St. Michael the Archangel Church will offer a Nine-Day Novena of Hope March 1-9. The program will feature various themes dedicated to causes for social justice.

Father Paul Flood, pastor of St. Michael, said that he wanted to offer “something special for our Lenten season.”

“It has been a big undertaking,” he said. “It promises to bring hope and renewal to the often chaotic pace of our family lives and world at present.”

The program will feature several speakers including priests, women Religious and lay people. Bishop Elias Manuel Bolaños of the Diocese of Zacatecoluca, El Salvador, will conduct a bilingual outdoor Stations of the Cross service along with Father Mario Pino, parcochial vicar of St. Michael’s, who is originally from Bishop Bolaños’ diocese. Archbishop John F. Donoghue will close the novena on Tuesday, March 9, with the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

Each evening of the novena will begin at 7:30 p.m. except Saturday and Sunday.

The opening night of the novena, “Hope in Prayer,” is dedicated to the HOPE Center (Helpful Options and Pregnancy Education). Cribs, car seats, swings, exersaucers, maternity clothes, and diapers sizes three through five will be collected. Father Peter Jandaczek, MS, parochial vicar at St. Oliver Plunkett Church in Snellville, will be the guest speaker.

On Tuesday, March 2, Father Jack Durkin, pastor of Christ Our Hope Church, Lithonia, will speak on “Saints—Witnesses to Hope.”

Father Ricardo Bailey, parochial vicar at St. Joseph’s Church, Marietta, will speak on “Hope in Reconciliation,” on Wednesday, March 3. The evening’s program will include a Penance Service. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be held in the Day Chapel during the sacrament of reconciliation.

“Hope in Fasting,” the theme for March 4, will be presented by Sister Marie Sullivan, OP. The service will be dedicated to The Sullivan Center, Inc, a nonprofit organization that helps families and individuals in need, providing direct assistance and empowering them to be free from reliance on subsidies. A love offering will be collected for The Sullivan Center.

The bilingual Stations of the Cross will be held during Friday’s service. An offering will be collected for the Diocese of Zacatecoluca. A parish fish fry will proceed the service from 5-7:30 p.m. in the parish hall.

The theme for Saturday, March 6, will be “Hope in Almsgiving.” A representative from LifeLink of Georgia, an independent, nonprofit organ and tissue recovery organization dedicated to serving patients in need of transplant therapy and their families, will be on hand to speak at the Saturday 5:30 p.m. vigil Mass, and at the 8 and 11:30 a.m. Masses on Sunday. Information and donor cards will be available in the narthex.

On Sunday, Father Kevin Hargaden, chaplain at Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell, will speak on “Hope in Teens” during the 5 p.m. Mass, and on Monday, March 8, Dr. Mary Grace Thomas, licensed psychologist, will address the theme, “Hope in Families.”

Archbishop Donoghue will conclude the novena on Monday with “Hope in Suffering.”

Father Flood is confident the novena will have an impact on all those who attend.

“This promises to be a thought-provoking, informative and spiritual nine days,” he said. “It is our hope, in offering this nine-day novena to our family and friends through the archdiocese, that it will foster a renewed commitment to spiritual growth in all.”

For more information, call the parish at (770) 516-0009.

St. Michael the Archangel is located at 490 Arnold Mill Road in Woodstock.