The Rev. Francis Katuta, from the Diocese of Mazuzu, is leading a novena which will focus on racial justice from Jan. 8-16; it will be hosted by the Diocese of Phoenix Black Catholic Ministry.

Praying a novena involves praying a short, written prayer over nine consecutive days. 

"There will be a Novena for Racial Justice from January 8th through January 16th, Livestreamed from the Diocese of Phoenix Black Catholic Ministry Facebook Page at 6:30 p.m. each day,” the Diocese of Phoenix Black Catholic Ministry shared on Facebook.

The Diocese of Mazuzu is located in Malawi, Central Africa. Katuta is a scholar, author and Zambian citizen, according to Facebook.

According to Facebook, Each day of the novena will have a special intention. The first is the image of God “as true nature of human dignity,” the second day will be “the intrinsic and unconditional value of the human person,” the third will be “oneness of human origin as true nature of social justice,” the fourth day will focus on social identity, the fifth will focus on justice and fairness, the sixth day will be “I am because we are,” the seventh day will be “unity in diversity,” the eighth will be “power with, not power over,” and the ninth will be “the goal of social justice.”

According to Blessed is She, “‘Novena’ comes from the Latin word for ‘nine’ and refers to saying a novena prayer for nine consecutive days. The number nine could signify the nine months that Mary was pregnant with Jesus, or it could refer to when the Apostles and Mary prayed for the nine days between Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven and Pentecost.”