American Catholics launch nine-day novena to Our Lady for US elections

(LifeSiteNews) — Catholics have launched a nine-day novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary for the conversion of the United States, for the Catholic Church, and for the outcome of the presidential election.

On October 27, Catholics began to pray a novena to ask Our Lady’s intercession for the “conversion of our country, for our Church, and for the best outcome for the general election.” The initiative is spearheaded by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter’s (FSSP) Regina Caeli Parish in Houston, Texas. 

The nine-day novena to the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States, started on Sunday, the traditional feast of Christ the King, and will end on Monday, the eve of the American election.

The 2020 presidential election four years ago saw widespread allegations of cheating and other forms of interference, including Big Tech censorship. This year has witnessed a failed assassination attempt on former President and current Republican nominee Donald Trump’s life and a forced removal of Democratic nominee Joe Biden from the ticket, prompting accusations of a coup by sinister forces. 

Furthermore, the upcoming election between Trump and current Democratic nominee Kamala Harris poses serious moral concerns.

Harris, a former U.S. senator from California who was ranked the most liberal member of the Senate and had a 100 percent pro-abortion voting record, has made abortion the centerpiece of her campaign and has pledged to sign a federal law that would legalize unrestricted abortion in all 50 states.

Harris has endorsed the “Women’s Health Protection Act,” a Democratic bill that would declare abortion throughout pregnancy a national “right” and invalidate hundreds of state and local pro-life laws. She is also a strong supporter of all aspects of the LGBT movement, including “gender transitions” for minors and LGBT indoctrination of children in schools, which Trump opposes. 

Trump, who had a pro-life record as president, has said that he would veto a federal abortion ban and has embraced in vitro fertilization (IVF) while at the same time upholding Dobbs v. Jackson, the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and allows states to prohibit abortion. In February, nearly 90,000 babies were estimated to have been saved so far as a result of the Dobbs ruling.

Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, both strongly back IVF. Furthermore, Harris, unlike Trump, opposes religion exemptions to abortion and has a history of targeting Catholics.

Last week, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò threw his full support behind Donald Trump as the next president of the U.S. and called upon American Catholics to vote for Trump on November 5 as a moral imperative.

At the same time, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke has encouraged Catholics to pray and fast and to vote for candidates who indicate that “they will, at least, limit the evil” and offer a “ray of hope.” He stressed that voters must ensure that they understand that these votes are not for the “iniquitous” positions of a candidate.  

Cardinal Burke’s call for prayer echoes Father Chad Ripperger, who recently released a powerful new prayer consecrating the upcoming election in the United States to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The opening prayer for the novena reads:

Virgin most pure, conceived without sin, all fair and stainless from thy Conception; glorious Mary, full of grace, Mother of my God, Queen of angels and of men, – I humbly venerate Thee as Mother of my Saviour, who, though He was God, taught me by His own veneration, reverence, and obedience to Thee, the honour and homage which are due to Thee. Vouchsafe, I pray Thee, to accept this Novena, which I dedicate to Thee. Thou art the safe refuge of the penitent sinner; it is very fitting, then, that I should have recourse to Thee. Thou art the Mother of compassion; then wilt thou surely be moved with pity for my many miseries. Thou art my best hope after Jesus; Thou canst not but accept the loving confidence that I have in Thee. Make me worthy to be called thy son, that so I may dare to cry unto Thee, Show Thyself a mother.

The full novena can be found here.