What is a novena?
Understand a nine-day prayer practice and its different forms.
A practice over nine days
A novena is a series of prayers offered over nine days. People may pray with a particular intention or in preparation for a feast.
Not every novena has nine different prayers
Some repeat one prayer each day; others have daily texts. Follow the particular version you choose, including its opening and closing prayers.
What a novena does not promise
A novena does not guarantee a particular result. The printed words and number of days are not a formula for a miracle.
Choosing a version
Check which devotion the text belongs to, its source, and its daily order. Historical novenas, our reading arrangements and our new compositions are separate collections. Creating a nine-day tracker does not establish that a prayer comes from a traditional novena.
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Prayer Library guide.