St. John of the Cross Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. John of the Cross was a Carmelite priest who lived in Spain during the 1500s. He was important in the Counter-Reformation in Spain. He also became a Doctor of the Church.
St. John of the Cross is particularly well-known for his mystical writings on the spiritual life. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy priest in your life!
About St. John of the Cross
St. John of the Cross was born in 1542 in Avila, Spain. His father came from a wealthy family, but his father married a very poor woman so the family disowned them. John grew up in poverty and suffered a lot.
When John was three years old, his father died. John’s older brother died soon after, probably due to malnutrition. John was sent to a boarding school for poor children. He was educated in religion from a young age.
John was inclined to holy pursuits in his youth, serving as an acolyte and working in a hospital. In 1563, he entered the Carmelite religious order. He began studying theology and philosophy at a university.
John was ordained a priest in 1567. He considered leaving the Carmelites in order to follow the strict asceticism of the Carthusians. But then he met St. Teresa of Avila who was working to reform the Carmelites and bring them back to their former austerity.
John became Teresa’s spiritual director and confessor. He joined in her efforts at reform of the Carmelite order. While John was in Avila, he had a vision of Christ looking down from the cross. John drew an image of this vision, and it has been preserved in the centuries since then.
Beginning around the year 1575, the conflict between the reforming Carmelites (known as Discalced Carmelites) and the ordinary Carmelites began to grow. In 1577, John was ordered to leave the new monastery where he resided in Avila. Because the Papal Nuncio, who had higher authority, had already approved John’s reform work, John ignored the order to leave and stayed in Avila.
Soon, a group of Carmelites kidnapped John and brought him to the main Carmelite house in Toledo. He was given a trial and found guilty of disobedience. As punishment, he was imprisoned in a tiny cell, given only bread, water, and occasionally tiny bits of fish. He was publicly whipped once each week.
During his imprisonment, John passed the time writing religious poetry on paper that a sympathetic friar smuggled to him. He was known after his death as a talented and influential poet.
After nine months of imprisonment, John was able to escape. He had to spend six weeks in the hospital to recover.
In 1580, Pope Gregory approved the split of the Carmelite order so that the Discalced Carmelites were no longer under the authority of the ordinary Carmelites.
Near the end of his life, John traveled across Spain, establishing new Discalced Carmelite houses.
In 1591, John contracted a skin disease and an infection. He died that December.
St. John of the Cross’ Feast Day: December 14th
Why Pray the St. John of the Cross Novena?
St. John of the Cross is the patron saint of contemplative life. You can seek his prayers if you are discerning a vocation to the contemplative life. You can also ask him to pray for a contemplative whom you know.
St. John of the Cross is also the patron saint of Spanish poets. You can ask him to pray for you if you are a Spanish poet. You can also ask him to pray for a Spanish poet whom you know.
Additionally, St. John of the Cross is a great saint to seek prayers from if you are discerning a vocation to the Discalced Carmelites, since he was one of the founders of the Discalced Carmelites.
You can pray the St. John of the Cross Novena for any intention!
St. John of the Cross Novena Prayers
St. John of the Cross 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. John of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed from the time he was a child.
St. John of the Cross, as you grew up in poverty with your family members, you began on the path to holiness. You continued seeking to serve God throughout the rest of your life.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you sought to serve!
You began holy pursuits in your youth, serving as an acolyte and working in a hospital. As you grew to adulthood, you chose to devote your life to God wholeheartedly in a religious vocation.
Pray for me, that I may be as eager to serve God as you were. Pray that I may be open to devoting my life to God in whatever ways He might call me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. John of the Cross 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. John of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed from the time of his povertous childhood.
St. John of the Cross, you suffered greatly during your childhood because your family was very poor. Despite this suffering, you embarked eagerly on the path to holiness and service to God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so eagerly!
Despite your poverty, you were instructed in the Faith and given the opportunity to pursue God’s will for you. You did all you could to serve God well for the rest of your life.
Pray for me, that I may do all I can to serve God well in my life. Pray that I may be eager to follow God’s will for me.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. John of the Cross 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. John of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to serve You as a priest and a religious.
St. John of the Cross, you chose to enter the Carmelite religious order as a young man. Then, you began studying for the priesthood and were ordained soon after.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You entered into religious life and the priesthood wholeheartedly. You did all you could to serve God in your vocation and to help other Carmelites by working for reform in the order.
Pray for me, that I may always be open to serving God in whatever ways He might call me to. Pray that I may be eager to follow God’s call in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. John of the Cross 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. John of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in seeking to bring the Carmelite order back to its former austerity.
St. John of the Cross, you considered leaving the Carmelite order because of the lack of penitential practices. But together with St. Teresa of Avila, you worked to bring the order back to a deeper asceticism, out of love for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved so dearly!
You encountered a lot of difficulty in your work of reform, but you continued in your work and did all you could to serve God well.
Pray for me, that I may grow in a spirit of holy penance. Pray that I may never shirk from the call to live penitentially.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. John of the Cross 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. John of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his efforts to bring about reform in the Church and the Carmelite order.
St. John of the Cross, you were instrumental for the Counter-Reformation in Spain. You knew that there were many aspects of the Church that needed reform, and you worked diligently for reform out of love for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved with such devotion!
Your work of reform in the Carmelite religious order brought you a lot of suffering. Despite your sufferings, you persevered in your holy work.
Pray for me, that I may always do what I can to bring others to holiness. Pray that I may always seek to serve God to the best of my ability, no matter the cost.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. John of the Cross 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. John of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed by persevering in his holy service despite the sufferings of false accusation and imprisonment.
St. John of the Cross, you were devoted to the work of holy reform in the Carmelite order. Despite many trials and sufferings, you persevered in this work out of love for God.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
Though you were being obedient to the higher authority, your fellow Carmelites accused you of disobedience and punished you severely. Despite your sufferings, you continued serving God.
Pray for me, that I may never allow sufferings to deter me from serving God. Pray that I may be eager to carry out God’s will for me, no matter the cost.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. John of the Cross 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. John of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed by persevering in his Faith and devotion despite many sufferings at the hands of his fellow Carmelites.
St. John of the Cross, you were falsely accused of disobedience and were punished severely for this crime. You suffered greatly, but you continued striving to serve God.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You were imprisoned, starved, and whipped, but you never became discouraged. Instead, you persevered in your Faith and devoted yourself more intensely to prayer.
Pray for me, that I may always persevere in my Faith, no matter what difficulties I might face. Pray that I may never allow obstacles or trials to rob me of hope.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. John of the Cross 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. John of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed through his years of devotion as a Discalced Carmelite.
St. John of the Cross, you saw that the Carmelite religious order was in great need of reform. Together with St. Teresa of Avila, you worked to bring about the Discalced Carmelite order, out of love for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved so deeply!
You faced many difficulties and sufferings on account of your work. Despite these trials, you persevered in serving God and working to reform the Carmelites.
Pray for me, that I may be as devoted a servant of God as you were. Pray that I may never waver in my devotion to God, no matter what trials I might face.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. John of the Cross 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. John of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed through his many years of service to Your Church.
St. John of the Cross, you chose to devote your life to God and His Church from a young age. You became a Carmelite priest, and you continued working to serve God for the rest of your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God Whom you served with such devotion!
You were instrumental in the Counter-Reformation in Spain. Despite many sufferings, you persevered in your work for the Church throughout many years.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God and His Church. Pray that I may always answer God’s call in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.