St. Bruno Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Bruno was a German saint who lived at the end of the 1000s. He was the founder of the Carthusian religious order. The Carthusian order is known for its intense penitential life. St. Bruno was also well-known during his lifetime for being a celebrated teacher.
You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy monk in your own life!
About St. Bruno
St. Bruno was born in Cologne around the year 1030. Not much is known about his early life, but tradition says that he belonged to one of the leading families in the city. He studied theology in the city of Reims before he became a priest.
After Bruno’s education was finished, he returned to his home city of Cologne and was ordained a priest when he was around twenty-five years old.
In 1056, Bruno’s bishop sent him back to Reims to be the head of the Episcopal school. Bruno served as the head of the school for almost two decades. Under his leadership, the school continued in its prestigious reputation.
During this time, Bruno also gained a reputation as an excellent theologian and philosopher. He taught many abbots and prelates, and one of his students would later become Pope Urban II.
Bruno became the chancellor of the Archdiocese of Reims. In this role, he assisted with the archdiocese's administration duties. But Bruno had no desire to become a bishop. When he realized he was about to be made a bishop, he instead withdrew from public life to pursue monasticism.
Bruno first attempted to join a group of hermits who would later become the Cistercians, but he soon realized that this was not his vocation.
Then, Bruno and six of his companions went to the bishop of Grenoble. The bishop sent them to an uninhabited place in the lower Alps. There, Bruno and his companions built an oratory where they could live in isolation, poverty, prayer, and study. This group of men eventually became the Carthusian religious order.
When Bruno’s former pupil Eudes of Châtillon became Pope Urban II, he called Bruno to Rome in 1090 to assist him. Bruno’s work in Rome during this time was largely hidden and confidential. He worked as an advisor and was privy to the Pope’s private councils.
When he was on the verge of being named archbishop of Reggio Calabria, he attempted to withdraw from public life once again. He tried to rejoin his former companions, but the Pope kept him in Italy so he could call Bruno when needed.
Near the turn of the century, Bruno’s friends and companions began to die, starting with Pope Urban. Bruno himself died in 1101. After his death, Bruno’s great knowledge and talents were celebrated by many. Those who knew him best praised him for his deep spirit of prayer, his extreme mortification, and his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
St. Bruno’s Feast Day: October 6th
Why Pray the St. Bruno Novena?
St. Bruno is the patron saint of Germany and of the Calabria region of southern Italy, so he is a great saint to seek intercession from if you live in one of these areas or are traveling there.
St. Bruno is also the patron saint of monastic fraternities and of the Carthusian order. You can ask for his prayers if you are discerning a monastic vocation, or for someone you know who is a monk.
Since St. Bruno’s patronage also includes trademarks, you can seek his intercession if you work in a job that involves trademarks.
You can pray the St. Bruno Novena for any intention!
St. Bruno Novena Prayers
St. Bruno 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. Bruno, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the dedication to You that he showed in choosing to devote his life to prayer and penance in monasticism.
St. Bruno, we know very little about your early life, but you must have grown up as a devoted follower of Christ since you were ordained to the priesthood as a young man. You served God worthily as a priest and eventually as a monk throughout the rest of your life.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
After you became a priest, you continued to discern the best way for you to serve God in your life. Your search to serve God led you to establish the Carthusian order.
Pray for me, that I may always seek the best way to serve God in my life. Pray that I may carry out the duties of my vocations faithfully as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bruno, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bruno 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. Bruno, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the dedication to You that he showed throughout the many years he spent studying and teaching others about You.
St. Bruno, you spent many years of your life pursuing knowledge of God and teaching others about God and His laws. You led the Episcopal school in Reims and taught many abbots and priests.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you studied so diligently!
You worked to serve God throughout your life in the academic world, even when you desired to retire into the solitary peace of monasticism. When you died, you great knowledge was celebrated by many.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to learn more about God and to spread knowledge of Him to others. Pray that I may never miss the opportunity to help lead others to God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bruno, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bruno 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. Bruno, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his devotion to You throughout his work in Church administration duties and in his service to the Pope.
St. Bruno, you longed to live the monastic life of prayer and silence, but you were called first to work as a chancellor. You carried out your duties in this role, seeking to serve God as faithfully as you could in the tasks He set before you.
Please be faithful in presenting my petitions before God!
Even after you began living out your monastic vocation, you were again called to public life to assist your former pupil who was now Pope. You worked faithfully in this role for the good of the Church.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to be faithful to whatever tasks God sets before me. Pray that I may serve Him and His Church as well as I am able to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bruno, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bruno 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. Bruno, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed in his willingness to discern Your will for his life and to serve You in unexpected ways.
St. Bruno, you became a priest as a young man. After working in the academic world for some time, you served God as a diocesan chancellor. Feeling the call to monastic life, you withdrew from the world to discern if God was calling you to serve Him in the Cistercian order.
Please continue to bring my prayers before God Whom you served!
You eventually came to found your own monastic order, the Carthusians. And you continued in your readiness to serve God, even when He unexpectedly called you out of solitude to serve the Pope.
Pray for me, that I may always be ready to serve God. Pray that I may gladly answer His call in my life even when He calls me to do unexpected things.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bruno, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bruno 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. Bruno, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed in his many years of prayer and penance in monastic life.
St. Bruno, you longed for a life of quiet service to God in monasticism. Even after you realized that joining the Cistercians was not your vocation, you continued to seek a way to practice monasticism in your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
With six companions, you built an oratory where you could live in isolation, poverty, prayer, and study. This group of men you established came to be the Carthusian religious order.
Pray for me, that I may seek to leave behind the things of this world in favor of serving God wholly. Pray that I may carry out my vocation faithfully, as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bruno, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bruno 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. Bruno, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed in leaving the world behind to serve You in the Carthusian religious order.
St. Bruno, you longed to leave the public life behind and to serve God as a hermit. With six companions, you established a life of prayer and penance for yourselves as the foundation of the Carthusian religious order.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so radically!
Even as you later carried out your service to the Pope in Rome, you longed to return to your solitary life as a Carthusian. You longed to devote yourself wholly to prayer and penance in monastic life.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God radically in my life. Pray that I may devote every aspect of my life to Him.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bruno, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bruno 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. Bruno, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed in choosing the penitential life of monasticism.
St. Bruno, you felt drawn to the penitential life of monasticism early on in your vocational journey. Though you realized that the Cistercian order was not your calling, you continued to seek a way to serve God in a life of prayer and penance.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
When you later lived with your brother Carthusians in the Alps, you devoted you life to prayer, penance, and study. After your death, those who knew you praised your practice of mortification in your life.
Pray for me, that I may never shirk from the call to practice penance in my life. Pray that I may always seek to offer sacrifice to God whenever He calls me to do so in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bruno, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bruno 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. Bruno, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed in devoting his life to prayer in monasticism.
St. Bruno, you desired to serve God as fully as you could be devoting yourself to a life of prayer and penance. Though you were called back into the world to serve the Church in a more active manner, you longed to return to your life of prayer and solitude.
Please continue to bring my petition before the throne of God!
Despite living in solitude for much of your life, your devotion was known to many. After your death, you were praised for your deep spirit of prayer.
Pray for me, that I may always have recourse to prayer in my life. Pray that I may seek every opportunity to strengthen my relationship with God through frequent prayer.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bruno, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bruno 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. Bruno, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed in his service to Your Church.
St. Bruno, you are remembered for establishing your religious order, the Carthusians. But you also served God in His Church through many other roles during your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you served so faithfully!
You spent many years in service to your former pupil, Pope Urban II. Though much of your work was hidden and confidential, you offered valuable guidance to the Pope. Even though you longed to return to your monastic life, you faithfully served God in the tasks you were called to.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God and His Church at every opportunity. Pray that I may be faithful in every circumstance of my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bruno, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.