St. Charles Borromeo Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Charles Borromeo was an Italian saint who lived in the 1500s. He was an archbishop of Milan, and he was a cardinal.
St. Charles Borremeo was also a significant figure in Church reform at the time. He was well-known for the work of reform that he undertook together with St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Philip Neri.
You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy cardinal in your life!
About St. Charles Borromeo
St. Charles Borromeo was born in 1538. His parents were both members of the nobility, and he had five siblings.
Though he was a count by birth, Charles chose to dedicate his life to serving the Church at age twelve. When a family member gave him a large sum of money, he insisted on keeping only as much as he needed for his education and giving the rest to the poor.
Charles suffered from a severe speech impediment in his youth. Despite appearing unintelligent, he made great progress in his studies. He impressed his teachers with his hard work and thoroughness.
When Charles was in his teen years, his father died. In 1559, his uncle became Pope Pius IV. The new Pope asked Charles to come to Rome, and he appointed Charles a cardinal-deacon. In this role, Charles advised and assisted the Pope.
A month after this when Charles was just twenty-three years old, the Pope made him a cardinal. As a cardinal, Charles gained many new responsibilities. He also used his new leadership role to promote learning.
Charles was made administrator of the Milan archdiocese in 1560. He soon realized that God was calling him to the priesthood.
When Charles’ brother died in 1562, his family members tried to persuade him to leave his vocation in order to carry on the family name. Charles refused and instead became more devoted to his work in the Church.
Charles was soon ordained a deacon, then a priest and finally a bishop. He became archbishop of Milan in 1564.
By the time his uncle Pope Pius IV died in 1566, Charles had already established a reputation as a reformer. He continued his work of reforming in Milan. Milan was the largest diocese in the entire Church and it suffered from a lot of corruption at the time.
As the Protestant Reformation continued spreading throughout northern Europe, Charles saw that the Church’s best defense was internal reform. He was eager to give the clergy a stronger education. He established new schools and seminaries for better education of the clergy.
Charles worked to end simony and oversaw reformation in monasteries. He also worked to enforce the simplification of Church interiors that the Council of Trent had ordered.
Charles’ work of reformation made him enemies. On one occasion, one of his enemies attempted to assassinate him. Others lodged complaints against him within the Church. Charles saw these enemies as evidence that his efforts of reformation were beginning to work.
When a famine struck his country in 1576, Charles used his own money to feed his people. When his money ran out, he took out loans to continue feeding them.
In 1583, Charles traveled to Switzerland to work fighting heresy there.
In 1584, Charles contracted a fever. His condition worsened until he died in November of 1584, at age forty-six.
St. Charles Borremeo’s Feast Day: November 4th
Why Pray the St. Charles Borromeo Novena?
St. Charles Borromeo is the patron saint of bishops, cardinals, and spiritual leaders. He is a great saint to seek prayers from on behalf of your bishop, a cardinal, or another spiritual leader.
He is also the patron saint of seminarians. You can ask for his intercession if you are a seminarian, or for a seminarian you know.
In addition, St. Charles Borromeo is also the patron saint of catechists. You can ask him for prayers if you are a catechist, or on behalf of a catechist you know.
You can pray the St. Charles Borromeo Novena for any intention!
St. Charles Borromeo Novena Prayers
St. Charles Borromeo 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 St. Charles Borromeo as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to devote his life to Your service.
St. Charles Borromeo, you felt called to devote your life to God from the time you were twelve years old. Though you were very young, you committed yourself to living out this calling for the rest of your life.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
You worked advising and assisting the Pope, and you soon realized that God was calling you to the priesthood. Despite pressures from your family to abandon your calling, you persevered in your vocation.
Pray for me, that I may be steadfast in my commitment to God, as you were. Pray that I may faithfully carry out the duties of my vocation each day.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charles Borromeo 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 St. Charles Borromeo as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed through his openness to Your will in his life.
St. Charles Borromeo, you knew from an early age that you wanted to devote your life to serving God. Your uncle the Pope called you to Rome to serve the Church, and you carried out this mission faithfully.
Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
You realized that God was calling you to be a priest, and you faithfully answered this call. You continued on to answer God’s call to serve His Church throughout the rest of your life.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to do God’s will in my life. Pray that I may be open to doing whatever God might call me to do.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charles Borromeo 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 St. Charles Borromeo as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in his detachment from worldly riches throughout his life.
St. Charles Borromeo, you were given a great sum of money as a young man, but you insisted on giving all you did not need to the poor. You continued in this spirit of poverty and detachment for the rest of your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
During your time as a bishop, you gave freely of your own money in order to feed your people. You even took out loans to continue feeding them when your money was gone, caring little about your own poverty.
Pray for me, that I may grow in the spirit of holy detachment in my life. Pray that I may always seek heavenly riches before worldly riches.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charles Borromeo 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 St. Charles Borromeo as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed through his life of priestly service to You.
St. Charles Borromeo, you began a life of service to the Church when your uncle the Pope called you to Rome. You soon realized that God was calling you to the priesthood.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so eagerly!
When your brother died, your family members tried to convince you to abandon your priestly vocation. But you persevered in answering God’s call and continued to live a life devoted to God’s service.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God in my life. Pray that I may never allow worldly distractions to deter me from serving God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charles Borromeo 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 St. Charles Borromeo as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in working to bring about needed reform within Your Church.
St. Charles Borromeo, you saw that the Church in your day was in need of reform. Though others were revolting against Church authority, you chose to faithfully work for a return to holiness in the Church.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
You worked to bring about stronger education for the clergy, to end simony, and to reform monasteries. Even when your work was met with hostility, you persevered in working for holy reform.
Pray for me, that I may always persevere in seeking holiness. Pray that I may never allow any opposition to deter me from serving God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charles Borromeo 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 St. Charles Borromeo as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue with which he lived out his vocation as a bishop in Your Church.
St. Charles Borromeo, you worked for many years serving the Church as an archbishop in Milan. Your archdiocese suffered from a lot of corruption when you began in this role, but you persevered in working for reform.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
You were eager to lead your flock to holiness. You worked hard to strengthen the Church in your diocese against the attacks of others and against internal corruption.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to do all I can to lead others to holiness in my life. Pray that I may never weary of serving God
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charles Borromeo 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 St. Charles Borromeo as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed by persevering in his work for the Church despite the attacks of others.
St. Charles Borromeo, you were eager to work for reform within the Church. Your diligent work made many others around you upset, but you continued faithfully in this work despite all obstacles.
Please continue to faithfully bring my petitions before God!
Your work of reform angered some people so much that they became your enemies. Even when complaints were lodged against you and an attempt was made on your life, you did not become discouraged.
Pray for me, that I may never allow opposition or obstacles to discourage me as I work for holiness. Pray that I may persevere each day in striving for holiness.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charles Borromeo 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 St. Charles Borromeo as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in his continual practice of charity towards his brothers and sisters in Christ.
St. Charles Borromeo, your charity towards others was well-known from the time you were young. You continued to practice charity towards the poor throughout the rest of your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
As an archbishop, you cared deeply for the welfare of your people. When famine struck, you used your own money to buy food for your starving flock. In your charity, you even took out loans to continue feeding them when your money ran out.
Pray for me, that I may grow in charity towards my brothers and sisters in Christ each day. Pray that I may never miss the opportunity to love God through charitable acts towards others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charles Borromeo 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 St. Charles Borromeo as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed through his life of dedication to Your Church.
St. Charles Borromeo, you longed to devote your life to God from the time you were a young man. After serving the Pope for some time, you continued seeking to serve the Church by answering God’s call to the priesthood.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you served so faithfully!
You spent years of your life serving the Church as a bishop. You were passionate about working for Church reform, and you did all you could help lead the Church to deeper holiness.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve the Church in my life. Pray that I may never tire of striving to grow in holiness.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.