Washington D.C., Oct 30, 2016 / 02:21 am
With the Nov. 8 election approaching, the Knights of Columbus have released a novena addressed to Mary, the Immaculate Conception, who is the patroness of the United States.
The novena consists of nine days of prayer, starting Oct. 30 and running through Nov. 7, the eve of the election.
In 1791, America's first bishop, John Carroll, entrusted his diocese – which was the entire country at the time – to Mary in 1791. The U.S. bishops affirmed that dedication in 1846, declaring Mary the Immaculate Conception to be patroness of the United States.
The novena prayer comes from the 1959 dedication of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. It was approved that year by Cardinal Patrick O'Boyle, then-archbishop of Washington.