Novenas.

[Nelka]

Do they always have to be said in nine consecutive days or could they be said in nine consecutive hours in one day?

Would this make much of a difference?

Thanks.

 

[Dorothy]

Do they always have to be said in nine consecutive days or could they be said in nine consecutive hours in one day?

Would this make much of a difference?

Thanks.

It’s not set in stone how we should pray. That said, I recently twice did such a novena in one day. It was the Memorare, 9 x throughout the day.

 

[IrishAm]

As a private devotion, it is your commitment to make however you wish to do so. Nine is just the number of repetitions (hence the name “novena”). It is no less and no more a “novena” if it is faithfully and sincerely done in nine minutes, nine hours, nine days, nine weeks, nine months, or nine years. Right now, I’m in the middle of two novenas being done once a day over nine days – one for the Immaculate Conception which will end Wednesday and one for St. Lucy which I just began in advance of her feast day.

 

[Skipper350]

As others have said, it’s tradition and custom as I understand it, not something the Church requires or sets out rules for.

However, that being said, I’ve found novenas to be very powerful prayers and have done them in the traditional nine-day form.

Most importantly, KEEP PRAYING!