NOVENA TO ST.
ARTEMIDE ZATTI
(Novena: 4-12 November, Feast: 13 November)
I. INTRODUCTORY PRAYERS
God our Father, you constantly raise co-workers among your people, sharing with
them your design for the Salvation of the whole world. You called St. Artemide Zatti to
make visible among your beloved children the beauty of an ardent love for you and the
strength of a tender compassion for the poorest.
Glory be …
Lord Jesus, you make those you call to follow you more closely to identify themselves
with you, to be totally Christ-like. In the Salesian Brother Artemide Zatti you gave us a
shining example of a radical approach to the Gospel.
Glory be …
Divine Spirit, giver of life: those the Father calls, through you partake in the life and
mission of the Church, becoming living and life-giving members of Christ’s body. You
sent St. Artemide Zatti as the Good Samaritan with Don Bosco’s smile.
Glory be …
II. REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS FOR EACH DAY
DAY 1: 4 NOVEMBER - LOVE FOR GOD
1. SCRIPTURE READING: Deuteronomy 6:3-9
“Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them; that it may go well with you, and
that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in
a land flowing with milk and honey.”
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words
which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them
diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when
you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind
them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And
you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
2. REFLECTION: From the letter of Juan Edmundo Vecchi, Rector Major
Today's novelty, to which the title of the letter refers, consists precisely in including a
coadjutor among those whom the Church has considered worthy of being proposed, by a
public act, as models of spiritual life and charity to her religious brothers and, more
widely, to all Christians. And this is on the basis of the testimony of many, confirmed by
God through a 'miraculous' fact, attributed to his intercession. Artemide Zatti is the first
non-martyr Salesian brother to be beatified and the fact gives, as I said, a touch of
completeness to the series of models of Salesian spirituality, which the Church officially
declares as such. I called this novelty "disruptive", in the sense that it shakes us,
challenges us in our charismatic fidelity, and in the ability to propose today’s model of
lay Salesian vocation that is truly meaningful and attractive [...] I intend, instead, to
address an urgent invitation to meditate on the figure of Zatti, in order to arouse
practical orientation and commitment, at the provincial and regional level, in favour of
the vocation of the Salesian brother.
Where it is not possible to communicate and “infect” at that level, our work becomes less
effective, and the dreams of global reforms are sterile. To be truly effective, it is essential
to think globally and act decisively at the local level. at the provincial and regional level,
in favour of the vocation of the Salesian brother.
3. INTERCESSIONS
V. Lord Jesus, give us the courage to follow in the footsteps of Saint Artemide Zatti,
R. Because of his example, we can be witnesses of your love.
V. Holy Father in memory of Saint Artemide Zatti,
R. Give us the courage of an authentic and profoundly human Christian
witness.
DAY 2: 5 NOVEMBER - THE HOLINESS OF GOD AND MAN
1. SCRIPTURE READING: Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18
And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You
shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.”
"You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbour,
lest you bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge
against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am
the Lord.”
2. REFLECTION: From the letter of Juan Edmundo Vecchi, Rector Major
Dear confreres, let us prepare to welcome the grace and the message that the Church
communicates to us through the witness of Salesian holiness of this coadjutor brother.
The figure of Artemide Zatti constitutes a stimulus and inspiration to make us sensitive
to new areas of pastoral care that are urgent today and above all to push us to rethink
with generosity and breadth the presence of the Salesian brother marked by these
typical traits:
- the absolute desire to stay and work with Don Bosco, according to the da mihi animas;
- the experience of total consecration, which has its most immediate and strong
expression in participation in the community mission and in fraternal love;
- the serene and continuously updated development of one's professional training as a
means to do good.
The event of his beatification, which proposes him as a singular model for our family
and the Church, underlines a fundamental element of our experience as consecrated
persons at the beginning of the third millennium: it is the priority given to the spiritual
dimension of existence., novelty and prophecy brought by the Incarnation, which
manifests itself in a charity capable of carrying out greater acts than man. This is the
main prophetic form of Christianity: surprising with the radical choice of love, fearlessly
contesting any ambiguity, acting decisively against evil, which humiliates people.
Perhaps the urgency today is not to find many (formal educational) institutions, but to
review the message transmitted by our personal and community life as a gospel
unfolded over time, and an extension of the life and action of Jesus. a word, our
holiness!
3. INTERCESSIONS
V. Lord Jesus, give us a watchful eye on the realities of our time,
R. So that our action is ready to serve the needs of those who live around
us.
V. Good Father who while you were hanging from the wood of the cross you did not
impute any harm to your executioners,
R. Give us a big heart capable of welcoming those who approach in search
of comfort.
DAY 3: 6 NOVEMBER - VOCATION
1. SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 42:1-4,6-9
“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put
my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up
his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly
burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not fail or
be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his
law.”
"I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and
kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the
eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those
who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my
praise to graven images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I
now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."
2. REFLECTION: From the document "Identity and Mission of the Religious
Brother in the Church"
Consecrated life, "which is placed in the very heart of the Church as a decisive element
for its mission", must look to this heart to find and understand itself. The religious
brother will find here the profound meaning of his own vocation. In his contemplation
he is enlightened by the figure of the Servant of Yahweh described by Isaiah, to whom
God says: "I have established you as the covenant of the people" (Is 42:6). This figure
acquires its perfect physiognomy in Jesus of Nazareth, who seals the new covenant with
his blood and calls those who believe in him to continue the mediation entrusted to the
Servant: to be the covenant of the people.
3. INTERCESSIONS
V. Lord Jesus who gathered around you the weary and afflicted people,
R. Help us to be a sign of unity for your Church.
V. Eternal Father who in your common vocation to holiness unified the people in your
love,
R. Give us the strength to discover and realise your project on each of us.
DAY 4: 7 NOVEMBER - YOU SEDUCED ME, LORD
1. SCRIPTURE READING: Jeremiah 20:7-9
“O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you
have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocks me. For
whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the
Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, "I will not
mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning
fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
2. REFLECTION: From the letters of Artemide Zatti
As for that not being able to go on with my vocation because I started studying late, I
will reply as St. Paul wrote to the Philippians that "qui coepit in me bonum opus,
perficiet usque in diem Christi Iesu ", that is to say, that God that my name is the
religious state will give me everything I need to follow it; where on the contrary he
threatens me, if I do not persevere, by excluding me from the kingdom of heaven, saying
in the Holy Gospel that qui mittens manum suam ad aratrum respicit retro aptus non
est Regno Dei; and if I am sick, I always give thanks to God for this illness of mine,
because I am sure that for my good, both spiritual and material, he has allowed it. [...] I
am very happy to know that thank God you are in good health, and I never forget in my
unworthy prayers to recommend to our good God that he keep you in the health of the
body, but even more so in that of the spirit, especially when I think that in the world
there are so many dangers and opportunities to offend him! and to get corrupted! Ah! in
truth I tell you that this thought afflicts me; but it does not stop being at the same time
salutary, because in this way I can find reasons to thank God for having raised me from
the accursed world, and brought me to this Holy Congregation, where I enjoy perfect
peace and tranquillity.
I hope that the good Lord will grant you all the graces I desire; and to this end all the
prayers, including Holy Communion, of the day of St. Louis and of the preceding days
will be according to your intention. So please don't be afraid or ashamed to ask for
thanks. Ask and you will get; and the more you ask, the more you will get; since he who
asks for a lot receives a lot; who little, receives little; and whoever asks for nothing,
receives nothing.
3. INTERCESSIONS
V. Lord Jesus, make our hearts attentive and docile to the voice of the Spirit,
R. So that it can always be persevering in your love.
V. Good Father who took us away from the flattery of the world to be your proud
witness,
R. Help us to proclaim your Word with our Life.
DAY 5: 8 NOVEMBER - PRAYER
1. SCRIPTURE READING: Tobit 12:6-9
Then the angel called the two of them privately and said to them: "Praise God and give
thanks to him; exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what
he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his name, worthily declaring
the works of God. Do not be slow to give him thanks. It is good to guard the secret of a
king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God. Do good, and evil will not overtake you.
Prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A little
with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to
treasure up gold. For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin.
Those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have fullness of life.”
2. REFLECTION: From the letter of Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio on Saint
Artemide Zatti
“From the time we began to pray to Bro. Zatti 18 young lay brothers entered and
persevered, with another five who left during the novitiate or juniorate: a total of 23
vocations.
The novices, students, and lay-brothers have several times made the Novena in honour
of Bro. Zatti, asking for lay vocations. I myself have done the same. I am convinced of
his prayers and intercession for this intention, because the numbers involved make it a
rare case in our Society. As a mark of our gratitude, in the 2nd and 3rd editions of our
Booklet of Devotions to the Sacred Heart, we have included a Novena asking for the
canonization of Bro. Zatti.
Another interesting point is the quality of those who entered and are persevering. They
are young men who want to be the kind of lay-brother that St Ignatius himself wanted,
without them having to be spoon-fed. For us the vocation of the lay-brother is very
important. Fr Arrupe used to say that without them the Society would not be what it is
meant to be. They have a special charisma which is nourished by prayer and work. And
they are a benefit for the whole body of the Society. […] They are hard workers, pious,
happy and level-headed, of manly bearing and well aware of the vocation to which they
have been called. They feel a special responsibility to pray for the young Jesuit students
who are preparing for the priesthood. They display no inferiority complex for the fact
that they are not priests, nor do they have any idea of applying to become deacons, etc.;
they know what their vocation is and that is how they want it to be. This is helpful, and a
very good thing.
These have been the general lines of my relationship with Bro. Zatti on the question of
Lay-brothers for the Society. I repeat that I am convinced of his intercession, because we
have prayed so much through him as our advocate. This is a wonderful stimulus for us
too to ask for the intercession of Artemide Zatti for an increase in good and holy
vocations of Salesian Brothers.
3. INTERCESSIONS
V. Jesus do that following your example,
R. We know how to live an intense life of prayer mindful of all the gifts you
have bestowed on your people.
V. Holy Father, do that at any time of the day
R. My heart remains steadfast, and my spirit always turned to you
through pure and constant prayer.
DAY 6: 9 NOVEMBER - THE HUMILITY OF THE SERVICE
1. SCRIPTURE READING: Micah 6:6-8
"With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I
come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased
with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for
my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" He has showed you, O
man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love
kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
2. REFLECTION: From the apostolic exhortation Vita consecrata (n. 24)
Consecrated life reflects this splendour of love, because it confesses, with its fidelity to
the mystery of the Cross, that it believes and lives in the love of the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. In this way, it contributes to keeping alive in the Church the awareness
that the Cross is the superabundance of God's love that overflows into this world, it is
the great sign of Christ's saving presence. And this is especially in difficulties and trials.
This is what is witnessed continuously and with a courage worthy of profound
admiration by many consecrated persons, who often live in difficult situations, even
persecution, and martyrdom. Their fidelity to the one Love is shown and tempered in
the humility of a hidden life, in the acceptance of sufferings to complete what in one's
own flesh "is lacking in the sufferings of Christ" (Col 1:24), in silent sacrifice, in
abandonment to the holy will of God, in serene fidelity even in the face of the decline of
one's strength and authority. From fidelity to God comes also the dedication to
neighbour, which consecrated persons live not without sacrifice in constant intercession
for the needs of their brothers, in generous service to the poor and the sick, in sharing
the difficulties of others, in solicitous participation in concerns and concerns. evidence
of the Church.
3. INTERCESSIONS
V. We pray to you, Father so that our service is entirely dedicated to the brother who is
next to us,
R. Because even today we can offer your face to those who live in solitude.
V. We thank you Father for the good deeds sown in the furrows of this day,
R. Let no one ever suffer for our selfishness and our infidelities.
DAY 7: 10 NOVEMBER - FASTING
1. SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 58:6-11
"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs
of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your
bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the
naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light
break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness
shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call,
and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. "If you take away
from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if
you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall
your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will
guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones
strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail
not.”
2. REFLECTION: From the document "Identity and Mission of the Religious
Brother in the Church"
The bonds of the communion of the religious brother extend beyond the limits of the
Church since they are moved by the same "character of universality that adorns and
distinguishes the people of God". The brother's vocation is part of the response that God
gives to the void of fraternity that hurts the world today. At the vocational root of the
brother, there is a profound experience of solidarity that essentially coincides with that
of Moses in the face of the burning bush: he discovers himself as the eyes, ears, and
heart of God, of the God who sees the oppression of his people, hear his cry, feel his
anguish, and go down to free them.
3. INTERCESSIONS
V. Jesus Master, grant your servants a fiery spirit in service,
R. So that they can always be close to the needs of your people.
V. Good Father, sustain our hearts in the trials and temptations of the world,
R. So that our spirit can always be steadfast against the snares that the
enemy disseminates on our path.
DAY 8: 11 NOVEMBER - SEEKING THE LORD
1. SCRIPTURE READING: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13
“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness,
seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the wrath of the Lord.”
“For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in
the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no
lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall pasture
and lie down, and none shall make them afraid."
2. REFLECTION: From the document "Identity and Mission of the Religious
Brother in the Church"
The fraternity of religious brothers is a stimulus for the whole Church, because, in the
face of the temptation of domination, of the search for the first place of the exercise of
authority as power, it makes present the evangelical value of fraternal, horizontal
relationships: "But do not be called "rabbi", because only one is your Master and you are
all brothers. And do not call any of you on earth "father", because only one is your
Father, the heavenly one. And do not be called "guides", because only one is your Guide,
the Christ "(Mt 23:8-10).
3. INTERCESSIONS
V. Lord Jesus who, teach us to form a humble heart in ourselves, following your
example,
R. Let us never deviate from the path you have traced for us.
V. Holy Father, arrange for us to continually address our prayers and thoughts to you,
R. So that every day can be lived in your love.
DAY 9: 12 NOVEMBER - THE LORD IS THE INHERITANCE
1. SCRIPTURE READING: Deuteronomy 10:8-9
“At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the
Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister to him and to bless in his name, to this day.
Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his
inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him.”
2. REFLECTION: From the apostolic exhortation Vita consecrata (103)
Those who embrace consecrated life, men and women, place themselves, by the very
nature of their choice, as privileged interlocutors in that search for God which has
always stirred man's heart and leads him to multiple forms of asceticism and
spirituality. This research today, in many regions, emerges insistently as a response to
cultures which tend, if not always to deny, certainly to marginalise the religious
dimension of existence. Consecrated persons, living their freely assumed commitments
coherently and fully, can offer an answer to the longings of their contemporaries. […]
Every consecrated person is committed to cultivating the interior man, who does not
become estranged from history nor withdraws into himself. Living in obedient listening
to the Word, of which the Church is the guardian and interpreter, it points out in the
supremely loved Christ and in the Trinitarian Mystery the object of the deep yearning of
the human heart and the destination of every religious itinerary sincerely open to
transcendence. For this reason consecrated persons have the duty to generously offer
hospitality and spiritual accompaniment to those who, moved by the thirst for God and
eager to live the demands of faith, turn to them.
3. INTERCESSIONS
V. Good Father, form in us every day the heart of an educator and shepherd,
R. Because following the example of your disciples we can be true guides
for your people.
V. Jesus, our Lord, grant that by living our consecration consistently,
R. We can respond to the yearnings of the heart of those who seek the face
in their life.
III. NOVENA PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you called Artemide Zatti, Salesian Brother, to serve you in the poor and the
needy. You gave him the strength to give himself with joy and without rest to his sick
brothers. You made him a good man, who knew how to live your Gospel faithfully in
daily work and in hidden sacrifice. May the joy of seeing him shine in the heaven of your
saints help us to bear witness to your Light. We ask through his intercession for the
grace to:
(mention your intentions)
For your glory and that of your faithful servant Artemide Zatti. Amen.
Let Us Pray:
O God, who in the humble and the simple reveal the great signs of your love as a Father,
through the intercession of Saint Artemide, religious, give us, we pray you, to be able to
see in every brother who suffers in body and spirit, the transfigured face of your Son. He
is God, and lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Amen.
V. Saint Artemide Zatti,
R. Pray For Us.
IV. OPTIONAL PRAYERS
1. PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
O God, who in Saint Artemides Zatti has given us a model of Salesian brother, who,
docile to your call, with the compassion of the Good Samaritan, became neighbour to
every man, help us to recognize the gift of this vocation, which bears witness to the
world the beauty of consecrated life. Give us the courage to propose to young people this
evangelical way of life at the service of the little ones and the poor, and make those
whom you call on this path respond generously to your invitation. We ask this through
the intercession of Saint Artemides Zatti and through the mediation of Christ the Lord.
Amen.
2. PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS TO SALESIAN BROTHERHOOD
Father of mercy, in St. Artemide Zatti you gave us a wonderful model of Salesian
Brother: help us to realise the beauty of this specific vocation for the entire Salesian
Family. Give us pastoral zeal and wisdom so to be for our young people good prophets of
this ‘hand of Don Bosco’: the hand of the Salesian Brother, a Gospel’s way of following
Christ at the service of the poorest among the youth.
Open the heart of your children to the working of the Spirit, particularly those young
people you led, with the motherly intercession of Mary, to the houses of Don Bosco. Let
them be attracted and fascinated by your voice; let them respond a generous ‘Amen’ to
your appeal. Train and lead us in your Providence, so that we will be able to accompany
those you call to this very way of life with a good experience of formation, in
communities that mirror the Oratory of don Bosco. We ask this through the intercession
of St. Artemide Zatti, loving son of Mary Help of Christians. We ask this with the
humble filial trust we learn from your Son who taught us how to pray. All we desire, all
we pray for, all we hope through Christ our Lord. Amen.
3. PRAYER FOR THE SICK AND HEALTHCARE PERSONNEL
Oh, Father, you wanted your only Son, doctor of
bodies and souls, to take upon himself our ailments to
help us in the hour of trial and to sanctify us in the
experience of pain. Through the intercession of Saint
Artemides Zatti, the holy nurse of Patagonia who
testified to a singular charity towards the sick, console
those who suffer and are sick and assist with your grace
the doctors, nurses and health personnel so that they
can be at the side of their sick brothers and sisters, with
solicitous care. Listen to the prayer that we present to
you so that we too may follow the path of holiness that
Saint Artemides has travelled luminously. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen
