From Friday 5th to Saturday 13th of September, in the Holy Cross Church, we organize the Novena in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS.
On Sunday, September 14, 2025, we will celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which is also our parish’s patronal feast. This year, it falls on a Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the day of the Resurrection, a mini-Easter, which truly gives it the value of the solemnity. As the Holy Cross Parish, we would like to celebrate this feast as devoutly and solemnly as possible. That’s why we are now holding novena prayers in our church. Novena is a form of liturgical service consisting of special prayers on nine successive days in preparing for the important feast or event.
The relic of the Holy Cross is on display in our church throughout this novena.
The prayer moment of Novena endures about 5 minutes daily, after the Holy Mass.
Welcome to pray together especially for all the members of our community, both living and deceased, that we who are alive may always strive to follow the example and teaching of Jesus Christ, and that God may grant eternal rest in heaven to our deceased members!
Below are the Novena prayers in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross:
DAY ONE – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 5 September
‘Jesus Carries the Cross’
Jesus our Lord, You carried Your cross through the streets of Jerusalem,
with Your head bloodied by the crown of thorns.
Your enemies mocked You and your friends abandoned You.
You carried the cross, the sins of all humanity,
on Your shoulders and in the silence of Your sufferings, we are reborn.
Jesus our Lord, You taught us that we should also carry others’ sins.
to suffer in silence, yet our sufferings can make reparation for our sins
and the sins of all the word.
Teach us, O Lord, to accept situations that we cannot change
and carry them as you carried Your cross
through the streets of Jerusalem. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY TWO – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 6 September
Jesus Falls and Simon of Cyrene Assists Him in carrying the Cross
Jesus, you fell three times while carrying Your cross.
You were exhausted by the tortures and the lack of sleep
and Your executioners had to ask the help of Simon the Cyrene
to help You carry the cross. You were nearly dead when you reached Calvary.
Simon of Cyrene was the most blessed person
because he was transformed by helping You carry Your cross.
Make us remember, dear Jesus, in our moments of suffering and trials,
that we, too, help carry Your cross and that it is an honour to suffer with You.
Give us hearts that easily respond to the sufferings around us,
believing that when we help the needy and the abandoned,
we are actually serving You. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY THREE – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 7 September
Jesus suffers humiliation
Jesus, you manifested Your power through Your miracles
but in carrying the Cross, You showed
that God preferred to be humility than to be conquest.
You were beaten and spat upon,
mocked and derided.
You suffered humiliation for love of all
as You struggled under the weight of the heavy Cross.
You did this to show Your oneness with the powerless of the earth.
You took the side of the helpless
and You shamed the arrogant and the powerful.
May we, Lord, in our relationship with our brothers and sisters,
avoid domineering attitudes and instead, be of service to them.
May the glory of your cross help us understand
that hearts can never be conquered through imposition or arrogance
but through disinterested service.
Make us servants to one another
and may self-giving characterize our relationships with all.
Amen.
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY FOUR – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 8 September
The compassion of the suffering Christ
Jesus our Christ, whilst You hung on the cross,
You forgave those who were laughing at You
and asked Your beloved disciple to take care of Your mother.
You welcomed the good thief into paradise.
You continued to be compassionate and serve others fully.
You did not allow the terrible pain to hinder Your love.
Give us the special grace not to be desperate in our moments of sufferings.
Enable us to bear pain with courage and dignity,
to, even in the midst of pain,
to be of help and service to others. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY FIVE – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 9 September
Patience and Silence in Suffering
Jesus, You hung on the cross of three hours
and Your executioners insulted You,
saying that You cannot save Yourself and others.
You could have used Your powers
but preferred to keep silent
and bear the insults of Your enemies.
Teach us the virtue of patience as we bear the insults
and harsh words of people who don’t like us.
Inspire us to respond with silence
and give us the grace that we may be able to pray for them.
In this way, through our patience,
we help You redeem our troubled world. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY SIX – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 10 September
Redemptive Suffering
Jesus, Your mother and other women surrounded You
while you were dying on the cross.
Your mother nonetheless accepted this agony,
believing that this was part of the divine plan,
that God had the power to draw good
from this terrible experience of failure.
Your mother’s faith in You inspires us.
We pray for her intercession as we face
situations of failure and suffering.
We know that You are always with us
and so we pray for the grace to face
with courage, our trials and hardships,
and offer our sufferings
in union with Yours.
Please strengthen our faith as we live through
the difficulties and uncertainties of this life. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY SEVEN – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 11 September
Total Offering
Jesus our Lord, You refused to drink the vinegar offered by the soldiers.
We know that this offering was to alleviate Your sufferings
because this drink lessens the pain, acting as anesthesia.
You refused as You wanted to feel the pain throughout the time
You hung on the cross. You did not want to lessen Your sacrifice.
Help us, O Lord, to bear the pains of everyday life.
Let us savour our sufferings so that we may be able to live Your Holy Cross.
Inspire us not to run away but to accept and experience
all our sufferings and pain as proof of our love for You
and as reparation for our sins and the sins of the whole world.
Help us live our pain, help us to live Your Holy Cross. Amen
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY EIGHT – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 12 September
Death is Vanquished
Lord Jesus, you broke the power of death through the cross.
You are the first born from the dead.
Teach us then to accept our fears, pains and sufferings,
uniting them to your passion and death on the cross.
Give us the grace to believe that You always draw good from evil.
You are a powerful God because even in our most frightening times,
even in our gravest suffering, even death itself,
You have gone before to vanquish all!
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)
DAY NINE – NOVENA in honour of the EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS – 13 September
Eternal Love
Lord Jesus, Your cross manifested Your decision
to always do the Father’s will.
That God you revealed shines so resplendently on the Holy Cross.
It is a God who loves because He is pure love.
On the Holy Cross, You gave everything – Your life.
By Your self-giving, we have been redeemed.
May our veneration of Your Holy Cross
enable us to live the challenge of love,
that we, too, may learn to trust, to understand
and to forgive.
That we may remove from our hearts,
hatred, mistrust and resentment
and be like You, a total gift of self.
May Your Holy Cross lead us to life
and communion with our brothers and sisters. Amen.
DAILY PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus
Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified
and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption
and salvation of our souls,
to bear the sins of all the history of humanity,
from Adam to the end of time.
look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace,
sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us,
our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings,
bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted,
Your Peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Your Commandments
we may come at last to the glory of Heaven.
O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.
Through your power may we share
in the triumph of Christ Jesus. Amen
Glory Be. (3x)