Question on Novenas

[BonSecours]

I’ve been thinking of doing a novena, and I wanted to do one leading up to a saint’s feast day. I figured since St. Agnes’ feast day is coming up I’d do one to her, but I’ve been unable to find an official St. Agnes novena. I was wondering if it would count if I said the same prayer to her for nine days along with an Our Father, Glory Be, and Hail Mary it would count. In other words, is it acceptable to use my own series of prayers as a novena as long as the intent of growing in my faith and devotion to Christ is there, or do only official novenas count?

 

[105lynne]

I don’t think it matters. As long as you do it for 9 days (you can also do some once an hour for 9 hours). There’s a St. Therese novena that I do often. In the novena instructions, it says to say a certain part of the novena before 11am. I am so absent minded that I rarely (if ever) say it before 11am. But this novena promises that you’ll receive a rose from St. Therese as a sign that she’s heard the prayers. I’ve received roses from her many times without following the instructions to a tee. It’s the devotion that’s important, in my opinion. And I see nothing wrong with making your own personal novena, provided that you always add that you want God’s will to be done in the end. I always pray that, if God’s will isn’t what I had in mind for my personal intention, the saint will pray that I am able to accept His divine will with grace, patience and humility.

 

[choliks]

Someone may bash my head with my suggestion. Have you tried formulating your own novena based on or patterned after existing ones? You can have your priest check it for you if you doubt the orthodoxy of your prayers.