Are you single and Catholic with no date planned for Valentine’s Day? How about praying a novena to St. Raphael? “What?” you ask.
In a cute website (warning – it has audio), the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales suggests that single Catholics hoping to meet a spouse pray a novena, a nine-day prayer, starting on Valentine’s Day. It won’t do much for your dating chances for this Thursday, but who knows about the future.
St. Raphael is the patron saint of travelers and “happy encounters.” The site offers three short, sample prayers to choose from. The one you select should be prayed for 9 days in a row. The site also offers information on what a novena is. It is even running a contest where you get to send in your own definition of a novena. The winner gets dinner for two, although this is probably only valid across the ocean!
So if you find yourself with a few extra free minutes on Thursday, remember St. Raphael.
