St. Andrew’s Christmas Novena

Blessed St. Andrew’s Day!

You can find his story here

I normally start posting here on the first Sunday of Advent,
but since the St. Andrew’s Christmas “novena” starts today,
(to use the word “novena” very loosely–this is a lot more than nine days!),
I thought I’d give you a heads-up on that…

The following prayer is prayed 15 times per day from the feast of St. Andrew until Christmas:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God
was born of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.
In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God!
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.
Imprimatur
+MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York
New York, February 6, 1897

I made a set of 15 violet beads
–strung like sacrifice beads but with a simple square knot at the end–
to help us keep track.
I found that praying 15 times a day for days on end for the same intention
has a way of purifying one’s motivation.
It feels awfully silly (or selfish, as the case may be) to pester God that often for something
if what I’m praying for really isn’t all that eternally important!

St. Andrew, pray for us!

While you’re thinking ahead, you might want to check out these Advent customs for the home
in preparation for the season about to begin!

You might also want to take a peek at the “Christmas treasure hunt” as a way to find Jesus
hidden in the midst of even the most secular trappings around you.