St. Colette Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Colette was a French abbess who lived in the 1300s-1400s. She was one of the founders of a reform branch of the Poor Clares. This reform branch was called the Colettine Poor Clares.
St. Colette was known to have brought about many miracles through her intercession during her lifetime. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy nun in your life!
About St. Colette
St. Colette was born in 1381 in a French village called Corbie. Her father was a poor carpenter at a nearby Benedictine Abbey.
It is said that St. Colette’s parents were very old and had been married for many years but remained childless. After praying to St. Nicholas, her mother finally gave birth to Colette at age sixty. Colette’s parents named her Nicholette after St. Nicholas, and her name eventually became shortened to Colette.
In 1399 when Colette was seventeen, both of her parents died. Colette distributed her inheritance to the poor and sought to fulfill her vocation to religious life.
Colette first joined a lay religious order called the Beguines, but she did not find their life to be spiritually challenging enough. Then, she became a lay sister in a Benedictine order but did feel that this was the right place for her either.
Colette then became a Franciscan Tertiary and lived as a hermit. She lived the ascetic life for four years under the direction of the Abbot of Corbie. She soon began to have visions and dreams, which led her to realize that God was calling her to reform the Poor Clares, to return the order to its original ideals of poverty.
At the time, a man named Peter de Lunar was an anti-pope claiming the title Benedict XIII. Because the French thought he was the true Pope, Colette sought his approval to transfer to the Poor Clare order and to begin reform in the order.
After receiving his approval, Colette began her work of reform. In 1410, she opened her first monastery in a house of Urbanist Poor Clares which was almost abandoned. She went on to establish seventeen other monasteries and to reform several others. She faced great opposition in her work of reform, but she persevered in her efforts.
In St. Colette’s monasteries, she instituted extreme poverty, wearing no shoes, and perpetual fasting and abstinence. Additionally, her convents followed special constitutions that were approved by Pope Nicholas V, and were later approved by both Pope Pius II and Pope Sixtus IV.
Colette became well-known for her holiness, as well as for her ecstasies and visions of Christ’s Passion. She also prophesied her own death. She died in Ghent, Belgium in 1447.
St. Colette was canonized by Pope Pius VII in 1807. Her biographers attribute several miracles to her intercession, both before and after her death.
St. Colette’s Feast Day: March 6th
Why Pray the St. Colette Novena?
St. Colette is the patron saint of women trying to conceive. You can seek St. Colette’s intercession if you are trying to conceive, or for someone you know who is trying to conceive.
St. Colette is also the patron saint of expectant mothers. If you are an expectant mother, you can ask St. Colette to pray for you. Or you can ask her to pray for an expectant mother whom you know.
Additionally, St. Colette is the patron saint of sick children. You can ask for her prayers on behalf of any sick children you know.
You can pray the St. Colette Novena for any intention!
St. Colette Novena Prayers
St. Colette Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. Colette as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions she brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Colette, we know very little about your early life at home with your family. But we know that your parents turned to St. Nicholas’ intercession when they were unable to conceive. By the time your parents died when you were eighteen, you had grown to be virtuous and devoted to God.
We ask you to bring all of our prayers before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that all families may be full of holiness and love.
Pray for us, that we may do all we can to advance in virtue and holiness. Pray that we may be eager to serve God in whatever ways He calls us to.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Colette, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Colette Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. Colette as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions she brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Colette, we know very little about your early life at home with your family. But we know that your parents turned to St. Nicholas’ intercession when they were unable to conceive. By the time your parents died when you were eighteen, you had grown to be virtuous and devoted to God.
We ask you to bring all of our prayers before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that all families may be full of holiness and love.
Pray for us, that we may do all we can to advance in virtue and holiness. Pray that we may be eager to serve God in whatever ways He calls us to.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Colette, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Colette Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. Colette as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions she brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Colette, your vocational journey was not a simple one. You tried living as a lay sister in two different orders but were not satisfied with their way of life. You lived as a member of the Third Order of St. Francis and as a hermit before finally finding your vocation as a reformer of the Poor Clares.
We ask you to bring all of our prayers before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God may inspire more men and women to serve Him in the priestly and religious vocations.
Pray for us, that we may always be open to God’s call in our lives. Pray that we may grow in the desire to please God each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Colette, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Colette Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. Colette as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions she brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Colette, you did not initially know what God was calling you to do with your life. You tried to follow His call to serve Him as a lay sister and a hermit before you finally found that He was calling you to reform the Poor Clares.
We ask you to bring all of our prayers before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that we may grow in openness to God’s will in our lives.
Pray for us, that we may advance in every virtue we need for holiness. Pray that we may serve God more wholeheartedly each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Colette, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Colette Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. Colette as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions she brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Colette, you felt God calling you to serve Him in a wholehearted manner. After trying to live as a lay sister, you eventually found your calling as a nun. You worked to reform the Poor Clare order and to serve God as a nun for the rest of your life.
We ask you to bring all of our prayers before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that all nuns may be holy servants of God.
Pray for us, that we may always be eager to serve God in whatever ways He calls us to. Pray that we may grow in devotion each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Colette, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Colette Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. Colette as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions she brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Colette, you initially tried living as a lay sister but were unsatisfied with this way of life. You then joined the Third Order of St. Francis and lived as a hermit for four years. You eventually found that God was calling you to reform the Poor Clares.
We ask you to bring all of our prayers before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that all Franciscans may be holy servants of God.
Pray for us, that we may always do all we can to carry out the will of God in our lives. Pray that we may serve God worthily at every opportunity He gives us.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Colette, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Colette Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. Colette as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions she brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Colette, you discerned that God was calling you out of your life as a hermit in order to bring religious reform to the Poor Clares. You worked to return the order to its original spirit of austerity.
We ask you to bring all of our prayers before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God will bring about all religious reform that is needed within our Church.
Pray for us, that we may always be eager to serve God and His Church in any capacity that is needed. Pray that we may always do all things out of love for God in our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Colette, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Colette Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. Colette as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions she brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Colette, you worked to bring reform to the Poor Clare religious order. You sought to return the order to its original spirit of austerity. Your constitution for Colettine Poor Clares called for abstinence and fasting, extreme poverty, and going barefoot.
We ask you to bring all of our prayers before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that we may grow in a holy spirit of penance in our lives.
Pray for us, that we may always be willing to do whatever is necessary to grow in holiness. Pray that we may grow closer to God each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Colette, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Colette Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. Colette as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions she brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Colette, you are recognized as the patron saint of expectant mothers. One of the miracles you helped bring about during your lifetime was assistance to a mother who was in danger of death from birth complications. We can turn to your intercession for help in such circumstances.
We ask you to bring all of our prayers before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God may bless and assist all expectant mothers.
Pray for us, that we may always rely on God for all that we need in our lives. Pray that we may grow to trust God more deeply each day.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Colette, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.