How do you pray a novena? The word “Novena” comes from the Latin word “novem” which means nine. So, a novena is usually said for nine consecutive days, most of the time in preparation for a great feast day or for a special prayer request or need.
However, a novena can also be extended for nine weeks, and each day of the Novena is said on any day depending on when the day of a particular saint or devotion falls. For example, Wednesday is the day traditionally associated with devotions to Saint Joseph, so a weekly novena is generally held in his honor on Wednesdays.
Some novenas also span nine months, and each day of the novena is celebrated on the first Friday. Likewise, there is a novena every hour that is prayed for nine consecutive hours as the Novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague.
There are also novenas that are not limited to 9 hours, days, weeks or months. Some are novenas of 30 days like the novena of 30 days to San José.
Say novenas is derived from the Holy Scriptures. In Acts 1:14, Jesus told His disciples to pray together in the upper room for the apostles, our Blessed Mother, and other followers of Jesus to pray for nine consecutive days, ending with the Descent of the Holy Spirit or Pentecost.
Praying a novena is easy. Instructions are provided in novena prayer booklets and even online. Some are so simple that all you have to do is say a short prayer, mention your prayer intention, and pray it again the next day for up to nine days.
Other novenas contain long sentences. There is usually an opening prayer and a different prayer for each day or week of the novena. Some novenas also prescribe the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, and Glory Be a certain number of times.
So that everyone can learn to pray a novena. There are well-known novenas such as the Novena to the Mother of Perpetual Help and the Novena of the Sacred Heart. These novenas are known to be effective in getting prayer granted. But whatever novena you want to pray, pray from the heart. God sees what is inside our hearts and answers prayers according to His will.
