How do you decide which version of a novena to pray?

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DisorientingSneeze

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How do you decide which version of any given novena to pray? I like the praymorenovenas website but I find their prayers differ from some of the other sources I see which also vary some.

I realize that if I had a book of them and wasn’t just relying on internet resources, I wouldn’t be burdened by choices.
 
I use the one that has wording which may speak to me more clearly if there are differing ones.

That said, I appreciate the daily reminders from praymorenovenas. 😊
 
I admit to having the same problem at times. I love the Pray More Novenas site and I have (almost) constantly something going on in my Pray Catholic Novenas app (Let’s face it, there’s just so much to pray about!) But I have noticed some differences. I’ve also noticed differences in chaplets. If I’m really concerned I will try to look something up on EWTN. I tend to go with whatever they say not so much as a matter of blind trust but because of a love for Mother Angelica☺. Other than that, I trust that since its a matter of love and devotion and not just repeating magic words that Jesus will understand.
 
I just pick the one I like better or that comes from the site I follow more.

I can’t keep up with all the stuff on PrayMoreNovenas so if I decide I’m going to do a novena it’s usually because I saw it on some order’s webpage or I decided to google one up from EWTN or something.

As for chaplets, it seems like every prayer group I join has a slightly different way of doing the Rosary and the Divine Mercy. I came up with my own way of doing each one, so if I’m not praying with the group I will always use my own way.
 
DisorientingSneeze said:
How do you decide which version of any given novena to pray? I like the praymorenovenas website but I find their prayers differ from some of the other sources I see which also vary some.

I realize that if I had a book of them and wasn’t just relying on internet resources, I wouldn’t be burdened by choices.
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If a novena is a private devotion, then it seems you could use any version you wish. I would look for some kind of ecclesiastical approbation, such as an imprimatur.
 
I think you have to pay or donate for them. So far I’m content with the unlocked ones.
 
If you can’t keep up with the prqymorenovenas emails, go to the link itself and use an app to save that page that you can still read even when offline. I have prayers and novenas on my phone using this method. So when i am outside in a place with no wifi, I can access the prayers I want.
 
The main thing is to pray faithfully.
Theformula is less important than the actual praying, with sincerity, trust, and faithfulness.
 
Trishie said:
The main thing is to pray faithfully.
Theformula is less important than the actual praying, with sincerity, trust, and faithfulness.
Click to expand...
I get distracted rather easily, so for me, sometimes it’s just easier to use some of the shorter prayers that are out there in terms of Novena prayers.

It’s just a personal preference for me.

Anyway…I do agree with you. 🙂

The important thing is that we just pray, and place our trust in the Lord. ❤️
 
Same for me ,I become easily distracted if they are too long…the long ones like St Joseph Holy Cloak is so very beautiful…I might pray it just a couple of times a year and usually make the mistake of saying it late at night ,tend to keep falling asleep .
Thre are so many to choose from,I imagine in the old old days people may have said a novena more associated with with the area and customs in which they lived ?
 
In the old days people had to rely on maybe one prayer book, if they were lucky enough to own one, and a novena that perhaps the priest or their grandma would give them.
We have rather a surfeit of riches when it comes to dialing up prayers online now.

Honestly I find so many of the saints fascinating, and due to the devotions I do, I discover a new saint every day. It would be nice to do a novena to them all, but it’s just not physically possible.

So I mostly just try to keep up my perpetual novena to St. Therese, and a few of the annual ones like Novena of the Holy Spirit, St. Andrew’s Novena which I didn’t get finished last year, and the Divine Mercy Novena. I may do a St. Jude novena soon because one of my churches keeps leaving dozens of copies of it in the vestibule.

Next year I want to do Holy Cloak of St. Joseph, this year I did some other novena to him during his month.
 
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In a way for myself that’s how I would like it to be…simple and prayed well,very well .
It overwhelms me a little ,so much choice and it forever growing …that I’m growing more interested in how my grandparents prayed ,their devotions and novenas …something I must ask my parents about soon.
 
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