It’s never too late to start praying!
March 25th has come to pass, but we invite you to join our community at ANY time! See details to learn more and sign up…
WHAT IS THE IMPOSSIBLE NOVENA?
Also known as the “Walk of the Incarnation,” this is a 9 month Novena where we journey with Our Lady throughout her entire pregnancy from the Feast of the Annunciation to Christmas Day. 3/25-12/25
It is an opportunity to ask Mary to take 3 of our most “impossible” requests and present them to Jesus, to plead with Him on our behalf.
Mary's "Fiat" at the Annunciation was the moment when she invited Jesus to dwell within her womb which became His nurturing home for nine months. Mary's Immaculate womb was the place where Her Son's tiny Body not only dwelled, but grew and developed a bit more every single day.
On March 25th, we invite Jesus to dwell within us in a uniquely intimate way too. As we meditate on Jesus growing in Mary's womb, we imagine Him expanding within our own hearts...growing to make room for Him to abide more fully each day.
During this time, it is recommended to attend mass and receive the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion on the 25th of each month.
What is the “The Annunciation”?
The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the most important in the Church calendar. It celebrates the actual Incarnation of Our Savior - the Word made flesh in the womb of His mother, Mary. It is celebrated on March 25th, exactly 9 months before Christmas Day as it marks the beginning of Mary’s pregnancy from the moment of conception.
THE ANNUNCIATION: Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her:
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel: "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
Why did we begin on March 25th if the Annunciation has been moved to April 8th this year?
Fr. Edward Looney gives his insight…
What is A Novena?
Novena comes from the Latin word, "novem" and it refers to a group of "nine." Traditionally, it is a nine day prayer, but it can also be a prayer of nine hours, nine days, nine weeks, nine months, or nine years. Also, a novena can simply be nine repetitions of prayers. A novena may include prayers of petition or prayers of thanksgiving.
Novenas can be traced back to the beginning of the Catholic Church, and the first novena is written in Scripture. After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the apostles spent nine days in prayer: "All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers" (Acts 1:14). At the end of this very first novena, the Holy Spirit descended upon them, filling them with supernatural gifts. Praying a novena allows us to ask God for assistance and guidance in a way that connects us to the first foundations of our Church.
What you need to know…
There is a lot of information on this website. It is here for you to use and enjoy throughout the Novena. But please do not be overwhelmed by the amount of content here!
The only thing you NEED for this Novena are the prayers. But we wanted to have a more comprehensive experience available for you. A place to come back to when you have questions or need some help. A place to learn more, seek guidance, and find friendship. There is no right or wrong way to use/explore this website. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide.
We want to go deeper
Our 3 “Impossible” requests are meaningful to each of us. We wouldn’t be bringing them to Jesus and Mary for 9 months if they weren’t intentions we held close to our hearts. However, we want to go even deeper. If we were to blindly recite the same “impossible” prayers for 9 months, we might miss the graces.
We believe that our intentions should be the means by which we obtain the ultimate goal….to deepen our relationship with Jesus through Mary’s maternal intercession. But how?
As we pray for our intentions over the next 9 months, we ask that Our Lady will help increase our faith, trust and hope as we surrender our hearts to The Lord. We have asked the Holy Spirit to help us guide you through an experience that will involve more than mere recitation.
See the section below to learn more…
WHAT TO EXPECT
Here is a simple outline of what you can expect from us for our community this year…
1) A FOCUS ON VIRTUE: Like last year, we will be focusing on Mary’s 10 virtues to help guide us through the Novena. On the 25th of each month, we will switch our focus on a different virtue so that we might grow with Mary as we get closer to Jesus.
2) MONTHLY EMAILS: This year, we will be more purposefully utilizing this website and email communications instead of Instagram to stay connected. (Please make sure you are signed up!). You will receive an email from us on the 25th of each month.
3) PRINTABLE DOCUMENTS: In the email, you will receive a printable document which includes an explanation of the virtue, tips for practicing it, quotes from The Saints, and some additional prayers you can incorporate into your routine.
4) AUDIO PRAYERS: Audio prayers will remain available on YouTube throughout the duration of the Novena so that you can pray along each day at any time. We have them recorded in both English and Spanish. You can find the Impossible Novena Playlist on Glory’s youTube Channel.
5) MUSIC: “Mercy Divine” has so beautifully recorded the Impossible Novena “Prayer of Petition” for our community. On their recorded album “The Queen Stands”, they also have the “Memorare” and the “Hail Holy Queen”, both of which are daily prayers for the Impossible Novena. Please see the section of our website titled “Music” for more details!
6) SACRED ART: Jessica from @thelivingheartco illustrated beautiful images of Jesus in Mary’s womb for every month of her pregnancy last year. You can find them on our page “Watch Jesus Grow” and follow along with Mary’s pregnancy as we walk through the Novena.
Thank you for being here! We are honored to be on this journey together with you.
“Who can worthily thank thee and adequately praise thee, O Blessed Virgin, who by thy Fiat hast saved a lost world!”
ST. AUGUSTINE
#ToJesusThroughMary
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