Prayers for U.S. Elections
In 1792, the United States’ first bishop, Archbishop John Carroll, consecrated the country to Mary under the title “Immaculate Conception.” This was renewed by the nation’s bishops in 1846, 1959, and as recently as May 1, 2020. Additionally, bishops throughout the country have consecrated to Mary their archdioceses and dioceses at various times and in different circumstances.
Therefore, it is appropriate to turn to Our Lady, the patroness of the United States and the Americas, as well as saints who either helped build our country or who faced similar struggles. We ask them to intercede for our elections, so that we may elect officials who will protect our God-given rights, especially everyone’s right to life (beginning at conception) and religious freedom, and who will guide us using the moral law that Jesus gave us (CCC 1950-1974). You can also view the Diocese of Arlington election guide here, or the USCCB election guide here.
CONSECRATION OF THE ELECTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Written by Fr. Chad Ripperger (2024)
Mary Immaculate, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the eternal Wisdom lies hidden to be adored and served by angels and men, Queen of heaven and of earth, beneath whose sway are subject all things that are lower than God, Patroness of the United States of America, we come to thee, our refuge and hope, sorrowful and mindful of our own sinfulness and the sins of our nation.
Knowing that our country cannot be saved by our own works and mindful of how much our nation has departed from the ways of thy Son, we humbly ask that thou would turn thine eyes upon our country to bring about its conversion.
We consecrate to thee the integrity of the upcoming election and its outcome, so that what is spiritually and morally best for the citizens of our country may be accomplished, and that all of those who are elected would govern according to the spiritual and moral principles which will bring our nation into conformity with the teachings of thy Son.
Give grace to the citizens of this land so that they will choose leaders according to the Sacred Heart of thy Son, that His glory may be made manifest, and that we may not be given the leaders we deserve.
Trusting in the providential care of God the Father and thy maternal care, we have perfect confidence that thou will take care of us and will not leave us forsaken. O Mary Immaculate, pray for us. Amen.
HOSPITAL MINISTRY NOVENA
In this novena, we call upon the intercession of saints, some of whom made an impact on the growth and well-being of the United States.
Day 1 -- For good government leaders who will lead us in accordance with God’s law
St. Thomas More, you became a powerful government official in England and were a trusted advisor of the king. However, you chose to forfeit your position and life rather than follow an immoral law that would require you to renounce your Faith. Ask God to send us moral and upright leaders who will not make us choose between our government and our Faith, and if they do, give us the strength and fortitude to stand up against unjust and immoral laws.
St. Catherine of Siena, you were a devout lay-woman who went out into the public to serve the poor and sick, and eventually became involved in the contentious politics during your lifetime. Through your humility, persistence, and inspired words, you were instrumental in moving the Papacy back to Rome as well as brokering peace deals between the Italian city states. We currently live during a time of divisive politics, and we ask you to help us be a change for good so that the politics and people in our country might come together to find common ground and peace.
Day 2 -- For schools that will teach the truth and protect our children
First American-born canonized saint: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton following your conversion to the Catholic Faith, you established the first free Catholic school in America. For the next hundred years after your death, your order (Sisters of Charity) opened numerous parochial schools and even several colleges throughout the United States, leading you to be named as the patron of Catholic schools.
First American canonized male saint: St. John Neumann, as the bishop of Philadelphia, you created the first Catholic diocesan school system in this country, and under your leadership, almost 100 schools were opened, providing thousands of children with a faith-based education.
Today, many of our schools (from elementary to graduate schools) have lost their focus from teaching well-established topics (reading, writing, math, history, etc) to now indoctrinating our children into culture issues, many of which are contrary to our Catholic Faith. We ask you all to send us teachers, principals, school boards and other school leaders who will return to teaching just the basics and will protect our children from being exposed to immoral materials or dangerous situations.
Day 3 -- For help and protection of minorities and the underprivileged
Second American-born canonized saint: St. Katherine Drexel, you grew up in a family who helped the needy, and as an adult, you had a special interest helping African-Americans and native Americans. You founded an order – Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored – and headed west to eventually establish 63 schools throughout the United States and 50 missions for Native Americans in 16 different states.
First naturalized US citizen to be canonized: St. Francis Cabrini, you came to America to help the numerous Italian immigrants who were arriving in New York, looking for a better life. Over the next 35 years, you established 67 institutions, including orphanages, schools, and hospitals, which served the poor, uneducated, and immigrants.
Venerable Nelson Baker, during your 60 priestly years at Lackawana, NY, you established numerous institutions that included homes for infants and unwed mothers, orphanages for boys, a hospital, a nurses’ home and an elementary and high school. You also provided meals, clothes, medical care & supplies, training for jobs for hundreds of thousands of people in need. Finally, you personally taught and received into the Church hundreds of black Americans who had migrated north, leading Lackawana to be nicknamed as “City of Charity.”
Today, we are facing unprecedented numbers of immigrants and poor people. We ask you all to send us leaders who will help uplift the poor by improving the economy, support organizations who provide assistance for unwed mothers and others who truly need help, and hold accountable those who break our laws or harm other people or property.
Day 4 -- For ethical and truthful journalists and media influencers
Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, you reached millions of people through your writings, radio shows and television programs, even winning an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality. Among the many topics, you warned us about communism and evil overtaking the United States and even the Catholic Church. You always spoke the truth and never shied away from gently correcting others who tried to mislead people. We ask you to help reform our media (traditional and online) so that they will uphold God’s truth and not be swayed by lies that originate from the evil one.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, for many years, you operated a religious publishing press, and in 1939, you used that press to publish many anti-Nazi German publications. You were eventually arrested by the German Gestapo and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where you later gave up your life to protect another prisoner. We ask you to pray for courage and fortitude for today’s journalists, so that they may stand up for the truth, even when their peers or government try to cancel them or shut them down.
Day 5 -- For institutions and laws to compassionately treat the sick in accordance with God’s law
St. Damien of Molokai & St. Marianne Cope, you both answered God’s call to take care of His abandoned leper children on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, despite the danger to your own health. You provided them with medical care, but more importantly, you renewed their human dignity and brought them closer to the love of God through your teaching and example.
St. Teresa of Calcutta, you heard the call to “follow Christ into the slums to serve him among the poorest of the poor.” You founded an order – Missionaries of Charity – to help you provide your services to the dying, the destitute, orphans and abandoned children, alcoholics and homeless people, and the elderly. You saw the image of Jesus in every person you encountered, and showed them the love and care that they may not have ever received.
We ask you all to send us legislators who will make just and moral health laws, and health-care providers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, others) who will treat everyone with love and respect, and honor their oath to “do no harm.” We pray that these providers will respect the sanctity of life, from inside the womb up until the time of natural death.
Day 6 -- For protection of families and the sanctity of life
St. Joseph, you were blessed by God to protect Mary and Jesus within the Holy Family. Not only did you protect Jesus in the womb by not following the law to stone Mary for her pregnancy, but you also protected His life when you fled to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod. You were the spiritual leader of the Holy Family, making sure that you all followed God’s law with love and trust. We ask you to inspire many fathers to become the spiritual leaders that they are called to be, and to protect the well-being of their wife and children – physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially, etc.
St. Monica & St. Augustine, you endured the struggle of many families – a child who strays from the Faith and a parent who spend years agonizing and praying for that child. God rewarded your prayers by converting your son Augustine, and making him one of the greatest saints in the Catholic Church. Today, so many of our children are attacked by the evil forces of this world and sadly, fall away from their faith. St. Monica, we ask you to inspire parents to pray and sacrifice for the spiritual health of their children – especially those who have strayed. St. Augustine, we ask you to send someone like St. Ambrose who will touch the hearts and souls of these prodigal children so that they may return to the faith.
St. Gianna Molla, you were a doctor who used your talents to help those in need, but you were also a loving mother to four children. During your fourth pregnancy, the doctors discovered a tumor in your uterus and they claimed that the only way to save your life was to kill/abort your unborn baby. However, you chose to protect the life of your baby, and about a week after she was born, you died. Many pregnant women today are facing factors that may not be life-threatening but will still affect their life after the baby is born. We ask you to inspire these mothers to be courageous to choose life for their child, whether they keep them or offer them up for adoption. We also ask you to send us more leaders and organizations who will promote and offer many support options, so that eventually, the evil of abortion becomes obsolete.
Day 7 -- For protection against evil and the tactics of the enemy
St. Michael the Archangel, at the beginning of time, you led the Heavenly army in battle against Lucifer/Satan and his fallen angels, and ultimately cast these demons out of Heaven. Likewise, we believe that you will defeat Satan one last time at the end of time. In between, you have assisted humans in resisting and defeating evil, either individually, in a group, in the Church, or in a country. We beg you to assist us now as we face so many evils in this world, and ask that through this election, we may choose God’s way and defeat demonic policies that threaten our nation.
St. Padre Pio, as early as your childhood, you were attacked – spiritually and physically – by the devil, yet you were never overcome by him, especially whenever you called on the Holy Name of Jesus. You often advised others to turn to prayer – especially the daily Rosary – and frequent reception of the sacraments as the best defenses against the devil. So many people today are attacked by the devil and his demons, either directly or through our culture and media. We pray that you protect each one of us from these personal attacks, and give us the perseverance we need to say our daily prayers/rosary and frequently receive Confession and Communion.
Day 8 -- For causes that seem impossible or desperate
St. Jude Thaddeus, you were a close relative of Jesus and often advised people to hold fast to their faith, especially when faced with false teachers or adversity. Throughout Church history, pilgrims to your grave or other faithful people would ask for your intercession in desperate cases, and they often received a positive answer to their prayers. Jesus Himself told St. Bridget in the 14th century that “In accordance with his surname, Thaddeus, the amiable or loving, he will show himself most willing to give you help.” Right now, our country is facing an almost insurmountable task of returning this nation back to God. We beg you to hear our prayers and help us to accomplish that through this election.
St. Rita of Cascia, you encountered many difficult and almost impossible situations within your family and your life, and yet God always supported you through these desperate times. We ask you to help us as we face difficult situations within our lives, whether in our family, with our job and finances, or in other areas. We beg you to send us leaders through this election who will also help our country rise out of our current desperate situation, and lead us back to God.
Day 9 -- For America (especially the United States) and the return of faith throughout the country
Our Lady of Guadalupe, you visited the native people of Mexico, in the “new” America, during a time when they practiced human sacrifice and worshipped multiple gods. You left a beautiful image full of symbols and meaning for the natives, resulting in the conversion of millions of these natives to the Catholic Faith. Today, our culture has returned to human sacrifices through the evil of abortion and euthanasia, and the worship of Satan or other false gods have grown. We beg you to visit us again and help us convert our nation back to following the one true God and stop the killing of innocent people.
Mary, our Mother, shortly after the United States of America was established, Archbishop John Carroll dedicated this new country to you under the title of the Immaculate Conception. Even before this consecration, the faithful in this new country honored you as the Immaculate Conception – the main ship of Christopher Columbus was named Santa Maria de la Inmaculada Concepcion, the first American church in St. Augustine, FL was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, and the Mississippi River was originally called The River of the Immaculate Conception. We beg you to have mercy on us during this election, and ask your son Jesus to give us the leaders we need to return to Him, rather than the leaders we deserve as a chastisement.
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER
Most Holy Trinity: Our Father in Heaven, who chose Mary as the fairest of your daughters; Holy Spirit, who chose Mary as your Spouse; God the Son, who chose Mary as your Mother – in union with Mary we adore your majesty and acknowledge your supreme, eternal dominion and authority.
Most Holy Trinity, we put the United States of America into the hands of Mary Immaculate in order that she may present the country to you. Through her, we wish to thank you for the great resources of this land and for the freedom which has been its heritage.
Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic Church in America and grant us peace. Grant us a president and other officers of our government who will lead us using your Divine moral law. Grant us a fruitful economy, born of justice and charity. Have mercy on capital and industry and labor. Protect the family life of the nation. Protect the lives of all persons, especially those in the womb and the suffering who cannot speak for themselves. Guard the precious gift of religious freedom and many religious vocations. Through the intercession of our Mother, have mercy on the sick, the tempted, sinners — on all who are in need.
Mary, Immaculate Conception, our Mother, Patroness of our land, we praise you and honor you and give ourselves to you. Protect us from every harm and evil. Pray for all voters, that acting always according to your will and the will of your divine Son, we may live and die pleasing to God. Amen.