Today (January 16), the Daughters of St. Paul begin the novena in preparation for the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25). This novena prepares us to celebrate the Conversion of our spiritual father, St. Paul, with hearts that are ready to be converted just as his was. This is the hymn that we will be praying every day. It is part biography of St. Paul, part prayer that we can follow his example of proclaiming the Gospel with his life and remaining attached to Jesus in his heart. We we invite you to pray with us!
By evil’s burden sore oppressed,
O suppliant, draw close to Paul.
From heaven lavishly he gives
Salvation’s sure pledge when we call.
Once persecutor of Christ’s flock,
Its staunch defender you became:
When driven by the love divine,
Your former self you overcame.
Nor storms nor scourgings frighten you,
Nor hatred from your foes, nor chains;
Approaching death you dreaded not;
To join the saints was your sole aim.
We beg you never to forget
The love that your heart first embraced.
Through all our weakness lead us on
To hope of God’s supernal grace.
All satan’s snares, deceits and wiles,
Protector, may you thus confound;
And with the prayers of all mankind
May Christian temples soon resound.
May love that knows no malice bloom
Through intercession of your plea:
By errors evermore unharmed,
From arguments completely free.
To farthest boundaries of the earth
May one sole bond all men unite,
And may the nectar of your words
Flow through the world with saving might.
What God commands in our regard
May He enable us to seek—
So darkness of eternal night
Will never overcome the weak.
O victim pleasing to the Lord,
Doctor of gentiles and their love,
Our patron and defender, Paul,
O grant our plea from heav’n above.
O Trinity, thrice holy, blest—
With holy zeal inspire us all,
That we may follow joyously
All the examples of St. Paul.
