Novena to John of the Cross

Downloadable Word Document: Novena St John of the Cross

Begins Dec. 5
FEAST DAY Dec. 14th, FAST DAY Dec. 13th

Day One
Beginning Prayer to be said each day:
O glorious St. John of the Cross, through a pure desire of being like Jesus crucified, you longed for nothing so eagerly as to suffer, to be despised, and to be made little of by all; and your thirst after sufferings was so burning that your noble heart rejoiced in the midst of the cruelest torments and afflictions. Grant, I beseech you, O dear Saint, by the glory which your many sufferings have gained for you, to intercede for me and obtain from God for me a love of suffering, together with strength and grace to bear with firmness of mind all the trials and adversities which are the sure means to the happy attainment of all that awaits me in heaven. Dear Saint, from your most happy place in glory, hear, I beseech you, my prayers, so that after your example, full of love for the cross I may deserve to be your companion in glory. Amen.

First Day: Unwavering Faith

Prayer:
My glorious father St. John of the Cross; overflowing with love for Mary and for the cross of her divine Son by which you merited to become the protector of afflicted souls, obtain for me from Jesus and Mary, I beseech you, an unwavering faith and a love of the cross so deep and so valiant that no possible misfortune will ever be able to separate me from the love of my God. Obtain for me also the special grace I ask through your intercession during this novena if it be for the glory of God and for my salvation (make request).
Three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys

Second Day: Spirit of Penitence

Prayer:
Glorious St. John of the Cross, you preserved to death in unspotted brilliancy the radiant whiteness of your baptismal innocence, while nevertheless practicing the most cruel and persevering penance. In honor
and imitation of this crucifying love, I entreat you that I may share your mortified and penitential life so that, even in this world, I may receive the grace to atone for my many sins, purify my soul, and acquire merit, that
I may also enjoy heaven’s glory with you. Obtain for me also the special grace I ask through your intercession during this novena, if it be for the glory of God and for my salvation (make request).
Three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys.

Third Day: Holy Enlightenment

Prayer:
O my beloved father St. John of the Cross, your continual prayer merited for you the name of Ecstatic Doctor, favored with special graces in the guidance and direction of souls. I humbly beg you to enlighten my soul and to give me a relish for holy meditation that, detached from earthly things, I may love God alone and desire heaven only. Obtain for me also the special grace ask through your intercession during this novena, if it be for the glory
of God and for my salvation (make request).
Three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys.

Fourth Day: Holy Patience

Prayer:
Great St. John of the Cross, model of patience and generosity, for the glory mof God and for the propagation of the holy reform of Carmel, you endured grievous trials and undertook heavy labors, finding, as did St. Paul, joy in opprobrium. Obtain from our Lord for me the grace of unalterable patience in adversity that I may thereby glorify God, have cleansed my souls of every stain, advance in the practice of solid virtue, and obtain at last the crown promised to those who suffer for the love of God. Obtain for me also the
special grace I ask through your intercession during this novena, if it be for the glory of God and for my salvation (make request).
Three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys.

Fifth Day: Protection from Temptation

Prayer:
Dear St. John of the Cross, you exercised dominion over the powers of hell, often obliging them to relinquish the souls, as well as the bodies of their victims. Have compassion on me; ask God to preserve me from the temptations and deceits of these wicked spirits, not only throughout my life, but above all at the hour of my death, that persevering to the end in the grace and love of God, I may possess Him with you forever. Obtain for me also the special grace I ask through your intercession during this novena, if it be for the glory of God and for my salvation (make request).
Three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys.

Sixth Day: Purity of Soul and Body

Prayer:
Great St. John of the Cross, favored by our Lord and the glorious Virgin, His mother, in reward for your angelic life and with the precious gift of chastity, you converted many souls held captive by the most shameful passions. Obtain for me some share in so priceless a gift that, pure and chaste in soul and body, I may reach heaven where nothing stained may enter and where choirs of virgins follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Obtain for me also the special grace I ask through your intercession during this novena, if it be for the glory of God and for my salvation (make request).
Three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys.

Seventh Day: Humility

Prayer:
Blessed father St. John of the Cross, in you was joined the most profound humility to the most sublime knowledge of the ways of God. Obtain for me real humility of heart, making me love humiliation and contempt that, despairing worldly vanity, I may learn from you to esteem only God and heavenly things. Obtain for me also the special grace I ask through your intercession during this novena, if it be for the glory of God and for my
salvation (make request).
Three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys

Eighth Day: Comfort in Affliction

Prayer:
St. John of the Cross, my glorious protector, in your lifetime you were the father of the poor, the consoler of the afflicted and the assured refuge of the suffering; you worked miracles of charity for all, miracles which you
repeat even now by means of your holy images and relics. Deign also to be my consoler and my father; comfort me in my sorrows and aid me to see in every cross a pledge of divine mercy that, through the cross, I may gain
heaven. Obtain for me, too, the special grace I ask through your intercession during the novena, if it be for the glory of God and for my salvation (make request).
Three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys..

Ninth Day: Holy Abandonment

Prayer:
O my loving father St. John of the Cross, to imitate more perfectly our Lord, you generously renounced every consolation, even the spiritual; prayed to suffer and to be despised for God’s sake; and finally died suffering,
happy to be condemned by men. Obtain for me the grace of abandonment to the Will of God that, placing all my joy and my hope in the passion of my Savior, I may at last rest eternally with you in His glory. Obtain for me also the special grace I ask through your intercession during this novena, if it be for the glory of God and for my salvation (make request).
Three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys

Litany of Saint John of the Cross (To be recited everyday of the Novena)
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us.
Queen and Beauty of Carmel, Pray for us.
Saint John of the Cross, Pray for us.
St. John, our glorious Father, Pray for us.
Beloved child of Mary, the Queen of Carmel,
Pray for us.
Fragrant flower of the garden of Carmel,
Pray for us.
Admirable possessor of the spirit of Elias,
Pray for us.
Foundation stone of the Carmelite Reform,
Pray for us.
Spiritual son, and beloved Father of St. Teresa, Pray for us.
Most vigilant in the practice of virtue,
Pray for us.
Treasure of charity, Pray for us.
Abyss of humility, Pray for us.
Most perfect in obedience, Pray for us.
Invincible in patience, Pray for us.
Constant lover of poverty, Pray for us.
Dove of simplicity, Pray for us.
Thirsting for mortification, Pray for us.
Prodigy of holiness, Pray for us.
Mystical Doctor, Pray for us.
Model of contemplation, Pray for us.
Zealous preacher of the Word of God, Pray for us.
Worker of miracles, Pray for us.
Bringing joy and peace to souls, Pray for us.
Terror of devils, Pray for us.
Model of penance, Pray for us.
Faithful guardian of Christ’s Vineyard, Pray for us.
Ornament and glory of Carmel, Pray for us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world: Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world: Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world: Have mercy on us.
V. Holy Father Saint John of the Cross, pray for us:
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. O God, Who didst instill into the heart of Saint John of the Cross, Thy Confessor and our Father, a perfect spirit of self-abnegation, and a surpassing love of Thy Cross: grant, that assiduously following in his footsteps, we may attain to eternal glory. Through Christ Our Lord.
R. Amen.