Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

St. Albert the Great Church, located at 1395 Girard Drive, will host a St. Thérèse of Lisieux Healing Novena with Mass and blessing with a relic at 5 p.m. daily starting September 22. The novena will conclude with a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre on October 1, the feast day of St. Thérèse.

Prayers will be offered each night during Mass for different intentions, including healing from chronic and terminal illness, broken and struggling marriages, past sins, mental illness, abortion, abuse, and loss of a loved one.

On the first day, September 22, Mass will be celebrated for healing from the evils of war and its victims. The sacrament of the anointing of the sick will be offered during the Mass on September 23.

Father Michael Schultz, associate pastor of St. Albert's Church, said the novena is a fruit of the National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis in July.

“It’s one way we felt we could continue the spirit of the congress,” he said.

Father Schultz noted that he and St. Albert’s pastor, Father Christopher Lubecke had also been discussing healing and devotion to the saints. They began looking for a way to bring the two together.

Following each Mass, a blessing with St. Thérèse’s relic will be offered. Father Schultz highlighted his devotion to the 19th-century saint known as "the Little Flower."

“She’s known to send spiritual roses into people’s lives,” he said.

St. Albert has invited various priests to celebrate the Masses and give homilies addressing particular prayer intentions each day of the novena. All are invited to attend one or all of the Masses.

“Come and pray for yourself or a family member. Intercessory prayer is very powerful,” Father Schultz added.

Confession will be available from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. each night. Individuals are encouraged to bring roses for the altar and sanctuary.