7 Hope-Filled Novenas to Mary

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There is no human who has ever lived who has loved Jesus more perfectly than His mother. Mary’s unequivocal joy in being His mother was present when she went to help her cousin, Elizabeth, and she praised God for his goodness in blessing her in such an amazing way. Her unwavering faith in Jesus was revealed when she encouraged Jesus to perform His first public miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, and she told the servants to follow His instructions. Finally, her unending devotion to Jesus was seen as she selflessly accompanied Him, as He selflessly gave His life on the Cross to save us.

Because of her immense, holy love for Jesus and deep understanding of Him, it’s no wonder that so many Christians turn to her to ask for her intercession. Most importantly, when we turn to her, she brings us closer to Jesus.

One way that we can turn to Mary to ask for her intercession is by praying a novena. Novenas generally consist of nine consecutive days of prayers to God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary, a saint or a candidate for sainthood. The novenas are sometimes centered on holy days, and specific intentions, graces or favors are usually requested. Because of Mary’s vital role in the Catholic Church, there are several novenas that are addressed to her. While some of them commemorate specific holy days, some can be prayed at any time of the year. Here are seven hope-filled novenas to Mary to consider praying.

Immaculate Conception Novena

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Although the Immaculate Conception Novena can be prayed at any time throughout the year, a special time to pray it would be starting November 29. Starting the novena on that day allows the person praying it to end on the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the feast day that honors the immaculate conception of Mary, who was born without the stain of original sin. The “Prayer to the Immaculate Conception” is said each day along with a separate prayer for each of the nine days. On the final day, the “Litany of the Blessed Virgin” is also recited.

This novena is a beautiful way to honor Mary. It’s also a beautiful way to ask for the Lord’s help, through Mary, in any circumstance. While asking for a specific favor, the person saying the novena also asks that it only be granted if it’s the Divine Will of God.

Novena For the Nativity of Our Lady

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Like the Immaculate Conception Novena, the Novena for the Nativity of Our Lady can be prayed at any time during the year. However, it is especially appropriate to pray it starting on August 31. The nine-day novena will then end on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the day we celebrate Mary’s holy birth. The novena consists of one prayer that repeats each day, one unique prayer for each day and one Hail Mary.

It’s also like the previous novena in that it’s a beautiful way to honor Mary. While the person praying the novena asks for an increase of peace and can ask for any form of help, it could be ideal for people who hope to unite their families in faith and love in Christ. It also gives people the chance to pray for God’s graces that will help them to be more holy. It can help us to bring God’s love to our families and to the world around us.

Annunciation Novena

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Another faith-enhancing novena that commemorates an important milestone (to say the least) in the lives of both Jesus and Mary is the Annunciation Novena. While it also can be said at any time of the year, an ideal time to say it is starting on March 16 and ending on March 24, the eve of the Feast of the Annunciation – the holy day when we celebrate the Archangel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God and her humble, brave acceptance of that responsibility. The novena consists of one prayer that is repeated every day for nine days, along with an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.

In this novena, the people praying it can ask Mary to intercede for them for help in any circumstance. But they also ask her to help them to become more like her in purity, humility and obedience. Furthermore, they ask her to nurture and protect them with her maternal love.

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

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Although the Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes is also focused on a feast day, it can be prayed at any time of the year as well. Those who would like to pray it in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes can begin it on February 3, and it will end on the feast day. It’s also an ideal novena to pray before embarking upon a pilgrimage to Lourdes. The novena has one prayer that repeats every day and a distinct prayer for each of the nine days. The people who pray it ask Mary for her prayers and intercession, but they also ask St. Bernadette – who Mary appeared to in Lourdes – to pray for them.

Because Mary performed a miracle in the presence of Bernadette during one of the apparitions at Lourdes, the novena could be a wonderful one to pray for people hoping for miracles. It’s filled with praise and worship for the Holy Trinity, and it’s filled with praise for Mary. In addition to asking for Mary’s intercession for a specific favor, the person praying it also asks Mary to offer him the same mercy, love and compassion that she gave to St. Bernadette. The person also prays for Mary to be “our comfort, hope, strength and consolation.”

Novena to Our Lady of Good Counsel

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Another title given to Mary is Our Lady of Good Counsel. The Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel is celebrated April 26, and the Novena to Our Lady of Good Counsel generally starts on April 18 and ends on the feast day. But, like the others, it can be prayed at any time. It consists of a prayer that was written by Pope Pius XII in 1953. The same prayer is said every day along with three Our Fathers, three Hail Mary's and three Glory Be's.

The people praying the novena seek the gift of wisdom, which was given to Mary by the Holy Spirit. They ask to be guided by Mary to what is good, true, and God’s Will. They also pray for those who are lost to find their way back to Jesus and God’s Will. It’s an ideal novena for people who feel lost and confused concerning the Will of God or concerning what paths to consider and what ones to avoid.

Miraculous Medal Novena

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Another novena associated with miracles is the Miraculous Medal Novena. Although it can be started nine days before the Feast of the Miraculous Medal, which is celebrated on November 27, it’s often prayed throughout the year and is said for nine consecutive days or nine consecutive Mondays. When the novena is led by a priest in a church, there are additional prayers said, and the hymn “Immaculate Mary” is frequently sung. But the novena prayer can be said, by people praying it in their homes, for each of the nine days. However, it’s good to add the closing prayer “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” It’s also a good idea to get a Miraculous Medal to wear or have while saying the novena.

The novena honors Mary (who honors God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit) by honoring Mary’s gift of the Miraculous Medal to Christians. She gave us the gift when she appeared to St. Catherine Laboure in France in 1830. In one apparition, Mary showed her a vision, and she gave the young nun a mission to have that vision made into a medal. Mary told her that people who wear it will receive great favors, and she told her that they should wear the medals around their necks. The medal was originally called the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, but the name was changed because of the number of miracles, healings and conversions reported by people who wore it faithfully.

Novena to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots

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Finally, a novena that’s a little more complex than the others is the Novena to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. It can be said starting on its feast day of September 28 and ending on the eve of the Feast of the Holy Rosary. But it’s frequently said throughout the year. Before starting this novena, it’s important to learn how to pray the Rosary. On each of the nine consecutive days, the person praying it must say a Rosary, meditate, say an Act of Contrition, say the Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots and say a closing prayer.

In the late 2nd Century, St. Irenaeus declared that Mary – through her obedience to God – untied the knot of disgrace that Eve tied through her disobedience. More than 1,000 years later, his words inspired Johann Melchior Georg Schmittdner to paint “Mary Undoer of Knots.” That holy icon then inspired this novena. It’s perfect for people who have seemingly impossible “knots” in their lives that they haven’t been able to untie.

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In 1987, Saint John Paul II – who was then Pope John Paul II – wrote about Mary in a document entitled “Redemptoris Mater: On the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Life of the Pilgrim Church.” In it, he explained how Mary is able to help us when we turn to her, as we can through these seven novenas.

He wrote “The Church knows and teaches that 'all the saving influences of the Blessed Virgin on mankind originate...from the divine pleasure. They flow forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rest on his mediation, depend entirely on it, and draw all their power from it. In no way do they impede the immediate union of the faithful with Christ. Rather, they foster this union.' This saving influence is sustained by the Holy Spirit, who, just as he overshadowed the Virgin Mary when he began in her the divine motherhood, in a similar way constantly sustains her solicitude for the brothers and sisters of her Son.”