September Novenas

Novenas to Pray This September

September is a beautiful month to renew our prayer life. Traditionally, the month is especially associated with Our Lady of Sorrows, inviting us to stand with Our Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross and learn from her faith, courage, and complete trust in God.

It is also filled with wonderful feast days that give us opportunities to turn to the saints for their intercession.

If you have never prayed a novena before, September is a wonderful month to begin.

What Is a Novena?

A novena is traditionally nine days of prayer offered for a particular intention or in preparation for a feast.

You might pray for your family, a marriage, healing, conversion, employment, a difficult decision, a deceased loved one, our parish, or simply for the grace to grow closer to God.

A novena isn't a guarantee that God will give us exactly what we request. Rather, it teaches us to persevere in prayer while surrendering the outcome to His Providence.

Bring Him your intention—and then trust Him with it.

Our Lady of Sorrows Novena

Begin: September 6
Feast: September 15

If you pray only one special devotion this September, consider making it one to Our Lady of Sorrows.

Mary understands what it means to love deeply and suffer deeply. She remained faithful through the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, losing the Child Jesus, meeting Our Lord on the road to Calvary, His Crucifixion and death, receiving His Body from the Cross, and His burial.

Bring Our Lady the crosses you are carrying.

Ask her to help you remain beside Jesus when life does not make sense.

A beautiful addition to this novena is praying the Seven Sorrows Rosary during September.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.

Novena for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Begin: September 5
Feast: September 14

The world tells us to avoid every cross. Christianity teaches us something much deeper: when our crosses are united to Christ, suffering can have meaning.

This novena is especially beautiful for anyone carrying a heavy cross—illness, grief, family difficulties, uncertainty, loneliness, or an intention that has remained unanswered for a long time.

Ask Jesus for the grace not simply to have the cross removed, but to carry whatever He permits with faith.

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

St. Padre Pio Novena

Begin: September 14
Feast: September 23

St. Padre Pio is a wonderful intercessor for those seeking healing, conversion, perseverance, a good Confession, and help during suffering.

He understood suffering intimately, yet continually directed souls toward prayer, the Holy Mass, Confession, Our Lady, and confidence in God.

September is a wonderful time to bring him the intention that has been weighing heavily on your heart.

And remember his famous encouragement:

“Pray, hope, and don't worry.”

St. Padre Pio, pray for us.

Mary, Undoer of Knots Novena

Begin: September 19
Feast: September 28

September is also a beautiful month to turn to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, especially when there is something in our lives that we simply cannot seem to untangle ourselves.

The “knots” in our lives may be strained relationships, family difficulties, financial worries, problems at work, fear about the future, spiritual struggles, resentment, unanswered prayers, or circumstances that seem completely stuck.

Instead of pulling harder at the knot ourselves, we can place it into the hands of Our Blessed Mother and ask her to bring it to her Son.

Choose one particular knot and entrust it to Our Lady for nine days.

You might simply pray:

“Mary, Undoer of Knots, I place this knot into your hands. I cannot untangle it on my own. Take it to Jesus and obtain for me the grace to trust His will completely.”

This devotion is not about demanding a particular outcome. Sometimes God unties the knot by changing our circumstances. Sometimes He changes another person's heart. And sometimes He begins by changing our own heart.

The important thing is to stop trying to control every detail and begin surrendering it to God.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for us.
Untie the knots that keep us from Jesus and teach us to trust Him completely. Amen.

St. Michael and the Holy Archangels Novena

Begin: September 20
Feast: September 29

Every family should be asking for Heaven's protection.

The days leading to the feast of St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael are a wonderful opportunity to pray especially for protection from evil and temptation.

Pray for your home.

Pray for your children.

Pray for priests.

Pray for the Church.

Pray for those struggling spiritually.

And ask St. Michael to defend your family in the spiritual battles you cannot see.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena

Begin: September 22
Feast: October 1

We begin this novena in September even though St. Thérèse's feast falls on October 1.

Choose a particular intention and bring it to the Little Flower.

St. Thérèse teaches us that holiness is often found in very ordinary things: doing our work well, being patient with difficult people, making small sacrifices, forgiving quickly, and performing little acts with tremendous love.

Many Catholics also associate devotion to St. Thérèse with receiving a rose as a little encouragement or reminder of her promised intercession. We shouldn't treat such signs as guarantees, but they can beautifully remind us to keep trusting God's Providence.

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, pray for us.

Choose One and Begin

You don't have to pray every novena this month.

Choose one.

Choose an intention.

Set aside a few quiet minutes each day.

And keep showing up for nine days.

Perhaps September is the month to pray for someone else rather than yourself—a spouse, child, priest, friend, someone who has fallen away from the Faith, or even someone with whom you are struggling.

You may not see what your prayers are accomplishing.

Pray anyway.

God hears every prayer.

And when the novena is finished, instead of immediately wondering whether your prayer “worked,” simply say:

“Jesus, I have placed this intention in Your hands. Thy will be done. I trust in You.”

September Prayer Intention

This month, let us also remember St. Catherine of Siena Chapel and our restoration project in our novenas. As construction moves forward, may God bless and protect everyone involved, provide for the needs of the restoration, and allow this church to become a beautiful home of prayer for generations to come.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us.
St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us.