St. Athanasius Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Athanasius was a bishop who lived in the late 200s-early 300s in Alexandria. He was a theologian and became a doctor of the Church. He also did a lot in the fight against the Arian heresy.
St. Athanasius is well-known for his great work defending the Faith. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy bishop in your life!
About St. Athanasius
St. Athanasius was born around 298 in Alexandria, Egypt. His parents were prominent Christians. He grew up with a strong education in the Christian Faith, as well as in other areas.
As a young boy, St. Athanasius played at baptizing other children. The bishop witnessed him doing this determined that the baptisms were actually valid.
Throughout his childhood and adolescence, Athanasius became acquainted with some monks, one of whom was St. Anthony. He later wrote a biography of St. Anthony.
After Athanasius was ordained a deacon, he became secretary to the bishop of Alexandria. Athanasius soon wrote his first theological work, a treatise on the Incarnation that is still often quoted today.
Around this time, a priest named Arius began spreading a heresy that denied Christ’s divinity. Athanasius was present as the bishop’s secretary during the Church debate on the matter. He was in attendance at the council of Nicaea when the Nicene Creed was adopted.
Five months later, the bishop died and Athanasius was elected as his successor. As bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius continued fighting against the Arian heresy.
In the year 330, a man named Eusebius convinced Emperor Constantine to command Athanasius to allow the Arians back into communion with the Church.
Athanasius refused to do this, so Eusebius tried to get Athanasius impeached. He accused Athanasius of many crimes, including treason. Athanasius was tried and proved himself innocent of all charges.
The Arians then tried to frame Athanasius for murdering another bishop (who was still alive). Though this failed, they were still able to have him exiled.
Athanasius’ exile was two and a half years long. After both Arius and Emperor Constantine died, Athanasius returned to Alexandria. However, Athanasius’ enemies once again tried to charge him with false crimes.
The new accusations led to a synod to discuss Athanasius’ alleged crimes. He was eventually exonerated of all charges, but when he was finally able to return to his diocese eight years later he once again faced condemnation from his enemies.
The Arians soon turned to physical attacks against him. He was forced to flee for his life and hid in the desert for six years.
When Athanasius returned, he was safe for a time under the reign of Emperor Julian, who revoked all of Athanasius’ exile sentences. But then Emperor Julian realized that Athanasius would interfere with his plans to paganize society. Athanasius was exiled again and fled to the desert.
Julian’s successor reinstalled Athanasius, but this lasted for only eight months before a new emperor exiled him once again.
Athanasius spent seventeen years of his life in exile, but he died peacefully in Alexandria in 373.
St. Athanasius’ Feast Day: May 2nd
Why Pray the St. Athanasius Novena?
St. Athanasius is the patron saint of theologians. You can ask for his intercession if you are a theologian, or for a theologian you know.
St. Athanasius is also the patron saint of faithful Christians. He’s a great saint to ask for prayers if you are having difficulty in your life because of your faithfulness to Christianity.
You can also seek intercession from St. Athanasius if you have been forced to leave your home, or for someone you know who is in exile, since he had to spend seventeen years of his life exiled from his homeland.
You can pray the St. Athanasius Novena for any intention!
St. Athanasius Novena Prayers
St. Athanasius Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your servant, St. Athanasius, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed from the time of his holy childhood until his death.
St. Athanasius, you grew up with the benefit of devout Christian parents. They ensured that you received a strong education in the Faith, and you eagerly grew in your Faith and service to God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
Your early acquaintance with holy monks during your childhood years must have done a lot to inspire you along the path of holiness. You soon followed in their footsteps and chose to devote your life to God.
Pray for me, that I may always seek ways to grow in holiness in my life. Pray that I may be eager to devote myself to God’s service at every opportunity.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Athanasius Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your servant, St. Athanasius, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed during his service to the Church as a deacon.
St. Athanasius, during your time as a deacon, you served as a secretary to the bishop of Alexandria. Always eager to find more ways to serve God, you began your work in theological writings.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so eagerly!
You accompanied your bishop to the Council of Nicaea and served as his secretary while the Church worked to define the doctrine of Christ’s divinity against the Arians.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to be of service to the Church whenever I can. Pray that I may always be eager to work for promotion of the Faith.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Athanasius Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your servant, St. Athanasius, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to devote himself to studying and writing about theology.
St. Athanasius, while you were still a deacon you wrote your first theological work, a treatise on the Incarnation that is still often quoted today. After this, you continued on in the work of studying and writing about God and His Church.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God!
You became a doctor of the Church, and your work in theology did a lot to help the Church in the fight against the Arian heresy.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve the Church in my life. Pray that I may never tire of learning more about God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Athanasius Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your servant, St. Athanasius, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed in preaching against heresy, despite the difficulty it caused him.
St. Athanasius, you lived in a time when a dangerous heresy was becoming very popular around you. Though it made you many enemies, you spoke out against this untruth for the love of God.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you loved!
Because of your courageous preaching against Arianism, you endured a lot of suffering. But you held fast to the truth and worked to bring people back to the true Faith.
Pray for me, that I may hold fast to the truth as you did. Pray that I may never allow suffering to deter me from serving God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Athanasius Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your servant, St. Athanasius, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in holding fast to his Faith throughout the many trials of false accusation.
St. Athasius, you made many enemies by speaking out against the Arian heresy that was spreading in society around you. But you persevered in speaking the truth, despite the difficulties you faced.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
Your enemies falsely accused you of many terrible crimes, in attempt to silence your preaching against Arianism. Through many sufferings, you held fast to your Faith and continued preaching the truth.
Pray for me, that I may hold fast to my Faith amidst all difficulties. Pray that I may never allow any trials to divert me from speaking the truth.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Athanasius Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your servant, St. Athanasius, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate love of You he showed in holding fast to His Faith throughout his many difficult years of exile.
St. Athanasius, your enemies went to great lengths in attempt to silence your preaching against Arianism. Despite being forced to leave your home and go into exile several times, you continued to preach the truth and serve God.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
You eventually spent seventeen years of your life in exile, because of your fearless proclamation of the truth against the enemies of the Faith.
Pray for me, that I may be as fearless in defense of the Faith as you were. Pray that I may persevere in my Faith against all difficulties.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Athanasius Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your servant, St. Athanasius, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in his fortitude throughout the many trials he faced.
St. Athanasius, you suffered a lot because of your proclamation of the truth. Your enemies forced you to flee your home many times, but you persevered in the truth and in serving God.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before the throne of God!
You endured false accusations, physical attacks, and a total of seventeen years in exile. Despite these many trials, you held steadfast to your Faith and to the true doctrine of the Church.
Pray for me, that I may be as steadfast to my Faith as you were. Pray that I may never allow trials to lead me away from serving God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Athanasius Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your servant, St. Athanasius, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed through his holy service as a bishop in Your Church.
St. Athanasius, you were elected bishop of Alexandria at a time when heresy was gaining prominence. As bishop, you took a strong opposition to this false teaching and worked instead to lead your people to the true teaching of God’s Church.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God!
You faced great opposition in your work as a bishop, but you persevered in serving God and your people. Even when you were forced to leave your home time and again, you never wavered in the truth.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God and His Church in my life. Pray that I may never allow trials to lead me away from serving God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Athanasius Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us Your servant, St. Athanasius, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed throughout his life of service to Your Church.
St. Athanasius, you lived in a society that was plagued with the spread of heresy. Eager to serve God and His Church, you did all you could to combat the spread of heresy and preach the truth.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
Your devotion to God and your commitment to preaching the truth led to a lot of suffering for you. Despite being exiled many times and even suffering physical attacks, you held fast to the true Faith.
Pray for me, that I may persevere in my Faith as steadfastly as you did. Pray that I may never waver in my commitment to God and His Church.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.