St. Roque Novena

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St. Roque was a martyr from Paraguay who lived in the 1500s-1600s. He was one of the earliest martyrs from the Americas to be beatified! He was also a Jesuit priest.

St. Roque was the first missionary to preach among the Guarani people of Paraguay. 

You can use this novena to ask for intercession from this holy missionary priest!

About St. Roque

St. Roque was born as Roque González y de Santa Cruz in 1576 in Asunsion, Paraguay. His parents were Spanish colonists who were members of the nobility. 

As a young child, Roque learned to speak Guarani, the language of the large native population near his home. Roque was also particularly pious and holy boy. Those who knew him assumed he would become a priest, but he felt himself unworthy of the priesthood.

Despite his feelings of unworthiness, Roque reluctantly pursued the priesthood. He was ordained at age twenty-three, and he began serving as a diocesan priest. He worked among the native people of Paraguay for ten years, traveling to remote places in order to preach to them. 

Then, he joined the Jesuits because he wanted to avoid promotion to a higher ecclesiastical office and wanted more opportunities for mission work.

As a member of the Jesuits, Roque was influential in the establishment of the “Reductions” in Paraguay. These were institutions for Christian natives, run by Jesuits as their guardians, unlike the other Spaniards who conquered natives and acted as their bosses. 

Roque worked for almost twenty years to help these institutions flourish. He endured many hardships and dangers in his work, as he encountered unresponsive tribes and opposition from European colonists. 

Despite the difficulties he encountered, Roque threw himself into his work. He spent three years in charge of the Reduction of St. Ignatius, which was the first Reduction. Then he spent many years working to establish six other Reductions. 

When Father Roque was joined by two other young Jesuits, he worked with them to establish a Reduction near the Ijuhi river in honor of Mary’s Assumption. Then they established the All Saints’ Reduction at the southern tip of what is now Brazil. 

After Father Roque and his companions had some conflict with a local chieftain and sorcerer, a powerful medicine man then led an attack against the All Saints’ Reduction. Roque was preparing to hang a new church bell when an attacker stealthily came upon him and killed him with a tomahawk. Father Roques’ companions Father Alonso Rodrigues and Father Juan de Castillo were also killed.

The cause of these priests’ canonization was begun just months after their death, but the documents containing details of their work and death were lost for many years. These documents were found many years later, and the three priests were canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988.

St. Roque’s Feast Day: November 17th

Why Pray the St. Roque Novena?

St. Roque is the patron saint of Posadas, Argentina and of Encarnacion, Paraguay. So you can definitely seek his prayers if you live in one of these cities, or for someone you know who lives there.

St. Roque is also a great saint to seek intercession from if you are considering mission work or joining the Jesuit religious order, since he spent much of his life working as a missionary and was a Jesuit priest. Or you can ask for his prayers on behalf of someone else who is a missionary, or for a particular member of the Jesuits.

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

St. Roque Novena Prayers

St. Roque 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 Your servant, St. Roque, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the openness to Your will he showed in choosing to become a priest.

St. Roque, you were particularly pious and holy as a boy. Those who knew you assumed that you would become a priest. You longed to serve God, but you felt yourself unworthy to become a priest.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you longed to serve!

You came to see that, though you felt unworthy, God was calling you to serve Him as a priest. Once you were ordained, you wholeheartedly carried out the duties of your vocation.

Pray for me, that I may be open to God’s will in my life. Pray that I may always be ready to do what He calls me to.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Roque, pray for us!

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

Amen.

St. Roque 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 Your servant, St. Roque, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to serve You as a Jesuit.

St. Roque, you longed to serve God as a missionary priest. Knowing that you would be able to pursue mission work as a member of the Jesuits, you eagerly entered the Jesuit religious order.

Please bring my petitions before the throne of God!

You worked closely with your brother Jesuit priests to do good work among the native people of Paraguay. You and your brother Jesuits worked to establish Reductions to care for your flock and help bring them to God.

Pray for me, that I may serve God as eagerly as you did. Pray that I may always seek to bring others in my life to God whenever I can.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Roque, pray for us!

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

Amen.

St. Roque 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 Your servant, St. Roque, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his faithful service as a priest.

St. Roque, you did not feel worthy to be ordained as a priest. But despite the doubts you had in yourself, you followed God’s call and faithfully submitted yourself to His will. 

Please be faithful in bringing my petitions before God!

Throughout your many years as a priest, you dedicated yourself to work among the natives of Paraguay. You preached to them, ministered, and did all you could to bring your flock closer to God.

Pray for me, that I may serve God in whatever ways He calls me to. Pray that I may carry out the duties of my vocation as faithfully as you did.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Roque, pray for us!

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

Amen.

St. Roque 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 Your servant, St. Roque, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in working tirelessly to bring souls to You.

St. Roque, you dedicated years of your life to working among the native people of Paraguay. You traveled to remote places to preach to them, and you sought the opportunity to devote yourself more deeply to this missionary work.

Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so zealously!

You worked for many years to help establish Reductions, in order to better minister to those in your care. 

Pray for me, that I may be as dedicated to bringing souls to God as you were. Pray that I may always be eager to preach the Gospel to others in my life.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Roque, pray for us!

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

Amen.

St. Roque 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 Your servant, St. Roque, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed by persevering in his duties and his Faith amidst many trials.

St. Roque, you spent years of your life in service to the native people of Paraguay. Your work among them was not easy, but you remained faithful despite the many hardships you encountered.

Please be faithful in continuing to bring my petitions before God!

Throughout your years of missionary work, you were met with many difficulties. You found some tribes to be unresponsive, and you even faced opposition from European colonists. 

Pray for me, that I may be as faithful as you were when I encounter difficulties in my life. Pray that I may never allow hardship to deter me from serving God.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Roque, pray for us!

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

Amen.

St. Roque 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 Your servant, St. Roque, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his tireless quest to bring others to conversion.

St. Roque, you sought ways to work as a missionary from early on in your time as a priest. You entered the Jesuit religious order so that you might do more missionary work.

Please continue to bring my petitions before God!

You wholeheartedly dedicated your life to the mission of service and evangelization. You worked with your brother Jesuits to minister to the native people of Paraguay and to do all you could to bring souls to God. 

Pray for me, that I may eager to bring others to conversion in my life. Pray that I may always be ready to serve God through preaching and service to others.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Roque, pray for us!

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

Amen.

St. Roque 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 Your servant, St. Roque, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in remaining faithful to You despite many sufferings.

St. Roque, your mission work among the native people of Paraguay was not easy. You endured many hardships, but you remained faithful in your mission of ministering and preaching to your people.

Please remain faithful in bringing my petitions before God!

The difficulties and opposition you faced became much worse when local tribe leaders began to attack you and your brother Jesuits. You ultimately died at the hands of these hostile leaders, because of your Faith.

Pray for me, that I may be steadfast and courageous in my Faith, no matter what difficulties I may face. Pray that I may never allow hardships to deter me from serving God.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Roque, pray for us!

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

Amen.

St. Roque 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 Your servant, St. Roque, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in devoting his life to charitable service for the love of You.

St. Roque, you devoted your life to mission work among the native people of Paraguay. You worked diligently with your brother Jesuits to establish Reductions, in order to better care for your people.

Please be diligent in bringing my petitions before God!

You did all that you could to minister to your people both physically and spiritually. You were faithful to this charitable mission throughout your whole life.

Pray for me, that I may always seek opportunities to minister to others in my life, for the love of God. Pray that I may be open to the opportunity to serve others when God calls me to.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Roque, pray for us!

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

Amen.

St. Roque 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 Your servant, St. Roque, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to dedicate his life to Your Church as a priest and a missionary.

St. Roque, you answered the call to serve God as a priest and a missionary in your life. You were faithful to the duties of this vocation throughout your whole life.

Please be faithful in continuing to bring my petitions before God!

You worked diligently with your brother Jesuits to bring souls to God, preaching and ministering to the people of Paraguay for many years. You ultimately died because of your Faith and your service to God and His Church.

Pray for me, that I may faithfully answer the call to serve God in my own life. Pray that I may always be ready to do what I can to strengthen His Church.

Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).

St. Roque, pray for us!

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

Amen.