What is a Novena?

A novena is a traditional Catholic devotion. It is a nine-day series of prayers and reflections leading up to a major celebration on the Church’s liturgical calendar or the feast day of a particular saint. The word "novena" originates from novem, the Latin word for nine.

Novenas are part of an ancient tradition that goes back to the days of the apostles. Jesus told His disciples to pray together in Jerusalem after His ascension into heaven, so they went to an upper room along with the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayed together for nine days. These nine days of prayer led up to Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples as tongues of fire.

We hope that praying this novena together as a community of faith will help us prepare to celebrate the feast of our patron saint, Rose Philippine Duchesne, on November 18th.