Novena to St Anthony of Padua

St Anthony: Shocked Catholics by celebrating 'Ad Orientem', turning around only to show the Eucharist to a mule...

I am making a Novena to St Anthony of Padua for the intentions of those who I know and for help in discerning my state of life/vocation etc and I hope His Holiness Pope Francis will not be aggrieved that I will include his own intentions in the Novena, since people were making such 9-day prayers to St Anthony before the 1940s. Long, long before the 1940s...

Seriously though, we have been told that the Holy Father prays 15 decades of the Rosary a day and prays the Rosary while drifting off to sleep - much like His Holiness's predecessor. He has told us as much. Pray for our Holy Father. What an Office His Holiness must fulfil and what grave responsibility is placed spiritually upon his shoulders! Who knows, Pope Francis could be the 'last Pope' of St Malachi's prophecy of the Popes. Going by Pope Francis's 'radical' style and somewhat impulsive actions and remarks, that would spare His Holiness's Successor a great deal of trouble.

Let's pray also that Belgium finds God and its conscience at the same time, since both of these are surely one. Child euthanasia...Well, I must admit I never thought they'd call it that.