List of All Catholic Novena Prayer
Novena Prayer is a private prayer or collective prayer for nine consecutive days that is said to get a special grace, ask for a special gift or make a special request. Usually the Novena Prayer is said for nine consecutive days at the same time.
The word Novena itself is the feminine form of the Medieval Latin word “novenus”, which is the ordinal number of “novem”. Within the Catholic church itself, a Novena is a devotion consisting of many prayers that are said for nine consecutive days. This is a prayer that is said to ask for a special grace to be granted.
What is a Novena Prayer?
Novena Prayer is a private prayer or collective prayer for nine consecutive days that is said to get a special grace, ask for a special gift or make a special request.
The word novena is taken from “novem,” the Latin word for nine. A novena is made up of nine days of prayer and meditation usually to ask God for special prayer requests or petitions.
Novenas are often used to ask specific saints to pray for us. The Saint Jude Novena, for example, is prayed to ask Saint Jude to intercede on behalf of a request that seems especially dire.
Novenas are an ancient tradition that goes back to the days of the Apostles. Jesus told His disciples to pray together after His ascension into heaven, so they went to an upper room along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, (Acts 1:14) and joined constantly in prayer for nine days.
These nine days of constant prayer by the Apostles at the direction of Jesus led up to Pentecost. This is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples as “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:1-4). This pattern of 9 days of prayer is the basis the novenas we pray today.
Thus, the novena is an imitation of the Lord’s command to the Apostles when they prayed for 9 days in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
This Catholic prayer practice likely originated from the “first novena” shared in the Acts of the Apostles. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, the disciples gathered together to ask him about the restoration of Israel.
Jesus said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1: 7-8).
So the disciples and Mary waited together, praying for the Holy Spirit to guide them. Finally, nine days later, the Holy Spirit came down on them. “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together” (Acts 2:1).
When the disciples prayed together for nine days for the coming of the Holy Spirit, they modeled the novena prayer method that is so popular today.
Why Pray a Novena?
We pray for novenas for a specific intention or grace, such as for a loved one, healing, forgiveness, clarity with a big decision, etc. However, they aren’t magic.
We cannot assume that our prayers will be answered immediately. And, sometimes, what we pray for isn’t exactly what we need.
Rather, we pray novenas to grow in patience and place our trust in God, just as the Apostles prayed in anticipation of the Holy Spirit coming to them.
We pray novenas to become disciples, growing in discipline and opening our hearts to God’s will. Whether our intention is answered or not, we finish the nine days in gratitude for God’s presence in our lives.
When do You Pray a Novena?
Some novenas are prayed during specific times, such as the Divine Mercy Novena that begins on Good Friday.
Traditionally, many people choose to pray novenas asking for a saint’s intercession on the nine days leading up to that saint’s feast day.
If you’re praying before a sacrament or event, you’ll pray the novena for nine days before or after it.
In truth, you really can pray a novena at any time. Novenas guide us to grow our trust in God — and that’s something we need in all seasons of life.
How to pray A Novena?
1. Identify your intention
Before you commit to praying for nine days, take some time to consider what your intention is for prayer. Are you looking to prepare yourself for an event spiritually? Or pray for a loved one that is struggling?
Maybe you’re simply looking for encouragement to develop a strong prayer habit. Remember: asking the Holy Spirit for guidance is never a bad idea!
2. Choose a novena
After you’ve taken some time to prepare yourself for prayer, select a novena that matches your intention.
This might be a prayer for that specific intention, or it might be a novena to a saint who is known and loved in the subject you’re struggling with or feeling gratitude for in this season of your life.
Know that it doesn’t have to be a “perfect” fit; by taking time each day to pray for a special intention will hopefully bring you clarity, peace and guide you to put your trust in God.
3. Dedicate nine days
Once you start a novena, dedicate time each day to being present with God and pray it with Him. Sometimes staying on track is difficult.
We recommend setting aside a specific time and setting a reminder on your phone or adding it to your calendar for the nine days. You might also consider asking someone to pray the novena with you to hold each other accountable.
4. Embrace the novena
When you set out on this prayer journey, try to embrace it each day fully. Each day might look a little different for you, but try to accompany your time in prayer with other acts of faith.
This might be fasting from social media or gossip, or it could be doing a kind thing for someone else each day. Let these nine days of prayer transform you in more ways than just devoting the time to pray each day.
5. Be patient
Remember, novenas aren’t magic. If you come to the end of your novena and your prayers appear to be unanswered, know that God hears your prayers and loves you.
And often, our prayers are not answered in the way we hoped. Ask for God’s help in trusting in Him and in desiring that His will be done.
List of All Novenas Prayer
To get all novena prayers visit catholicnovenaprayer.com. We have collected some of our favorite Novena prayers from over the years to share with you. Use these prayers to Mention your request through this Novena Prayer. regardless of what struggles and difficulties we may face throughout the year.