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Happy May! This month, the Church celebrates the Blessed Mother as well as many other holy men and women.
Delve deeper into friendship with these great saints and ask for their intercession in your life with these novenas.
The Church considers May the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Praying a novena is a beautiful way to honor the Mother of God and invite her special intercession in your life.
You can find a list of Novenas to Mary here and choose one or more to pray during this month. You may consider starting a novena on May 23 to end on the Marian Feast of the Visitation.
Blessed Imelda Lambertini is one of the youngest canonized saints having died at just 11 years old. After her deep longing for union with Jesus in the Eucharist was granted her by receiving Communion for the first time, Blessed Imelda died of joy.
You can begin the Blessed Imelda Novena on May 5 if you wish to finish by her feast day on May 13th
Blessed Imelda is also the patron saint of First Communicants and with so many young people receiving their First Communion this spring, this novena would make an excellent gift to a friend or family member preparing for this special gift.
Also celebrated on May 13th is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.
In 1917, Our Lady appeared seven times to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. She told the children to pray the Rosary everyday for peace in the world and later entrusted them with three secret prophecies that have since been revealed.
The sun danced in the sky in the sight of thousands of witnesses as a sign of the legitimacy of her appearance.
You can begin this novena on May 5th to end on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima which the Church celebrates on the day she first appeared.
Although she desired to become a nun, St. Rita married a cruel and violent man with whom she had two sons. Saint Rita is considered the patron saint of difficult marriages and of impossible causes.
After the deaths of her husband and sons, Rita joined the Augustians and lived the last 40 years of her life in prayer. She also received a partial stigmata uniting her to Christ in a powerful way.
The Novena to St. Rita begins May 14th.
Forty Days after Easter, Jesus ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. Before He leaves, however, He gives His followers the commandment to share the Gospel with the whole world, and promises to always be with us.
The start date of this novena changes slightly each year depending on the Church’s celebration of Easter but it is often celebrated in May.
St. Philip Neri was a 16th Century Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory. He exemplified humility and often displayed his sense of humor, proving that joy and fun can (and do) exist in piety and faith.
The St. Philip Neri Novena begins May 18th.
St. Justin Martyr was a 2nd Century Philosopher who, after his conversion, wrote many seminal works on apologetics in the Early Church. Unfortunately, many of these works have been lost to history.
He became a martyr during the Christian persecution under Marcus Aurelius, along with six companions.
You can ask for St. Justin’s intercession with this novena which begins on May 24.
St. Charles Lwanga and Companions Novena
St. Charles Lwanga and Companions became martyrs for the faith in the mid-1800s. Charles served King Mwanga of what is today Uganda; he also helped teach other members of the court the Christian faith.
When the King–a violent and harsh ruler–learned of this, he demanded that the Christians renounce their faith. Charles and the others refused and were condemned. They faced torture and death with courage and joy.
We remember these 24 martyrs with this novena beginning on May 26.
8th Century Monk and Priest St. Boniface felt the call to become a missionary and traveled from England to Germany to preach the Gospel. He became a leader in the German Church, established many churches and monasteries, and eventually became a martyr.
You can pray a novena to the “Apostle of Germany” beginning on May 28.
After living a worldly lifestyle during his youth, St. Norbert had a conversion of heart and chose a life of prayer and penance. He traveled through Europe preaching, began a religious order and eventually served as Bishop of Germany.
The St. Norbert Novena begins May 29th.
If you plan to pray any of these novenas this month, make sure you sign up to get the daily prayers delivered right to your inbox!
Dearest Mary, Undoer of Knots, please help all who are struggling financially to be able to unburden themselves.
Thank you Jesus and Blessed Mother 🙏.