The Catholic novena prayer is a collection of prayers offered over the course of nine days, seeking intercession from saints or the Holy Spirit for specific intentions or petitions.
A Catholic novena prayer is a traditional form of prayer that involves saying specific prayers over nine consecutive days. Novenas are often used to ask for special graces, seek intercession from saints, or prepare for a particular feast day or celebration.
During a novena, Catholics may recite specific prayers, meditate on scripture readings, or focus on a particular intention for each day of the nine-day period.
Participating a novena can be a powerful spiritual practice and a way to deepen one’s faith by committing to prayer for a specific intention over an extended period of time.
Many Catholic churches and communities organize novenas throughout the year for various intentions or feast days.
How to Pray a Novena?
The following is the general procedure for performing the Novena prayer worship:
✅ Preparation
In the Preparation stage of the novena prayer, we focus on quieting our hearts and minds, attuning ourselves to God’s presence, and opening our spirits to receive His blessings.
- Choose your intention or purpose in carrying out the Novena.
- Select a relevant Saint associated with your intention.
- Determine the appropriate start date for the Novena in accordance with the feast of the chosen Saint.
- Prepare a quiet and undisturbed environment for prayer.
✅ First Day of Novena
On the First Day of Novena, we come before the Lord with open hearts, seeking His guidance and blessings.
- Begin with the sign of the cross: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Spirit, Amen.”
- Recite the initial Novena prayer that corresponds to the Saint you have chosen.
- Clearly and sincerely state your intention.
- Recite the Novena prayer as instructed.
- After the Novena prayer, add your personal prayer or request.
✅ Subsequent Days (Second to Ninth Day)
On this subsequent day of the novena, we continue to prayerfully blessings and guidance from above.
- Repeat the same steps as on the First Day.
- Recite the same Novena prayer every day.
- In addition to the Novena prayer, you may also include personal prayers, meditations, or considerations relevant to your intention.
✅ Last Day of Novena
On the final day of the novena, we reflect on our prayers and for continued blessings.
- Repeat the same steps as in the previous days.
- Recite the Novena prayer diligently and devoutly.
- Upon completion, add a closing prayer to honor the Saint to whom you dedicate this Novena.
✅ Closing Prayer
Conclude each novena prayer with a closing prayer to the chosen saint the intercessor.
- Recite the closing prayer suitable for the Saint to whom you dedicate this Novena.
- Express gratitude for the blessings and assistance you seek.
- Conclude with the sign of the cross: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”
Here are of the most popular novenas:
St. Jude is patron saint of Hopeless Cases, Desperate Situations, Impossible Causes
St. Joseph is patron saint of Workers, Families, Carpenters, Married Couples, Laborers, House Seekers, TheUniversal Church, A Happy Death
St. Peregrine is patron saint of Cancer Patients
St. Therese is patron saint of Priests, Pilot, Florists
St. Apollonia is patron saint of Dentists, Toothache
St. Valentine is patron saint of Love, Happy Marriages
St. Anthony is patron saint of the Poor, Lost Things, Lost Souls, Oppressed People, Lost People
Saint Expedite is the patron saint for a problem which needs to be solved immediately
St. Bonaventure is patron saint of Bowel Disorder, Doctor of the Church
St. Rita is patron saint of Impossible Causes, Sickness, Wounds, and Marital Problems
St. Gemma Galgani is patron saint of Students, Pharmacists, Paratroopers and Parachutists, Loss of Parents, Those Suffering Back Injury or Back Pain
St. Agatha is patron saint of Rape Victims, Breast Cancer Patients, Wet Nurses
Novena to Blessed Carlo Acutis
Blessed Carlo Acutis is patron saint of Computer Programmers, Eucharist and Youth
Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday
Novena to Jesus for Healing to ask Jesus to heal you from a mental or emotional ailment that you are suffering from
Novena for Marriage to ask God to help someone you know whose marriage is struggling
Through novenas, these powerful saints are called upon by faithful Catholics to intercede on their behalf and petition The Lord seeking healing, protection and prevention of these dreaded diseases
You can use this novena to ask God to bring them into heaven. You can also pray the Novena for the Dead for loved ones of yours who have died some time ago to ask God to bring them to heaven
You can use Novena for Exams to seek assistance if you are having trouble preparing for your exams or if you are nervous about your ability to do well on your exams
The Surrender Novena is a powerful spiritual tool that can help us navigate the ups and downs of life with faith, trust, and serenity
Novena to Defeat The Work of Satan
You can pray this Novena to Defeat The Work of Satan if you suspect you are being attacked physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually by the devil
Novena to the Precious Blood of Jesus
The Precious Blood Novena is a nine-day devotion in the Catholic Church dedicated to honoring the Precious Blood of Jesus shed during His crucifixion
The Miraculous Medal Novena is a powerful devotional practice in the Catholic Church that seeks the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary through the veneration of the Miraculous Medal
The Three Hail Mary Novena is a very beautiful prayer recited in honor of three of Mary’s special gifts given to her by God: her power, wisdom, and mercy
St. Agnes is patron saint of Young Girls, Chastity And The Children of Mary
St. Michael the Archangel is patron saint of Soldiers, Doctors, Police and Sickness
St. Raphael the Archangel is patron saint of Travelers, Christian Marriage, Happy Meetings, and Catholic Studies
St. Gabriel the Archangel is patron saint of Students, Youth, Seminarians
You can pray the Our Lady of Knock Novena for any intention
The Novena to Our Lady of The Rosary is prayed in relation to the Feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
You can pray the Novena for Clarity if you are seeking clarity as you try to make a decision for your future
The Christmas novena, as it is now known, begins on December 16, nine days before Christmas, and ends on Christmas Eve
Holy Family Novena to honor Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is a devotion that is beneficial to all Christians
Novena to honor Holy Name of Jesus
The Christ the King Novena is a nine-day prayer leading up to the Christ the King feastday, to honor Christ’s lordship of all creation
St. Francis Xavier is patron saint of African Missions, Foreign Missions, Navigators, Parish Missions, Plague Epidemics, Propagation of the Faith
St. Ambrose is patron saint of Beekeepers, Learners, Milan
St. Teresa of Avila is patron saint of Spain, People in Religious Orders, Headache Sufferers
St. Luke is patron saint of Doctors, Artists, Painters, Brewers, Butchers, Notaries, Physicians, Surgeons
St. Ursula is patron saint of British Virgin Islands, Cologne, Germany, University of Paris, Educators, Girls, Drapers, Orphans, Archers, Students
St. John Paul II is patron saint of Young Catholic, Families, Labor, World Youth Day, Unborn Children
The All Saints Novena recognizes that there is a universal call to holiness because the saints come from all walks of life and from around the globe
Holy Souls in Purgatory Novena
To pray the Divine Heart of Jesus that He deign to enkindle many souls with an ardent charity for the Souls in Purgatory
St. Charles Borromeo is patron saint of Against Ulcers, Apple Orchards, Bishops, Catechists
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross celebrates the discovery by St Helena of the True Cross of Christ. Pray this Holy Cross Novena to draw closer to Christ Crucified
St. Matthew is patron saint of Money, Bankers, Tax Collectors, Accountants, Actors, Bookkeepers, Taxi Drivers
St. Padre Pio is patron saint of Civil Defense Volunteers, Stress Relief
St. Vincent de Paul is patron saint of Charitable Associations, Poor
St. Francis of Assisi is patron saint of The Franciscan Order, Animals, Merchants, Ecology, Stowaways, Naga, Cebu, and Italy
St. Monica is patron saint of Married Women; Difficult Marriages; Disappointing Children; Victims of Adultery o Unfaithfulness, Alcoholics, Conversion, Mothers, Wives
St. Augustine is patron saint of Brewers, Printers, Theologians
St. Mary Magdalene is patron saint of Women, Converts, Glove Makers, Pharmacists, Perfumers, Converts, Hairdressers, Penitent Men
St. Martha is patron saint of Butlers, Cooks,Dietitians, Domestic Servants, Homemakers, Hotel-Keepers, Housemaids, Laundry Workers, Maids, Servants, Servers, Single Laywomen, Travelers
St. Ignatius of Loyola is patron saint of Military Ordinariate of The Philippines, Society of Jesus, Soldiers, Educatorsand Education
St. Alphonsus Liguori is patron saint of Confessors, Vocations, Pagani
St. John Vianney is patron saint of Parish Priests, Diocesan Priests
St. Dominic is patron saint of Astronomers, Astronomy, Dominican Republic, Falsely Accused People
Celebrated on the third Friday after Pentecost, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus recognizes Jesus’ great love for us as symbolized by His heart
It is a powerful and moving novena that is meant to help us open ourselves up to the third person of the Holy Trinity. Even though we pray this novena as a preparation for the feast of Pentecost, you can also pray a novena to the Holy Spirit any time that you want
Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ
Mother of Perpetual Help Novena
Devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help offers solace in times of distress and uncertainty
St. Thomas the Apostle is patron saint of Architects, and Against Doubt
St. Francis de Sales is patron saint of The Deaf, Catholic press, Catholic Writers
St. Thomas Aquinas is patron saint of Students, Against Storms, Against Lightning, Italy, Catholic Academies
St. John Bosco is patron saint of Boys, Young Editors
Our Lady of Good Success Novena
