The Holy Spirit Novena

The Holy Spirit Novena is the first and the foundational Catholic novena. Its origin is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus on the fortieth day after the Resurrection, the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary returned to the upper room in Jerusalem and waited in prayer for the promised gift of the Father, the Holy Spirit. "All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers" (Acts 1:14). They waited nine days. On the tenth day, the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended in tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4). Every Catholic novena since has been an imitation of these nine days.

Origin and history of the Holy Spirit Novena

The novena tradition in the Catholic Church takes its very name from the nine days the Apostles waited. The Latin novena (from novem, nine) was first applied to liturgical practice in the Western Church around the seventh century, in connection with funeral observances of nine days. The application of the novena form to other Catholic devotions developed gradually through the medieval period, but the Holy Spirit Novena always retained pride of place as the original.

The traditional time for praying the Holy Spirit Novena is in the nine days between Ascension Thursday and the Saturday before Pentecost Sunday. The dates shift each year with the moveable feast of Easter. In modern liturgical practice (with the celebration of the Ascension transferred to the following Sunday in many dioceses), the novena is often prayed in the nine days before Pentecost regardless of where the Ascension is observed. Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical Divinum Illud Munus (1897) urged the universal Catholic Church to renew the practice of praying this novena annually, and the tradition has continued in faithful Catholic households since.¹

Structure of the Holy Spirit Novena

Each day of the Holy Spirit Novena follows the same structure:

1. Opening invocation: the Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit), the traditional sequence of the Mass of Pentecost.
2. A meditation on one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (with two days devoted to broader themes of the Holy Spirit's work in the soul).
3. The petition: the specific intention for which the novena is being prayed, addressed to the Holy Spirit.
4. Closing prayers: the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be, prayed seven times in honor of the seven gifts.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, drawn from Isaiah 11:2-3 in the Catholic tradition, are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The Catechism of the Catholic Church treats them in paragraphs 1830-1831 as the dispositions of the Christian soul that make us responsive to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.

The seven days of meditation on the gifts plus two days of reflection on the broader work of the Spirit (the day of preparation and the day of confirmation in the Church) make up the nine days of the novena. The exact assignment of gifts to days varies in different Catholic devotional traditions; the structure used on this site assigns:

1. The work of the Holy Spirit in the Church
2. The Gift of Wisdom
3. The Gift of Understanding
4. The Gift of Counsel
5. The Gift of Fortitude
6. The Gift of Knowledge
7. The Gift of Piety
8. The Gift of Fear of the Lord
9. The fruits of the Spirit and Pentecost

When the Holy Spirit Novena is prayed

The Holy Spirit Novena is most commonly prayed:

• In the nine days between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost (the traditional original time, recorded in Acts 1:14 itself).
• Before Confirmation, by candidates preparing to receive the sacrament (the sacrament of the Holy Spirit), and by sponsors and family members supporting them in prayer.
• Before the beginning of an academic year, by students, teachers, and parents asking the Holy Spirit's gifts on the work of education.
• At the start of any major undertaking in which the gifts of the Holy Spirit (counsel, fortitude, wisdom) are needed.
• In any year and at any time for the renewal of one's own life in the Spirit and for the intentions of the universal Church.

Theological foundations

The Catholic doctrine of the Holy Spirit, definitively articulated at the First Council of Constantinople (381) in the addition to the Creed ("and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life..."), is the foundation of the novena. The Catechism of the Catholic Church treats the Person and work of the Holy Spirit in paragraphs 683 to 747. The seven gifts of the Spirit are treated at CCC 1830-1831; the twelve fruits of the Spirit (drawn from Galatians 5:22-23 in the Catholic enumeration: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity) at CCC 1832.²

The Holy Spirit's principal work in the soul is sanctification: the gradual conformation of the baptized Christian to the image of Christ through the increase of grace, the practice of the virtues, and the guidance of the gifts. The Holy Spirit Novena prays specifically for this sanctification, asking the Holy Spirit to renew in us each year what was given in the sacraments of initiation.

Pairing the Holy Spirit Novena with other prayers

Catholics commonly pair the Holy Spirit Novena with:

• The Holy Rosary, particularly the Glorious Mysteries which include the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as the third Glorious Mystery.
• The Apostles' Creed, the principal baptismal confession of the Holy Spirit's work.
• The Memorare and other Marian prayers (Mary was present in the upper room with the Apostles for the original novena and remains the mother of every disciple awaiting the Holy Spirit).

For broader theological context, see the Communion of Saints and Mary, Mother of God.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Acts 1:14 and 2:1-4 on the nine days of waiting and the descent at Pentecost. Pope Leo XIII, Divinum Illud Munus (encyclical on the Holy Spirit, 9 May 1897). Available at vatican.va. Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), "Novena," available at newadvent.org. ↩

2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 683-747 (the Holy Spirit), 1830-1832 (the gifts and fruits of the Spirit). Available at vatican.va. The Catholic Latin liturgy preserves the Veni Sancte Spiritus as the sequence for the Mass of Pentecost and the Veni Creator Spiritus as the principal hymn for the Liturgy of the Hours of Pentecost. ↩