Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We would really love to mail a Christmas card out to you and everyone else who is praying with us — you mean so much to us, but with so many people, it’s just not possible. Instead, we’re sharing our card with you here!

We hope that the Lord will bless you and keep you in this new year.

Here’s our card :)

We hope you’ve had a very Merry Christmas and that you feel God’s loving presence close to you — He is always near and you are never alone.

We are looking forward to praying the next novena with you. Thank you for joining us in prayer and praying for the other members of Pray More Novenas. We are so grateful for you!

God Bless you!
John-Paul & Annie

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If Pray More Novenas is a blessing to you, you can make a small donation to support our efforts here: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/support

Thank you for joining us in praying The Christmas Novena!

If you’ve had any of your prayers answered throughout this novena, you can share those with us all here.

We’re praying for you!

The next novena we’ll pray together is The Christmas Novena!

This was the very first novena we ever prayed through Pray More Novenas.

We thank God for you and for this community of prayer, and we pray for you every day.

Thank you for praying with us. You can share your prayer intentions with us all below.

God bless you!

Thank you for joining us in praying the Immaculate Conception Novena! If you’ve had any of your prayers answered throughout this novena, you can share those with us all below. We’re praying for you!

Whether you are currently facing a cancer diagnosis for yourself or for a loved one, you can turn to Christ for assistance. 

You can ask for prayers from your faith community on earth as well as invoke the intercession of our brothers and sisters in heaven.

These saints in particular intimately know the challenges and fears you face and want to help bring you healing and comfort. 

St. Peregrine

Saint Peregrine became a Servite after having a radical conversion from an enemy of the Pope. He was known for his piety and his work with the poor, as well as his miraculous healing.

The night before a cancerous growth on his foot was scheduled to be amputated, he spent hours in prayer. As he dozed, he had a vision of Christ coming and touching his foot, and woke to find his foot completely healed. 

In turn, Peregrine healed many people through his prayers which is why the Church considers Saint Peregrine the patron saint of cancer patients.

St. Agatha

Saint Agatha was an early Christian virgin and martyr. She was killed after refusing to marry a high diplomat in order to protect her vow of virginity. The man turned her into the emperor for being a Christian–an offense punishable by death. 

Saint Agatha is the patron saint of those suffering with breast cancer because of the way she was tortured and martyred. She can help you face your sufferings with courage and hope in the Lord as she did. 

Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin

Saint Therese of Lisieux speaks about her parents, St. Louis and Zelie Martin and the profound effect they had on her life and sanctity. For their witness of a holy marriage and commitment to family life, Louis and Zelie became the first married couple to be canonized together. 

This holy couple also has an intimate connection to those suffering with breast cancer; St. Zelie Martin lived with breast cancer twelve years before her death. Look to them for friendship, inspiration, and prayers. 

St. Therese of Lisieux

Like her parents, you can also turn to Saint Therese’s intercession for those facing a lung cancer diagnosis. 

Despite living much of her short life as a cloistered nun, St. Therese, French Carmelite known for her “little way” of love was declared a Doctor of the Church and was called by Pope Pius X the “greatest saint of modern times.” 

She died at the age of 24 from tuberculosis and is often considered a patron for patients with lung ailments. 

St. Gemma Galgani 

St. Gemma Galgani was an Italian mystic who united herself to Christ’s passion in very real ways; she offered many extreme sacrifices and penances, and weekly experienced the stigmata on her hands, feet, and heart. 

Saint Gemma Galgani suffered from a brain tumor in her early life and can offer prayers for those who face similar diagnoses. 

St. Timothy

Saint Timothy traveled with St. Paul and preached the Gospel. He became the first bishop of Ephesus and died a martyr for the faith. 

It is also believed that St. Timothy was prone to illness as St. Paul writes to him in his First letter: “Do not still drink water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thy frequent infirmities” (5:23). 

For this reason, the Church calls upon Timothy as the patron saint of those suffering from stomach and intestinal disorders, like stomach or colon cancer. 

St. Erasmus Novena

Not much is known for certain about the life of Saint Erasmus though we do know that the bishop of Formia, Italy in the second century. It is also believed that he died as a martyr by disembowelment.

Saint Erasmus was invoked as an intercessor during the bubonic plague and is now considered a patron of those who suffer from abdominal pain, particularly pain of the intestines or liver. You can also invoke his powerful prayers if you or a loved one are facing a liver or intestinal cancer diagnosis. 

St. Blaise Novena

You might already be familiar with Saint Blaise because of the special blessing of the throats offered every year for his feast day.

He served as a Bishop in what is now Turkey and was also a physician, offering healing to both people’s bodies and souls. He performed many miracles of healing. In one particular story, Blaise healed a young boy choking to death on a fish bone. 

The Church now seeks the prayers of Saint Blaise for those suffering from Throat illnesses. 

St. Gianna Molla

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla is a modern saint who was a wife, mother, and physician. Though she is perhaps most known for her courageous and pro-life decision during her fourth pregnancy. 

During this pregnancy, Saint Gianna developed a fibroma on her uterus; she was offered an abortion to save her life but refused, choosing the life of her unborn daughter. 

Saint Gianna is the patron of mothers, physicians and unborn children, though she might unofficially be considered a patron saint of uterine cancer patients because of the difficult diagnosis she received. 

Are you or a loved one facing a difficult health diagnosis? Let us know in the comments so we can pray with you for strength and healing.

Have you ever heard a parent, teacher, or friend tell you to “Offer it up” when you were experiencing some discomfort or pain? 

It often feels like a trite saying tossed about by well-meaning Catholics but it contains within it a rich and mysterious teaching of the Church. 

Unlike the rest of the world, Catholics do not see suffering as something to fear; it was through Christ’s Passion that our salvation came. Instead, we can see it as an opportunity to cooperate in the redemption of souls. 

Suffering and Death did not exist in God’s original plan for humanity. However, because of the sin committed by our first parents, Adam and Eve, they became inevitable parts of the human experience–a natural consequence for our disobedience. 

Illness, anxieties, addiction, frustrations, inconveniences–our world is full of sufferings big and small. Thankfully, we have a God who understands what we are going through because He’s been there too. 

God the Father did not even spare His only Son from these harsh realities, and in fact, through them instilled Hope among His followers.

Not only is our salvation found through the suffering and death of Jesus, but through it, God also raises up our suffering transforming it into another way by which we can grow closer to Him. 

Pope Saint John Paul II in Salvifici Doloris wrote:  “In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his sufferings, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ.” 

God invites us into Christ’s saving work; He wants us to help bring other souls to Him. 

Our suffering–everything from minor inconveniences to larger heartbreaks–can become Redemptive when we actively, willingly, and joyfully unite our suffering to the Cross. 

Offering up your suffering to the Crucified Christ gives new meaning to your pain, as you participate in Jesus’ profound act of charity and recognize your place in the Mystical Body of Christ. 

Words of Encouragement from the Saints 

We can learn so much wisdom and take solace in the words of the saints, who learned how to embrace suffering for the salvation of souls. Here are just a few words from our heavenly brothers and sisters to encourage you in seasons of suffering and difficulty:

“Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus — a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.” – (Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

“I understood that to become a saint one had to suffer much, seek out always the most perfect thing to do, and forget self. I understood, too, that there are many degrees of perfection and each soul was free to respond to the advances of the Our Lord, to do little or much for Him, in a word, to choose among the sacrifices He was asking. Then, as in the days of my childhood, I cried out: ‘My God I choose all!’ I do not want to be a saint by halves. I’m not afraid to suffer for You. I fear only one thing: to keep my own will; so take it, for I choose all that You will!” (St. Therese of Lisieux) 

“The Christian’s motto is the Cross. You will recognize God’s love by this sign, by the sufferings He sends you.” (St. Padre Pio)

“You will save more souls through prayer and suffering than will a missionary through his teachings and sermons alone.” (Jesus to Saint Faustina)

“If you really want to love Jesus, first learn to suffer, because suffering teaches you to love.” (St. Gemma Galgani).

“Dying on the Cross He left to His Church the immense treasure of the Redemption, towards which she contributed nothing. But when those graces come to be distributed, not only does He share this work of sanctification with His Church, but He wills that in some way it be due to her action. This is a deep mystery, and an inexhaustible subject of meditation, that the salvation of many depends on the prayers and voluntary penances which the members of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ offer for this intention.” (Pope St. Pius XII)

“Those who pray and suffer, leaving action for others, will not shine here on earth; but what a radiant crown they will wear in the kingdom of life! Blessed be the ‘apostolate of suffering!” (St. Josemaria Escriva)

“He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake.” (St. Aloysius Gonzaga)

“To the prospect of the Kingdom of God is linked hope in that glory which has its beginning in the Cross of Christ. The Resurrection revealed this glory — eschatological glory. … Those who share in the sufferings of Christ are also called, through their own sufferings, to share in glory.” (Pope St. John Paul II)

Catholics believe that at death, the human soul separates from the body and faces God’s judgment. 

A person then enters Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. Heaven and Hell are permanent states of eternity; once a soul enters one or the other he or she can no longer do anything to either remove themselves from God’s friendship or put themselves right with Him. 

The saints in heaven don’t need our prayers, nor would they have any effect on the souls of the damned. 

Purgatory, on the other hand, is more of a “layover” on the way to Heaven for souls who died in friendship with God but who need a final purification of the temporal effects of sin. Our prayers can help quicken about the final release of these Holy Souls from their purification so they can finally enter into the Beatific Vision. 

If our eternal fate is sealed at the moment of death, and we cannot pray to anyone out of hell then why does the Church encourage us to pray for the dead? Isn’t it already too late?

Basis for Praying for the Dead in Scripture and Tradition

The Church’s tradition of praying for the dead goes back even before the birth of Christ. 

Despite the prevailing thought of our Protestant brothers and sisters, the Catholic belief in praying for the dead does come from Sacred Scripture.

The most direct instance of praying for the dead, and the most compelling Scriptural evidence for Purgatory, comes in 2 Maccabees 12. In this scene, Maccabeus prays for his fallen comrades, who died wearing forbidden and idolatrous amulets: 

They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out…

[Judas Maccabeus] then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:41-44).

Sirach chapter 7 also compels us not to “…withhold your kindness from the dead.”

Early Church Fathers and writers–Tertullian, Cyprian, and Augustine among others–wrote of prayers for the dead. And the Roman Catacombs also bore witness to this tradition with inscriptions like: “Mayst thou live among the saints” and “May God refresh the soul of…”

Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephisians writes that “there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all” (4:5-6).

If we believe in the immortal soul, our participation in the Body of Christ does not cease after death; rather it enters a new state. In the same way the saints in heaven can pray for those still walking as pilgrims on earth, the members of the Church Militant can pray for those suffering the cleansing fires of Purgatory. 

Comfort for the Grieving

Losing a friend, family member, or even acquaintance can stir up feelings of grief in our hearts. But St. Paul in his First Letter to the Thessalonians implores us not to “grieve as others do who have no hope” (4:13). 

As we are not God, we are freed from the responsibility of passing the final judgment on those we have known who have died. We cannot know until after our deaths where our loved ones will be spending their eternity. 

We can grieve with hope that they clung to Christ at the moment of their death or that they finally turned to him at long last. We entrust our loved ones to the mercy of God by offering prayers for the dead. 

How You Can Pray for the Dead

Having Masses said, praying a Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet, and offering sacrifices are all efficacious ways to pray for the dead. 

Novenas also began as a way to mourn those who have died, and are still used by the faithful today. 

You can pray this Novena for the Dead,  Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and Novena for the Newly Deceased for your departed loved ones.

It’s easy to assume that because the saints lived a life of virtue and achieved a level of spiritual perfection that they could never relate to us in our struggles, especially in marriage. 

Many married saints seemed to have happy, healthy, holy marriages. However, there were many married saints who faced challenges in their vocation and even disunity with their spouse.

If you find yourself in a difficult marriage, look to these saints for guidance and for prayers:

Saint Monica

St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine–a pagan turned Doctor of the Church, faced many difficulties in her marriage. 

Her husband Roman pagan Patricius had a violent temper and often gave into licentious behavior. Monica’s mother-in-law, who shared his temper, also lived with them. Monica faced criticism for her faith and her piety from them.

She prayed for many years for both her husband and her mother-in-law before they both converted. Patricius died one year later. 

The Church considers St. Monica the patron saint of wives and abuse victims, as well as troubled and difficult parents and alcoholics. Ask for her intercession with this novena. 

Saint Rita 

Despite her deep desire to enter a convent, St. Rita’s parents arranged for her to marry Paolo Mancini, an unkind and impatient nobleman. Throughout their 18-year marriage, Rita experienced insults and abuse, and also her husband’s infidelity.

Rita prayed often for her husband’s conversion which happened finally on his deathbed.

St. Rita is the patroness for difficult marriages, as well as for impossible causes. 

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal

At the age of 12, St. Elizabeth of Portugal married King Dinis, eight years her senior. Before they consummated their marriage several years later, Dinis had a string of mistresses and at least 7 illegitimate children. 

Elizabeth did not give in to jealousy, bitterness, or anger, and often helped make peace among the family when conflicts arose.  

She is the patron saint of brides and healing family rifts; her prayers are also often invoked against feelings of jealousy. Ask St. Elizabeth of Portugal for prayers of healing in your own family. 

Saint Thomas More 

The Church also calls upon St. Thomas More as a patron for difficult marriages; however, while he is a married saint, the patronage comes not from his own marriages (he remarried after the death of his first wife) but from the difficult marriages of King Henry VIII.

Thomas served as Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII. Shortly after the appointment, Henry expressed his desire to break his marriage to his wife Catherine to obtain a male heir for the throne and ran into conflict with the Church. Recognizing the validity of their marriage, Thomas refused to sign a letter to the Pope over the matter.

When Henry then broke away from the Church and declared himself head of the Church of England, Thomas bravely refused to recognize the King’s authority in this way. St. Thomas More died a martyr for his convictions. 

Pray to St. Thomas More for help in resolving marital problems with this novena. 

Saint Joseph 

While obviously not in a difficult marriage with the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph remains a powerful intercession for every couple, especially in times of great need. 

The Litany of St. Joseph calls upon him as the “Pillar of families” and “Support in difficulties” and given his desire for all families to imitate the Holy Family, he would love to help you and your spouse. As the earthly father of Christ, St. Joseph’s prayers are extremely efficacious. 

In addition to asking for the intercession of these great saints, you can also pray for peace and healing in your marriage using the Novena for Marriage or the Novena for Reconciliation in Marriage.

Give your burdens to the Lord so that He can bring about new life in your soul and in your relationship. 

While many novenas ask for the intercession and prayers of the Blessed Mother or a particular saint, all novenas are ultimately to Jesus because it is from Him that grace flows.

However, if you are looking for a novena that invites you to meditate on a particular aspect of the life of Christ or that helps you present your needs to Him, consider praying these novenas to Jesus:

The Infant of Prague Novena

This novena, also called the Infant Jesus Novena celebrates the great mystery of our faith–that God Himself became Man. 

Devotion to the Infant Jesus often focuses on the statue of the Infant of Prague which depicts the Christ child with a crown on His head. In his left hand he holds an orb symbolizing kingship and his right hand is extended in a blessing. This image and the Novena to the Infant of Prague helps us meditate on the fact that an all-powerful God took on the form of a child. 

Traditionally this novena was prayed leading up to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus but it can be prayed at any time!

Christmas Novena

At Christmas we ponder the mystery and gift of the Incarnation. God chose to come to us in complete humility as a child born in Bethlehem, and in taking on our human nature through Jesus, God could bring us into relationship with Him. 

This novena is most often said beginning December 16th to end on Christmas, but it is also good to pray anytime during the Advent and Christmas seasons. 

Novena to Jesus for Healing

Jesus intimately understands our sufferings because as God Made Man He was like us in all things but sin. 

During His time on earth, He felt pain and sorrow just as we do. Jesus wept for the loss of his friend Lazarus and experienced physical and spiritual pain during his Passion and Death. 

However, He is also the God who can bring healing and peace to us when we need it the most. Bring those areas of your life in need of healing to Jesus with this novena.

Novena to the Holy Face of Jesus

In 1844, a French Carmelite nun had an apparition of Jesus and gave her the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. A man named Leo Dupont then began this devotion privately and over the next 30 years, many miracles were attributed to the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus.

Pope Leo XIII approved this devotion and encouraged the faithful around the world to practice it. Many saints, including St. Therese of the Lisieux, meditated and reverenced the Face of Christ. 

This novena can be said at any time, though The Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus takes place the day before Ash Wednesday.

Transfiguration Novena

The feast of the Transfiguration commemorates a significant event that occurred before Jesus’ passion. 

Jesus goes up a mountain with his Apostles Peter, James, and John. There,  Jesus becomes radiant with the glory of God, and Moses and Elijiah appear next to him. A voice from heaven spoke saying: “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

This novena gives you an opportunity to meditate on Christ’s identity and mission in a special way before Holy Week. 

Novena for Good Friday

On Good Friday we commemorate Christ’s Passion and Death on the cross. We solemnly remember and give thanks for the sacrifice He made out of His love for us. 

Praying with this novena can help you enter more fully into this great mystery, preparing you to truly receive the graces the Lord desires to give you during the Triduum. 

Holy Cross Novena

The Cross is a powerful symbol of God’s love for us; God sent us Jesus, His only Son, to suffer and die for us, paying the price for our sins. We are called to look to Christ’s cross and learn from Him how to offer ourselves to God and to others. 

This novena meditating on cross often begins on September 6 and ends on The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Novena to the Risen Jesus

Jesus’ Resurrection is the most important event to happen in human history. It signified His triumph over sin and death, and made salvation attainable to every person who desires it. 

You can say the Novena to the Risen Jesus to thank God for this great gift at any time, but it is especially pertinent to pray during the Easter season.

Ascension Novena

After Jesus’ resurrection, Christ spent 40 more days on earth before ascending into heaven. Before He rose to His rightful place next to the Father, Jesus promised to always be with us and instructed us to go out to preach the Gospel. 

This novena can be said at any time but it also provides a beautiful meditation in the days leading up to the Feast of the Ascension at the end of the Easter season.

Divine Mercy Novena

Jesus Himself gave the Divine Mercy Novena to St. Faustina during an apparition. At Jesus’ request, each day of the novena offers prayers for God’s mercy on a specific group of people, and involves the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet for nine days.

Jesus promised: “By this Novena (of Chaplets), I will grant every possible grace to souls.” 

This novena can be said at anytime, but the suggested start date is Good Friday to end on Divine Mercy Sunday. 

Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus spread rapidly after Jesus’ appearance to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 1670s. He told St. Margaret Mary that He desireddHis heart to be honored, asking for the faithful to make amends for any wrongdoing they had done, frequently take Communion, and observe the Holy Hour. 

The symbol of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a powerful one; Pope Leo XIII said: “There is in the Sacred Heart the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return.”

St. Padre Pio recited this particular novena daily and found it a very efficacious prayer to bring intentions to the Lord. 

Christ the King Novena

Pope Pius XI instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925 to combat the nationalist and secular ideas that had pervaded most nations. This feast and title of Christ boldly proclaims His kingly power and authority. 

Pope Pius XI wrote: The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal.”

The Christ the King Novena invites Jesus to reign in our hearts, minds, and wills.
The Church celebrates the feast of Christ the King on the last Sunday of the Liturgical year so the start date of the novena will change slightly from year to year.

Countless saints throughout the history of the Church have prayed novenas for special intentions; Novenas are a particularly efficacious form of prayer and God never fails to pour out His graces after saying one. 

However, traditional novenas take time (nine days to be exact!) making it difficult to pray novenas for a very urgent intention. 

Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, founder of the Missionaries of Charity, understood the power of novenas and the immediate need for prayer required by desperate situations especially with her work among the sick and dying. So she came up with a “Flying Novena.”

What is the “Flying Novena?”

Unlike a traditional novena which takes place over nine days, the Flying Novena, also called an Emergency Novena, can be said in one day (or in one sitting). 

Msgr. Leo Maasburg, a friend and spiritual advisor of Mother Teresa, called the Flying Novena “Mother Teresa’s spiritual rapid-fire weapon” because although it’s more accessible and immediate than the traditional novena format it is no less powerful. 

Maasburg writes: “The Quick Novena had one thing in common with nine-day and even nine-month novenas: confident pleading for heavenly assistance, as the apostles did for nine days in the upper room ‘with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the women’ (Acts 1:14) while waiting for the promised help from the Holy Spirit.”

The Flying Novena also differs from the traditional form of a novena in that it consists of ten Memorares rather than nine as one might expect (“Novena” comes from the Latin word novem which means “nine”). 

Mother Teresa always prayed nine Memorares in petition and then offered a 10th in Thanksgiving anticipating the graces God would surely provide. 

It was a prayer that always worked for Mother Teresa, and a quick internet search would yield stories from hundreds of others about the miracles worked through this simple novena. 

To Jesus Through Mary

Why did Mother Teresa choose to pray the Memorare as part of her emergency novena? 

The Memorare is often attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux in the 12th century and is a powerful prayer of supplication to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The prayer was popularized in the 17th Century by Fr. Claude Bernard who believed his miraculous healing came through praying it fervently. 

The Church and her saints have spoken time and again on the important role Mary plays in each of our lives, and in particular on her power as an intercessor; Jesus Himself listened to her request at the Wedding of Cana.

When Jesus entrusted us along with St. John the Apostle to her loving, maternal care during the Crucifixion, He invited us to approach Mary as our Mother with our needs. 

The Memorare does this with an expression of radical confidence in her to bring our needs straight to Christ and to their happy end. 

Mother Teresa implores us to: “Pray especially to Our Blessed Mother Mary, placing all your intentions into her hands. For she loves you as she loves her Son. She will guide you in all your relationships so that peace may fill your life.”

Have a special and urgent intention you need prayers for? Entrust your petition to Jesus through Mary with Mother Teresa’ Flying Novena. 

Leave your intention and comment below so we can pray with you too.