Why do we Pray a Novena?

Why Do We Pray a Novena?

At its most basic, a novena is nine days of faithfully bringing an intention before God. A Carmelite novena means remaining with God around that intention, often with Mary or a Carmelite saint as a companion, until we become more receptive not only to the answer we desire, but also to the presence and transformation God offers.

The Order’s international website connects this practice with the Apostles and Mary praying together between the Ascension and Pentecost. It presents that period as a time of waiting, asking and preparing to receive the Holy Spirit—and as an appropriate model for preparing for the coming of the Holy Spirit into our own lives.

Novenas can take many forms. They may focus on preparation for a feast, petition or intercession, communal solidarity, remembrance and mourning, or spiritual formation. A novena is therefore not merely saying the same words nine times. It is a structured period during which an intention is held faithfully before God and allowed to become part of a larger spiritual journey. It teaches us to persevere in prayer rather than treating prayer as a single, hurried request. It also creates time for reflection, silence and openness to God’s response.

An important part of the Carmelite tradition is understanding prayer as slowing down, reflecting and listening to the Lord. Speaking specifically about the Saint Thérèse Novena Rose Prayer, Father Tom Schrader, O.Carm., explains that its simplicity provides a way for us to speak our hearts and intentions—to Thérèse and, ultimately, to the Lord.

There are several important features of a novena. First, the prayer is persistent rather than momentary, we return to the prayer and the intention each day for nine days. Second, a novena can be communal rather than merely private. A novena may be prayed privately, with family or friends, or as part of a group, but When many people pray the same novena during the same period, each person is praying privately while also participating in a larger community of prayer. That is important to recognize… this sense of praying as part of a larger community, that you are praying in unity with all the Carmelites praying that same Novena. And, using the Ascension and Pentecost example from above, the Saint is present as a member of the praying community, waiting and praying with the disciples as they prepare together to receive the Holy Spirit.

With the feast of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux rapidly approaching, we will soon begin praying the Novena to Saint Thérèse. The novena offered through the Carmelite Institute of North America’s website actually includes ten days because it concludes with an additional reflection on the feast day itself. And, for the first time, this year’s novena will be available in both English and Spanish, with the Spanish reflections presented by young adults from the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Joliet, Illinois, JUCAR group. We will share some of that novena here in Carmelite Review and we encourage you to visit the Carmelite Institute of North America’s website to continue praying the full novena with. The 10 Day CINA Thérèse Novena was originally Scripted by Fr. Christopher LaRocca, OCD, in September 2020.