Starting today at 1 p.m., St. John the Baptist Church in Kalihi will hold a nine-day rosary prayer service, or Novena, for the souls of the Mililani Mauka family that died in a murder/suicide last week.

On the ninth day — July 18 — the Novena will be held in front of the James family home.

The public is invited to attend and join in the service, said Sister Marylou Superior, the principal of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church where Michael James II would have been a third-grader this year.

Michael James II and his mother, Grineline "Elaine" James, were found murdered in their Mililani Mauka home in an apparent murder/suicide last week.

Michael James, the 43-year-old father and husband, is believed to have murdered Elaine James over the weekend and his son a few days later before he hanged himself.

According to the catholic church, Novena comes from the word "novern," which means "nine." It is a prayer often used in the Philippines that is said for nine consecutive days and can be either a private or public spiritual devotion for the purpose of obtaining a special favor from heaven, be it a special grace, imploring a favor or to make a special petition.