Happy Feast Day!

Wishing all the members of the Fraternity and our friends every blessing on this feast of St Genesius. May he intercede for all your needs.

Novena to St Genesius Day 9

Called to be Prophets

As St Genesius stood on stage in the moments after his conversion he testified before the Roman Emperor that Jesus Christ was God. This would lead to his martyrdom. At the heart of our Christian life is our love of Jesus, a love that comes from faith and leads to a deeper faith, which leads to a greater love. Like Genesius, as servants and prophets of the Lord, we are to stand before the world and declare that God exists; that Jesus Christ is God, and if we embrace him, we shall have life in his name. In an age when men and women wish to see the world revolve around them, best seen in the rising cult of celebrity, we testify to the fact that it does not: the world was made for us, yes, but everything revolves around God, and it is only when we acknowledge that and turn to praise him and abandon ourselves to him will we be glorified. The irony of the age, as taught by Jesus, is that those who seek to be first will be the last, but it is the humble, the poor in spirit, who will be first, the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Our true flourishing is in Christ. Genesius understood this, that was why he could abandon his ambition to be rich and famous. 

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives. 

Novena to St Genesius Day 8

Called to be Prophets

One of the dark aspects of human existence has been the way vulnerable life has been treated. Too often in history the weak and powerless have been mistreated, oppressed and killed because those who were stronger sought to take advantage of that weakness. Our age is no different despite our belief that we are better and more enlightened than past ages. We may may technologically more advanced, but in many areas we are less enlightened than our ancestors: chronology is no guarantee of authentic progress. The very existence and defence of abortion, euthanasia and various technologies that manipulate and destroy human life, be it embryonic or post-natal is a sure sign that we are as brutal, if not more so, than the tyrants of the past. Being a Christian today, responding to our call to be prophets, means that we must testify to the sacredness of human life particularly when it is at its weakest and most vulnerable, The Servant of God, Cardinal Terence Cooke, a man who suffered from cancer for many years, teaches us that human dignity increases when it s vulnerable and burdened - he learned this lesson from Christ himself who revealed his divine strength on the cross. As Pope St John Paul II teaches us human beings are not objects, we are not to be used for the benefit of another person. As disciples of Christ, his prophets in the world, we are to testify to the unique value of every human life, to the Gospel of Life.

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives. 

Novena to St Genesius Day 7

Called to be Prophets

"A man can have no greater love that to lay down his life for his friends", so Jesus tells us. True love, by its very nature, is sacrificial, it is prepared to offer all for the one loved. We see in Jesus the ultimate example of this as he went to the cross for all of us. In this sacrificial offering we see the prophetic nature of love, it is the most eloquent testimony of all, nothing can overcome it, not even death, as we see in the Resurrection of the Lord. As disciples of Christ we are to try and live lives immersed in Christian love, a love which will make demands of us, but in doing so will transform us and conform us more and more to Christ, making us eligible to share in his victory and his glory. We live in an age when love is all the rage, it is invoked on every platform, by every cause. However, much of what passes for love today may not be love at all, and so we find ourselves in situations where love is invoked to defy truth, reality, even God himself. For this reason we must immerse ourselves even more in the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ so to be transformed into authentic witnesses of true love. That will require great endurance, suffering and loss, but our testimony will prove prophetic and even intercessory if we offer it for those who persecute us. 

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives. 

Novena to St Genesius Day 6

Called to be Prophets

One of the titles given to Pope St John Paul II is that of "Witness of Hope". His biographer George Weigel, had asked the Pontiff what he would like to remembered as, and St John Paul replied "As a witness to hope". Hope is considered by some to be the forgotten virtue, and yet it is one we need most today. When the darkness surrounds you, and the light cannot be seen, it is hope that keeps the soul fresh and at peace, reminding it that the dawn is never far off. Though we hear so much of progress, as our society is redesigned and human nature redefined and reshaped, in reality there are many crumbling beneath the burden of despair. Our brave new world is not a better world, it is more brutal and despite the enthusiasm and optimism, there is a shadow moving over the hearts and souls of our people. Though despised and persecuted, dismissed or mocked, Christianity is the only thing that can offer hope and light because it offers Christ. His disciples are prophets of hope, who go out into the midst of the world to share that hope which sustains them. 

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives. 

Novena to St Genesius Day 5

Called to be Prophets

Too often faith is associated with misery, Christians can be portrayed as staid, gloomy people, old fashioned, out of touch. The reality is very different of course, but there are followers of Christ who do not embrace fully his prophetic call to joy. As a people redeemed we are meant to be joyful, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy, and those immersed in the presence of the Spirit in this life are to manifest that reality by a joy that exists not only in happy moments, but even in difficulties and trials. This joy emerges from trust: we do not fear, we are not anxious because we have put our trust in Christ, in his saving work and his promises. One of the great Christians of the last century was G. K. Chesterton and he revealed the nature of this joy in his witness and his writing. Indeed many of his fans call him the "Apostle of Joy", and how fitting that title is. Let us pray that his cause will be opened and he will be beatified because we need joyful examples of Christian living to inspire us to be prophets of joy ourselves.

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives. 

Novena to St Genesius Day 4

Called to be Prophets

In an age of mediocrity the most prophetic are those who strive for excellence. We live in a time when excellence is promoted in so many areas of life, but yet when it comes to faith, to the Christian life, there isn't the same drive to achieve excellence, or more correctly, holiness. Many drift along, usually with the assistance of an unhealthy dose of presumption, thinking that we are okay just as we are because God loves us. However, the love of God, which we should never take for granted, ought to urge us to a greater commitment to the Christian way: as St Paul reminds us the love of God compels us, urges us out to live lives of virtue, heroic virtue. Christian prophets today are those who attest to this call to heroism. Discipleship is about imitating the Master and the Master tells to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives. 

Novena to St Genesius Day 3

Called to be Prophets

One of the greatest prophetic acts in the world today is to resist the redefinition of human sexuality and participating in the permissiveness of the age. Today the servants of Christ find themselves in the midst of a war, on a battlefield where they seem to be surrounded and fear they must be ready to surrender. Even within the Church there are factions which promote a disintegration of Christ's moral teachings so as to be more pastoral and understanding, to reach out in compassion to those who find the way of chastity too much to live. Genesius before his conversion may well have been such a man. The moral life of theatre folk in ancient Rome was not very edifying, and even the morally compromised Romans kept their distance from actors lest they be tainted with what they saw as a disreputable stain.  Genesius conversion was to change every aspect of his life, and though he did not live long enough to struggle with the moral implications of his new found faith, the fact that he was prepared to lay down his life for Christ reveals his total commitment to the Lord's teaching. Being a Christian means being a prophet when it comes to chastity and moral living. Among these modern prophets is Blessed Paul VI who saw where the sexual revolution of the 1960s would lead us. Ironically as we now face the numerous problems that revolution has spawned, many are in denial, refusing to admit that the very forces that are disintegrating western society are the very ones unleashed by that revolution. May St Genesius, and Blessed Paul VI help us to proclaim the dignity of man and woman, a dignity that can only be preserved, integrated, cherished and promoted through moral and chaste lives.

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives. 

Novena to St Genesius Day 2

Called to be Prophets

Life is indeed a great drama, a comedy perhaps. In terms of our faith, one of the great dramas in the Church, if not the greatest, is the Sacred Liturgy, where the Church worships God, not in her own terms, but through Christ her Saviour. In the teaching of the Church, in the Liturgy the Church enters into the prayer of Jesus Christ, the God-Man, to his Eternal Father, and in doing so, she is led into the heart of the Holy Trinity and into the Divine Conversation.  The Liturgy can then be seen as a prophetic action, since it is otherworldly, transcendent. As a great drama, the Liturgy teaches in a prophetic way, drawing our attention away from ourselves to God, teaching us to make his concerns our own and preparing us for the heavenly Liturgy which is already present on earth in the Church's worship. In participating in this sacred action we are transformed, nourished and prepared to be sent out as apostles and evangelists. However, if the prophetic dimension of the Liturgy is to be respected, acknowledged and experienced, fidelity to the Church's liturgical life and traditions are paramount. The Liturgy is not what we make it, if it is then it comes the handicraft of human beings and loses its divine dimensions and so ceases to be the Liturgy. The truly prophetic disciple is the one who embrace the liturgy as it is and seeks to embrace the mystery. The Liturgy is Christ's action and work, we enter into it when we enter into him and abandon ourselves to him. As men and women called to be prophets in the modern world, we make the Sacred Liturgy the centre of our lives and live it with fidelity. 

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives. 

Novena to St Genesius Day 1

Called to be Prophets

The theme of this year's novena is "Called to be Prophets", leading us to reflect on the role of the Christian, the artist and the Christian artist as prophets in the modern world. Art prides itself on its call to stand apart from the world, from authority, from mores and norms, to explore and critique the world and society. In this standing apart it forms a fraternal connection with Christianity, though it is doubtful that many in the arts would see or accept this connection. The Christian is one who is not to accept the world as it is, he or she, as a disciple of Christ, offers something new, something different, the very Word of God, his redeeming work, through their daily lives. The faithful, believing Christian, the "intentional disciple" is a true artist, truly creative, truly human, in that they become a new and vital personality in the midst of the world, and this is a prophetic action. Genesius, standing on stage, converted, offering to the Emperor Diocletian the chance to embrace Christ, represents this prophetic call. May we see in him an inspiration, an example and an intercessor to help us respond to this call, one offered to us on the day of our baptism.

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives.