St. Mark Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark. Christian tradition holds that he learned the details of Our Lord’s life from St. Peter. St. Mark was also acquainted with St. Paul.
St. Mark suffered a brutal martyrdom for the Faith. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this courageous martyr!
About St. Mark
Little is known about the early life of St. Mark. He is referred to in the Acts of the Apostles as John Mark. His mother’s home in Jerusalem was a common meeting place for Christ’s Apostles. Colossians also tells us that he was a cousin of St. Barnabas.
During St. Paul’s first missionary journey to Antioch, Mark joined Paul and Barnabas. Mark left the group to return to Jerusalem when they reached Cyprus. This may have been because Mark missed his home.
Following Mark’s departure, Paul and Barnabas fell into disagreement. Paul refused to allow Mark to go with the two of them on the second missionary journey, possibly because of Mark’s earlier departure.
When Paul was later imprisoned in Rome, Colossians says that Mark was in Rome at the time and visited him. Paul refers to Mark at this time as one of his trusted companions, so any earlier conflict between the two of them must have been resolved.
When Paul was imprisoned a second time shortly before he was martyred, he wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy. He told Timothy to bring Mark with him to Rome because Mark was valuable in ministry. If Mark did indeed accompany Timothy to Rome, he would have been there during Paul’s martyrdom.
In the letter of St. Peter, Peter refers to Mark as his son. Several early Church historians, including St. Clement of Alexandria and St. Irenaeus, assert that Mark was St. Peter’s interpreter.
Early Church historian Papias says that Mark was not one of the Apostles and did not hear Jesus speak himself, but some believe that Mark was the young man in Gethsemani who ran off naked in Mark 14:51-52.
The Gospel of Mark was probably written around the year 60 or 70 A.D. It is believed that both Luke and Matthew made use of Mark’s Gospel as a source when they wrote their own Gospels.
It is probable that Mark was the first bishop of Alexandria in Egypt, as well as the founder of the Church in Alexandria. It is likely that Mark lived in Alexandria for many years, before he suffered martyrdom for the Faith. He was killed by being dragged through the streets.
St. Mark’s relics were stolen from Alexandria in 828. They were brought to Venice and are currently enshrined there in a cathedral that is dedicated to St. Mark.
St. Mark’s Feast Day: April 25th
Why Pray the St. Mark Novena?
St. Mark is the patron saint of notaries. You can ask him to pray for you if you are a notary, or you can ask him to pray for a notary whom you know.
St. Mark is also the patron saint of Venice. You can seek his intercession if you live in Venice or are planning to travel there. You can also ask him to pray for someone you know who lives in Venice or is planning to travel there.
Additionally, St. Mark is the patron saint of barristers. You can ask him to pray for you if you are a barrister, or you can ask him to pray for a barrister whom you know.
You can pray the St. Mark Novena for any intention!
St. Mark Novena Prayers
St. Mark 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. Mark as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in working as a missionary for Your Church.
St. Mark, we know from the Acts of the Apostles that you accompanied St. Paul on one of his missionary journeys. Though you probably found this lifestyle to be difficult, you continued to serve God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
Despite your departure from Paul’s missionary journey, you devoted the rest of your life to serving God and His Church. It is believed that you even established the Church in Alexandria.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God in my life. Pray that I may never miss the opportunity to preach the Good News to others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mark, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mark 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. Mark as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed throughout his years of service to Your Church and his fellow Christians.
St. Mark, you accompanied St. Paul on his first missionary journey. Though Paul was probably not pleased with your departure, you continued your holy friendship with him and remained a faithful friend in his time of need.
Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
Tradition says you were also a dear friend to St. Peter. You helped him in his work by serving as his interpreter, and he referred to you as his son.
Pray for me, that I may always embrace the holy friendships God puts into my life. Pray that I may see others in my life as the gift from God that they are.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mark, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mark 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. Mark as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in his faithful service to Your Church for many years.
St. Mark, you were eager to serve God and His Church after Christ’s Ascension. You accompanied St. Paul for a time to help him preach the Gospel. Though your departure from Paul led to conflict, you continued to serve God.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You did a lot of important work for the early Church. You wrote the earliest Gospel, and you established the Church in Alexandria.
Pray for me, that I may be as devoted a servant of Christ’s Church as you were. Pray that I may always be eager to do whatever I can to serve God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mark, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mark 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. Mark as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in his cooperation with the Holy Spirit to write his Gospel.
St. Mark, you may not have heard Jesus speak firsthand during His life. But you cooperated with the Holy Spirit and sought help from others to faithfully record the events of Christ’s life.
Please be faithful in bringing my petitions before the throne of God!
Your Gospel helped serve as a source for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Because of your cooperation with the Holy Spirit, countless people have been able to grow closer to God and to learn more about Our Lord.
Pray for me, that I may always strive to do God’s will in my life. Pray that I may always be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mark, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mark 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. Mark as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed by visiting St. Paul while he was in prison.
St. Mark, you traveled with St. Paul during his first missionary journey. When Paul was imprisoned in Rome, you visited him. He called you one of his trusted companions, and you were a faithful friend to him.
Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
St. Paul later told Timothy to bring you to Rome because you were useful in ministry. You showed yourself to be a worthy companion and preacher of the Gospel.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to do all I can to preach the Good News to others. Pray that I may be open to God’s will in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mark, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mark 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. Mark as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in his years of service to Your Church.
St. Mark, you spent many years working to preach the Gospel. You cooperated with the Holy Spirit to record the details of Jesus’ life. You continued your holy work for the Church for the rest of your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
It is probable that you were the first bishop of Alexandria and the founder of the Church in Alexandria. You eventually gave up your life as a martyr for the Faith.
Pray for me, that I may be as devoted a servant of God and His Church as you were. Pray that I may always be open to following God’s call in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mark, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mark 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. Mark as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in holding fast to his Faith to the point of death.
St. Mark, you must have known that your commitment to the Church could eventually lead to your martyrdom at the hands of the Church’s enemies. Despite the threat of death for your Faith, you persevered in serving God.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before the throne of God!
You served the Church faithfully for many years, before you were ultimately killed for your Faith by being dragged through the streets.
Pray for me, that I may always be steadfast in my Faith no matter the cost. Pray that I may be ready even to die for my Faith if necessary.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mark, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mark 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. Mark as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in courageously choosing to give up his life for the Faith.
St. Mark, we know that you were probably the first bishop of Alexandria and the founder of the Church in Alexandria. After you devoted many years of your life to this service to the Church, you courageously chose to give your life up for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so devotedly!
Though few details of your death are known for certain, it is believed that you were dragged through the streets to be killed. Despite your sufferings, you held fast courageously to your Faith.
Pray for me, that I may always be courageous in practicing my Faith. Pray that I may always hold fast to my Faith, no matter the cost.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mark, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mark 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. Mark as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in devoting his life to serving Your Church.
St. Mark, you spent a lot of your life preaching and serving the early Church. Then, you cooperated with the Holy Spirit to write about Christ’s life in your Gospel.
Please bring my petitions before God Whose Church you served so faithfully!
You spent the later years of your life in Alexandria. It is believed that you were Alexandria’s first bishop and that you established the Church there. Ultimately, you gave up your life for God and His Church.
Pray for me, that I may be as faithful a servant of God’s Church as you were. Pray that I may always answer God’s call to serve Him.
Let’s also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Mark, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.