NOVENA message of salvation.
We humbly beseech You, PRAYER IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY
TO SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit, Amen.
ACT OF CONTRITION
O my God, I am heartily sorry
for having offended You,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven
and the pains of hell,
but most of all,
because they offend You, my God,
who art all-good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve with the
help of your grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance,
and to amend my life. Amen.
Let us Pray:
O God, our loving Father: Your Son Jesus Christ
delivered himself in sacrifice to You for the love of
men. Inspire us to love You with all our heart to
the point of sacrifices. Your providential hand led
your servants San Lorenzo and Companions to
the land of Japan to imitate the sacrifice of Christ
and to proclaim the Gospel of truth and the
through the intercession of these Holy martyrs, that
we be given the grace of remaining faithful to You
always as they did and that the light of the
Gospel illumine all corners of our Christian
motherland and of all countries near and far. We
ask you this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Silently mention the special favor you ask for
through this novena)
One "Our Father…"
Ten "Hail Mary's…"
One "Glory be…"
PRAYER FOR THE SICK
Beloved Saints Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and
Martyr Companions, to you do we come for help.
Help us to have the same faith and love that you
had for God. We call upon you today on behalf
of ________________________
our ailing beloved ones. By your prayers and
intercession, obtain for them, not only comfort and
peace for their souls, but also vigor, strength and
health for their bodies. We place our entire
confidence in you because we know that God
loves you and that you care for us. We earnestly
pray that our sick ones be purified and revitalized
in every cell, tissue, nerve and organ, so that the
bodily limbs may function effectively again.
Through your powerful intercession, help our sick
to receive the grace of God's miraculous
compassion, so that they will be completely whole
again, and thereby be able to continue serving
God faithfully in this life to the best of their
strength and to attain the salvation to which you
arrived. Amen.
ADVERSITY
Beloved Saints Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and
Companion Martyrs: You who experienced the
supreme sacrifice of martyrdom for the
proclamation of the Christian faith, inspire us with
your strength and firmness of conviction to
withstand the adversities of our lives and the
difficulties of our existence. Teach us with your
marvelous example and saintly wisdom to turn
trials into blessings, by showing us the glory that
comes from discovering the redemptive power of
God's love. When times are full of grief, when
moments are suffused with worry, let us feel your
presence in our midst, so that we will be aware
that you are by our side, strengthening us and
interceding for us before Almighty God that we
may have patience in our sufferings and
consolation in our hardships. Help us realize that
only in knowing our weakness can we be strong,
only undergoing sadness can we find real
happiness, and only passing through trials and
distress can we find peace, encouragement and
spiritual joy. Amen.
LORENZO RUIZ,
UNA NAMING MARTIR
Lorenzo Ruiz una naming martir
Totoong kay rami ng pagtutunggali
Sa buong buhay mo
Halos di mawari,
makailang ulit muntik na mag-api
Ngunit nakaraos ng maluwalhati.
Pananampalataya di mo itinatwa
Nanindigan kang Kristyano sa diwa
At napatunayang kahit sa gawa
Mga naghihirap sa'yo ay namangha.
Ng ika' pinilit na iyong talikdan
Pananampalatayang iyong kinagisnan
Buong tatag man din na 'yong tinuran
Ako ay Kristyano at handang mamatay
Libu-libong buhay kung may'ron man ako
Sa Panginoong Diyos ay ihahandog ko.
 SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA
First Filipino Martyr and Saint
Canonized in Rome by Pope John Paul II
San Lorenzo Ruiz is the first Filipino Saint and
martyr. He was a layman, married, and had 3
children. He was born circa 1600 in Binondo,
Manila, and he was educated in Dominican
schools. In his younger years, San Lorenzo
served at the convent of Binondo church as a
sacristan. Not only did he learn Spanish there but
also catechism. After several years, San Lorenzo
Ruiz earned the title of "escribano" or notary. He
became an active member of the Confraternity of
the Holy Rosary, an organization devoted to the
Blessed Virgin.
In 1636, he was falsely accused of murder and
sought asylum on board a ship with three
Dominican priests, Saint Antonio Gonzalez, Saint
Guillermo Courtet, and Saint Miguel de
Aozaraza, a Japanese priest, Saint Vicente
Shiwozuka de la Cruz, and a layman named
Saint Lazaro of Kyoto, a leper. The boat landed
at Okinawa and the group was arrested on basis
of their Christian religion.
Nagasaki Bay and thrown into the sea near the
little island of Io-Juma, to prevent their veneration
by the Christians.
When the San Lorenzo was being interrogated
and asked whether to grant him life if he
renounced his faith, he replied with these noble
words: “I am a Christian, and this I profess until
the hour of my death and for God I shall give my
life…and had I many thousands of lives, I shall
offer them for Him. And so, do with me as you
please.”
San Lorenzo Ruiz was proclaimed "Blessed" in
February 1981 at Luneta, together with 16 other
companions, in connection with
Pope John Paul II's papal visit to the Philippines.
He was canonized and declared a "Saint" on
October 18, 1987 in Rome.
Their feast day is September 28.

At that time, there was a wide scale persecution of

Christians. All those who professed faith in God
and served as missionaries were jailed and even
put to death. Their lives were to be spared if they
would renounce their Christians faith. But
thousands of those Christians chose death rather
than renouncing their belief in God. And San
Lorenzo Ruiz was among those who underwent
excruciating forms of persecution. On September
27, 1637, he was hung upside down from the
gallows with his body falling into a pit. After two
days of agony, he died of bleeding and
suffocation. His body along with other martyrs
were set on fire and the ashes carried out of the