The St. Andrew’s Novena—which begins on this Apostle’s feast day—consists of a short, beautiful prayer that is recited fifteen times a day in honor of Our Lord’s Nativity.
It is not a novena in the literal sense of the word, because it lasts much longer than nine days—beginning on November 30th and finishing on Christmas Eve, which makes it 25 days long. (If you’re a numbers person, that means this novena prayer is recited a total of 375 times!)
The tradition is of uncertain origin, but possibly began in Ireland about a century ago and has become immensely popular.
Like most novenas, it is not only a sincere act of devotion, but also a way to offer God the intentions that are close to your heart. It is piously believed that those who pray this novena faithfully will receive what they ask.
The prayer is as follows:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.
You can pray the fifteen iterations all at once, rosary-style, or you can break them up throughout the day.
Here at The Catholic Company, we offer a handcrafted bracelet to help you pray the St. Andrew’s Novena. Designed and made in-house, it consists of fifteen jade beads of vibrant purple, the color of Advent. It also comes with a prayer card featuring the novena prayer. Order yours today and make this your new favorite Advent tradition!
