Novena
Novena to Saint Patrick
Nine-day novena to Saint Patrick · begins 8 March, ending on the eve of his feast, 17 March
Nine days of prayer to the Apostle of Ireland, kept from 8 to 16 March before his feast on 17 March. The received prayer is above all an act of gratitude for the gift of the faith received through him, and it prays for one's native land, its bishops and its priests before it prays for oneself.
Background
Patrick, a Romano-British Christian carried to Ireland as a slave, escaped, returned as a bishop, and evangelised the island in the fifth century; his own Confessio survives and is one of the earliest Christian documents from the British Isles. The prayer below comes from the Irish prayer books of the nineteenth century and reflects them in its concern for the Church of Ireland and for the emigrant's memory of home. It is a private devotion. The received form repeats one prayer on each of the nine days, with the versicle Pray for us, O glorious Saint Patrick; the day-by-day subjects below are editorial and the prayer is unaltered.
Days
Intention
gratitude for the faith handed down, and the conversion and perseverance of one's own country
Usually begun
8 March, ending on the eve of his feast, 17 March
Structure
nine_days
Duration
9 days
Content subtype
full_novena