothers.

When he neared death, Gabriel asked that all of his spiritual writings be burned so that he could better fight the temptation to pride. 

Gabriel died before he was able to be ordained a priest. He died holding an image of Our Lady of Sorrows and smiling peacefully. 

St. Gabriel Possenti’s Feast Day: February 27th

Why Pray the St. Gabriel Possenti Novena?

St. Gabriel Possenti is the patron saint of students. You can seek his intercession if you are a student, or on behalf of a student you know.

St. Gabriel Possenti is also the patron saint of seminarians. You can ask him for prayers if you are a seminarian. You can also ask him to pray for a seminarian you know.

Additionally, St. Gabriel Possenti is a great saint to seek intercession from if you are having difficulty opening yourself up to God’s will in your life, since he struggled greatly with following God’s call to the religious life.

You can pray the St. Gabriel Possenti Novena for any intention!

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena Prayers

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena - Day 1

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Gabriel Possenti as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed from the time he left his family to pursue his calling to religious life. 

St. Gabriel Possenti, you were born into a faithful Catholic family. Despite your upbringing in the Faith, it was many years before you gave yourself fully over to the service of God.

Please bring my petitions before God Who called you to serve Him!

Once you chose to serve God in the religious life, you traveled with your brother to the city where the Passionists were. Then, you devoted yourself faithfully to serving God for the rest of your life.

Pray for me, that I may always do all I can to be a faithful servant of God. Pray that I may be eager to follow His call in my life.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Gabriel Possenti, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena - Day 2

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Gabriel Possenti as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in opening himself up to Your will during his city’s Marian procession.

St. Gabriel Possenti, you promised God that you would devote yourself to Him in the religious life many times as a young man. Though you failed to carry out this promise initially, you eventually threw yourself wholeheartedly into your vocation.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you chose to serve!

When an icon of the Blessed Mother passed you in a procession, you knew clearly that you could not avoid God’s call any longer. You overcame your worldly inclinations and chose to devote your life to God.

Pray for me, that I may always be open to God’s will in my life. Pray that I may overcome myself whenever I am tempted to ignore God’s call.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Gabriel Possenti, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena - Day 3

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Gabriel Possenti as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in choosing to serve You in the religious life.

St. Gabriel Possenti, you attempted to evade God’s call to the religious life for many years. But when you surrendered yourself over to God’s will for you, you served Him with great faithfulness.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so faithfully!

You entered the Passionist religious order and professed your vows. You intended to become a priest, but you died a holy death before you could be ordained.

Pray for me, that I may carry out the duties of my vocation as faithfully as you did. Pray that I may be eager to carry out God’s will for my life.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Gabriel Possenti, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena - Day 4

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Gabriel Possenti as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to prepare for the priesthood.

St. Gabriel Possenti, you entered the Passionist religious order soon after surrendering yourself to God’s will for your life. As a Passionist, you did all you could to serve God devotedly.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served with such devotion!

You made great strides in your academic and spiritual life as you began your studies for the priesthood. Though you died before you were able to be ordained, you served God with great faithfulness during your time with the Passionists.

Pray for me, that I may do all I can to serve God faithfully. Pray that I may be open to God’s will in my life at every opportunity.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Gabriel Possenti, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena - Day 5

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Gabriel Possenti as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in choosing to enter a religious order devoted to Your Passion.

St. Gabriel Possenti, your desire to enter the Passionist religious order was met with suspicion by your family members because of your lack of devotion in the past. But when you persevered in seeking to enter the Passionists, they realized that you had truly developed a devotion to Christ’s Passion.

Please bring my petitions before Christ Whose Passion you sought to honor!

As a Passionist, you grew in holiness and devotion. You set a holy example for those around you and ultimately died a holy death.

Pray for me, that I may grow in my devotion to Christ’s Passion. Pray that I may seek to grow in holiness in my vocation, as you did.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Gabriel Possenti, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena - Day 6

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Gabriel Possenti as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his great devotion to Your Mother.

St. Gabriel Possenti, you attended a procession in your city that honored the Blessed Virgin Mary and that sought her intercession. When an icon of Mary passed you, you knew that you could not avoid God’s call in your life any longer.

Please bring my petitions before the throne of God!

As a Passionist, you received the name Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. You died while holding an image of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Pray for me, that I may always have recourse to the Blessed Mother. Pray that all people may come to recognize the great gift God has given us in His Mother.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Gabriel Possenti, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena - Day 7

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Gabriel Possenti as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in suffering the great pains of tuberculosis with joy.

St. Gabriel Possenti, you contracted tuberculosis not long after entering the Passionist religious order. Though you suffered a lot because of this disease, you never ceased to serve God with joy.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so joyfully!

Your virtue in suffering was apparent to those around you. Even while you were on your deathbed, your brother Passionists wished to spend time with you because of your great virtue and joy. 

Pray for me, that I may endure all sufferings with joy. Pray that I may never allow even the harshest trials to deter me from serving God.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Gabriel Possenti, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena - Day 8

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Gabriel Possenti as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in fighting his temptations to pride.

St. Gabriel Possenti, you avoided God’s call to the religious life during your adolescence. But when you realized that you could avoid God’s call no longer, you humbly submitted yourself to His will. 

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you chose to serve!

During your time in the Passionist religious order, you composed many spiritual writings. But when your death was nearing, you ordered that these writings be burned so that you could combat your temptations to pride.

Pray for me, that I may grow in humility each day. Pray that I may always fight against the temptation to pride in my life.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Gabriel Possenti, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Gabriel Possenti Novena - Day 9

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Gabriel Possenti as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in seeking to prepare for a holy death.

St. Gabriel Possenti, you contracted tuberculosis not long after you began studying for the priesthood in the Passionist religious order. Though you knew you might die, you were not afraid because of your trust in God.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you trusted so deeply!

You asked God to grant that your disease would progress slowly, in order that you might have more time to prepare for death. When the time of your death came, you died peacefully and happily.

Pray for me, that I may live my life with the last things in mind. Pray that I may be given the grace of a holy death when my life comes to an end.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Gabriel Possenti, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.