Novena to St Benedict

Prayer to Saint Benedict

Detail – Glory of the New Born Christ in presence of God Father and the Holy Spirit (Annakirche, Vienna). Adam and Eve are represented below Jesus Christ Ceiling painting made by Daniel Gran (1694-1757).

Father, you revealed in Benedict your desire to live and die in grace that transcends all earthly cares; listen to our supplications as we strive toward salvation.

Benedict, blessed in name and grace, lived a holy life; may we follow worthily in his footsteps by praying and working to glorify you.

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

Benedict, desiring to please you alone, left home and patrimony to found his religious family; may we live in peace in his family to add luster to your monastic way of life.

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

Benedict withdrew from the world, knowingly unacquainted with its ways, and wisely unlearned in its wisdom; may we learn your wisdom, and guide our actions by it.

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

Benedict, filled with the spirit of all the just, left us a rule of life in Christ; may we remain faithful to his teaching and come to prefer nothing whatsoever to Christ.

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

Benedict, the patron of a happy death, showed us how to live in order to die in you; may he obtain this reward from you for each of us.

Holy father Benedict, pray for us.

Through Christ our Lord.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 9

The order of prayer

Let us rejoice in the Lord, celebrating the memory of the holy abbot, Benedict. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 9

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, You freed the man of God, Benedict, from the prison of the flesh and bore him up to heaven to enjoy the vision of Your glory. Grant us, through his merits, the spirit of penance, forgiveness of our sins, so that we may one day share the joys of eternal life with him and all the saints. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 8

The order of prayer

Those who offered him food for his body received from his lips the Word of God, the food of life. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 19: 1-7

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Lord God, it is Your will that the whole world look to You for salvation and deliverance from the slavery of sin. Grant us a sense of mission, such as Saint Benedict had, and fill us with an apostolic spirit that we may, by the example of our life, help to draw others to You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 7

The order of prayer

The holy monk Benedict could not have lived differently from what he taught. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 34: 11-16

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God of wisdom and of counsel, raise up in Your Church the Spirit which guided the man of God, Benedict, so that, filled with that same Holy Spirit, we may seek to love what he did, and to practice what he taught. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 6

The order of prayer

By the light of contemplation his spirit was lift heavenward. (antiphon)

Pray Luke 1:68-75

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

All-seeing and all-knowing God, grant us the gift of holy contemplation, so that we may see and understand life on this earth as You see it, and as Saint Benedict describes it in his Rule for all who seek God. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 5

The order of prayer

No one can work these signs, unless God be with him. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 96:1-16

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God of power and might, You have shown forth Your goodness by the many miracles which You wrought through Your holy servant Benedict. Grant us the final grace of eternal blessedness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 4

The order of prayer

A wise man’s teaching is a fountain of life (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 19:8-12

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God our Creator and supreme Legislator, You inspired Saint Benedict to compose a Christ-like rule of life, with the Gospel as his Rule, may we persevere to the end in keeping Your commandments. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 3

The order of prayer

I will make you a great nation, and will bless you; and you shall be blessed. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 23

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

God, our Father, may Saint Benedict be our special patron in heaven so that what we cannot achieve by our own merit, we may obtain through his merits and prayers and Your loving grace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 2

The order of prayer

The man of God, Benedict, forsook the glory of the world, for the Spirit of God was in him. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 15

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Mighty God, the source of all perfection, by the gift of Your grace, the blessed Benedict left all things that he might dedicate himself more fully to Your service for the salvation of the world. May all those, who strive to walk the path of perfection, not go astray, but run without stumbling and be rewarded by You with the gift eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena of Prayer to Saint Benedict, Day 1

Today begins nine days of prayer to Saint Benedict, ending at First Vespers of Saint Benedict’s Transitus (March 20). On March 21, many Benedictine monasteries around the world will observe the death of Benedict (+547) with solemnity, if you follow another liturgical calendar other than the Roman one, while other monasteries will celebrate July 11 as a feast, the translation of Benedict’s bones.

The order of prayer

There was a man of venerable Life, Benedict, blessed by God both in grace and in name. (antiphon)

Pray Psalm 1

The prayer of petition to Saint Benedict may be found here, and then pray the following prayer.

Let us pray.

Almighty and eternal God, may the example of blessed Benedict urge us to strive for holiness of life and, by celebrating his memory, may we be inspired to follow him in the spirit of his Rule. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.