Novenas and Saints

[mVitus]

Two prayer questions.

1: How do you pray a novena? I realize there’s a special prayer, but do you pray just that or is it incorporated into the rosary?

2: I’ve never really done much prayer to saints, though I want to start doing so. The part that feels awkward though is that while I understand praying to a saint doesn’t diminish from God and it’s asking for intercession, not putting your faith in the saint and not God, but I’m trying to think of how I would start that prayer. Do you guys start out with "I ask for the intercession of [insert saint] or do you just talk to the saint like you’d talk to God?

 

[pianistclare]

Just google “Saint so-and so Novena prayers”.

A Novena generally means, praying a particular set of prayers for the intercession of a particular saint fro 9 days,
Some are 9 consecutive hours, but the 9 days ones are more common.
Novenas do not necessarily have to be prayed in conjunction with a rosary.
Here is an example of each:
without rosary
desatadora.com.ar/novena-i.htm

WITH rosary

theholyrosary.org/maryundoerknots
Other common popular Novenas are ones to St. Jude, St. Rita, St. Theresa of Calcutta, St. Therese of Liseux

 

[oldgraymare2]

Two prayer questions.

1: How do you pray a novena? I realize there’s a special prayer, but do you pray just that or is it incorporated into the rosary?

2: I’ve never really done much prayer to saints, though I want to start doing so. The part that feels awkward though is that while I understand praying to a saint doesn’t diminish from God and it’s asking for intercession, not putting your faith in the saint and not God, but I’m trying to think of how I would start that prayer. Do you guys start out with "I ask for the intercession of [insert saint] or do you just talk to the saint like you’d talk to God?

Hi mVitus.

Welcome to the forum.

When I pray to the saints and ask them for help, I will do both like you asked in your question #2.

I may not even pray to them in a Novena prayer, but may just ask them directly for help.

I will say something like, “St. Rita, I am coming to you today to ask for your help and your intercession because you are known as the saint of impossible causes. I am asking for your help with_____. Thank you for hearing my petition, and for coming to my assistance.”

 

[mVitus]

Thanks for the answers. (I’ll have to do research into novenas some time now.) By the way, I recently read the prayer from the Empty Purgatory Group, but do you guys have any tips on if there’s a specific person I want to pray for? (Such as at a funeral or for a family member that’s passed.)

 

[Anne1964]

When I pray for someone who is recently deceased or at a funeral my prayer goes something like this:

“My Lord, I pray that you met Jane Doe with open arms at the gates of heaven and ushered her inside to eternal bliss.”