The term “novena” comes from the Latin word for “nine”. In the history of Christianity, novenas have been offered traditionally as nine days of prayer prior to a great feast day, or for any special intention.

In fact, Our Lady made the Church’s first novena when she waited in prayer for nine days for the promise of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (the tenth day!).

That promise is especially true for Catholics today as we galvanize around this mission and methodology to shift from a passive voice to a united and active voice. Novenas are a most effective way to draw the Church into prayer.