Every Wednesday, they prayed a novena for those headed to war.

They would pray a novena for somebody who was sick in the hospital ...

The sale catalogue says that women giving birth would pray a novena to St. Raymond for nine days before the delivery.

"Any attempt to pray a novena in time of war must, first and foremost, confront the reality of the dead, the details of their lives and the void in their families left behind," writes Melchiorre.