What is a Novena?
A novena is a set of powerful prayers and devotions for special intentions prayed over nine days. The Church celebrates the Ascension of Jesus on a Thursday and nine days later the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. The Church began to set aside prayer for nine days, or a novena derived from the Latin word ‘novem’ meaning ‘nine’, in remembrance of those original nine days of prayer. The nine days can be spread over nine weeks or nine months.
