Novenas (Catholic Prayer Tradition)

Definition

The novena is originally a Roman Catholic 9-day devotion, usually consisting of prayer to gain special favors or graces. As a public devotion, the novena is typically used for mourning or as spiritual preparation in advance of a saint’s festival day. Used privately, novenas are typically deployed in hope of attaining an urgent grace or favor or in thanks for a grace received. There may be considerable variation in their structure. Some novenas are prayed over 9 consecutive days, while others on the same day for 9 consecutive weeks (or some other periods that is a multiple of nine). A novena may likewise prescribe a single prayer to be repeated on each of its 9 days or may indicate a different prayer for each day.

The novena is likely historically related to the 9-day mourning period in Greek and Roman antiquity, which was adopted in early Christianity before being phased out in favor of a 7-day mourning period. As a popular devotion, the novena did not become common until...