St. Cyprian Novena

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St. Cyprian Novena Prayers

St. Cyprian 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. Cyprian as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed from the time he converted to Christianity.

St. Cyprian, you were raised by pagan parents. But despite your lack of Christian upbringing, you chose to convert to Christianity and be baptized when you were thirty-five years old. You then chose to serve God for the rest of your life.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!

Shortly after your conversion, you were ordained a deacon. You became a priest and a bishop, and you devoted your life to serving God’s Church.

Pray for me, that I may be as devoted a servant of God as you were. Pray that I may be eager to devote my life wholly to God.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cyprian, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Cyprian 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. Cyprian as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in choosing to give away some of his wealth to the poor after he converted to Christianity.

St. Cyprian, you chose to turn from paganism and convert to the Christian Faith when you were thirty-five years old. Then, you began to put your wealth to use caring for the poor out of love for God.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved so dearly!

Your selfless charity towards the poor later gave you many allies and friends while your enemies began to oppose you. Your steadfast virtue and love for God continued throughout your life.

Pray for me, that I may always be conscious of the needs of those around me. Pray that I may be eager to serve God through charity towards those in need.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cyprian, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Cyprian 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. Cyprian as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in choosing to follow Your call to serve Your Church.

St. Cyprian, you were ordained a deacon shortly after your conversion to Christianity. You soon became a priest and the bishop of Carthage, choosing to devote your life wholly to serving God and His Church.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served with such devotion!

You led the Church in Carthage through a very tumultuous time. You helped your flock through persecution and internal conflict.

Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God and His Church in any way He calls me to. Pray that I may always respond generously to God’s call in my life.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cyprian, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Cyprian 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. Cyprian as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in faithfully shepherding his flock through a difficult time.

St. Cyprian, you became bishop of Carthage during a time of great difficulty in the Church. Your flock was facing persecution from the government and internal conflict, but you did all you could to lead them to holiness.

Please do all you can to bring my petitions before the throne of God!

You at first avoided martyrdom yourself in order to continue leading and helping your people. You helped the Church navigate through the question of readmitting repentant apostates, and you eventually gave up your life in a holy martyrdom.

Pray for me, that I may be as devoted a servant of God as you were. Pray that I may never waver in my Faith, no matter what difficulties I might face. 

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cyprian, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Cyprian 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. Cyprian as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in working to bring the Church to a deeper unity.

St. Cyprian, you were bishop of Carthage during a time of great turmoil within the Church. Despite the difficulties of persecution and internal conflicts, you persevered in leading the Church faithfully.

Please persevere in bringing my petitions before the throne of God!

You helped the Church to navigate through the difficulty of determining how to readmit repentant apostates into the Church. You sought to lead the Church with both discipline and mercy.

Pray for me, that I may always serve the Church to the best of my ability. Pray that I may answer God’s call to serve Him in whatever ways He calls me to.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cyprian, pray for us! 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Cyprian 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. Cyprian as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in leading the Church through the difficult situation of readmitting repentant apostates.

St. Cyprian, you led the Church in Carthage through the trials of persecution. Though great internal conflict began to spring up in the Church during this time, you continued to faithfully shepherd your people.

Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!

Many members of the Church wished to exclude repentant apostates from the Church forever, while others wished to readmit them with no public penance. You worked to address the situation with both mercy and firmness.

Pray for me, that I may always be merciful and just toward repentant sinners. Pray that I may always view others through the lens of virtue and holiness.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cyprian, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Cyprian 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. Cyprian as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in holding fast to his Faith in the midst of persecution.

St. Cyprian, Christians were being persecuted by the government at the time you were bishop of Carthage. Despite this great difficulty, you continued to do all you could to serve God.

Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!

You at first fled from persecution in order to ensure that your flock would not be left without a shepherd. You eventually gave up your life for the Faith in martyrdom.

Pray for me, that I may never allow sufferings or difficulties to deter me from serving God. Pray that I may serve God faithfully, no matter the cost.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cyprian, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Cyprian 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. Cyprian as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in courageously holding fast to his Faith to the point of death.

St. Cyprian, you knew that you would be persecuted and martyred for your Faith after Pope Sixtus II was martyred during the persecution of Emperor Valerian. You prepared yourself and your flock for sufferings, and you chose to persevere in your Faith.

Please persevere in bringing my petitions before the throne of God!

You were banished and eventually ordered to be killed. You went courageously to your martyrdom and willingly gave up your life for God.

Pray for me, that I may always practice my Faith courageously. Pray that I may hold fast to my Faith even to the point of death if necessary.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cyprian, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Cyprian 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. Cyprian as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to devote his life to serving Your Church.

St. Cyprian, you converted to Christianity and soon after became a deacon. Then, you chose to follow God’s call to serve His Church as a priest and a bishop. You continued to faithfully serve His Church for the rest of your life.

Please continue to bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!

You led the Church in Carthage through a difficult time of persecution and internal conflict. Then, you ultimately gave up your life for the Faith in martyrdom.

Pray for me, that I may be as faithful a servant of God and His Church as you were. Pray that I may never weary of doing all I can to serve God faithfully.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Cyprian, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

St. Cyprian was a bishop of Carthage who lived in the 200s. He was a convert to Christianity. During his time as bishop, he led his flock through persecution and internal conflict. He was eventually martyred.

You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy martyr in your life!

About Cyprian

St. Cyprian was born around the year 210. His parents were pagans. During his childhood, Cyprian was classically educated. As a young man, he became a rhetoric teacher and an orator.

When Cyprian was thirty-five years old, he converted to Christianity and was baptized. He then gave away some of his wealth to the poor.

Shortly after Cyprian’s conversion, he was ordained a deacon. Then, he became a priest. Within a short time, he was made bishop of Carthage. Though the poor of the city were pleased with his appointment as bishop, the other clergy were largely displeased with the appointment. Their opposition to him continued throughout his time as bishop.

In 250, Emperor Decius began to persecute Christians. Cyprian chose to flee into hiding rather than be executed. Many assumed he was being cowardly in this decision, but he was actually deeply concerned that the faithful would be left without a shepherd if he were martyred. 

Because of the severe persecution of Christians, many in Carthage gave in and chose to save their lives by sacrificing to pagan gods. Controversy broke out in the Church over what was to be done with these Christians when they repented of their apostasy. 

Cyprian was in favor of public penance being performed by the apostates before readmittance to the Church, but some priests who opposed Cyprian began a schism and allowed these apostates back in the Church with little or no penance. Others said that these repentant apostates should never be allowed back in communion with the Church. Cyprian called a council of the North African bishops to decide the matter.

Though the council sided with Cyprian’s middle-ground views on the matter of readmitting apostates to the Church, the schism did not end. Cyprian’s opponents tried to elect their own bishop. But Cyprian’s opponents eventually lost numbers because of the fierce polarization between those who wished to readmit apostates with no penance and those who thought apostates could never be readmitted at all.

In 265, Christians were again persecuted under a new emperor, Valerian. Pope Sixtus II was martyred during this time. Cyprian tried to prepare his people for the coming persecution and set a holy example himself, refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods.

Cyprian was then banished to what is now Tunisia. He did his best to comfort those who were banished with him. Then, a stricter edict demanded that all faithful clergy be executed. Cyprian courageously went to his martyrdom, kneeling to pray before blindfolding himself. He was beheaded in 258.

St. Cyprian’s Feast Day: September 16th

Why Pray the St. Cyprian Novena?

St. Cyprian is the patron saint of North Africa. You can ask him to pray for you if you live in North Africa or are planning to travel to North Africa. You can also ask him to pray for someone you know who lives in North Africa or is planning to travel to North Africa.

You can also ask St. Cyprian to pray for you if are a convert to Christianity, since he converted to Christianity during his adulthood. Or you can ask him to pray for a Christian convert whom you know. 

You can pray the St. Cyprian Novena for any intention!