The Novemdiales, nine days of official mourning, begin on the day of the funeral.

The entire Church mourns the death of our Emeritus Holy Father, Benedict XVI.  In cathedrals, basilicas, parish churches, shrines, and chapels the Holy Eucharist will be offered for the repose of his soul. Communities and individuals will ask God to bestow his infinite mercy on the man who served the Church as Bishop of Rome.

This novena has been prepared to help pray for the Holy Father during the next nine days.  The daily Novena consists of a short reading from scripture or some other ecclesiastical text and some brief prayers, including orations drawn from the Roman Missal and the Order of Christian Funerals as published by the Ordinariates.

This order is extracted from that prepared by the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter, reproduced in the UK by permission of the two ordinaries.

Day 3: Saturday 7 January 2023: There is but One Church in Peter

✠ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A Reading from The Unity of the Catholic Church, by Cyprian of Carthage  (251 AD)

On Peter Christ builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep, and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were also what Peter was [i.e., apostles], but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too, all the apostles are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still  holds the faith? If he should desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?”

Pause for silent prayer for our Holy Father.

Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be.

Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord.
And let light perpetual shine upon him.

O God our heavenly Father; may thy servant Pope Benedict rejoice in the fellowship of the successors of Peter, whose office he did sometime share in this life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.