Today we begin a prayer novena to St Joseph. As we begin let’s find out what this is about and how we can join others in taking part.

What is a Novena?

A novena is a nine day period for prayer focused on a particular topic or saint. The nine days may lead to a feast day at the end, or some other celebration. So our St Joseph Novena begins on 10th March and finishes on 18th March, and the next day March 19th is St Joseph’s Day.

Why nine days?

The gospels tell us that the Mary and the disciples prayed for nine days after Our Lord ascended into heaven and on the tenth day the Holy Spirit came upon them – at Pentecost. This nine day period of prayer by Our Lady and the disciples is then a model of one type of prayer – the first novena.