Pentecost Novena

- Novena Information
  
  Join us as we pray the Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts!
  
  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he commanded his apostles to" wait for the promise of the Father" in Jerusalem (see Acts 1:3-4). After Jesus ascended, "they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers" (Acts 1:13-14). Nine days later, the apostles celebrated the Jewish feast of Pentecost, and God fulfilled his promise by sending the Holy Spirit. We might say that this time of prayer in the upper room was the first novena. A novena is nine days of prayer for a special occasion or intention.
  
  A great way to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and to open ourselves to everything God wants to give us with the Holy Spirit, is to pray this novena, consecrating ourselves to the Holy Spirit, meditating on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and asking Jesus to grant us those gifts. This beautiful practice puts us in the upper room with the apostles and Mary, waiting - and even expecting - to experience the Holy Spirit this Pentecost every bit as powerfully as they did at the first.
  
  Each day includes an introduction, a verse from the Pentecost Sequence (Veni, Sancte Spiritus), a lesson on the Holy Spirit or the Gifts or Fruits of the Holy Spirit, a particular prayer for the day, and a set of daily prayers - the Our Father one time, the Hail Mary one time, the Glory Be seven times, the Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit one time, and the Prayer for the Seven Gifts one time.
  
  The novena properly begins on the Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter (today, Friday, May 15, 2026) and concludes on the Vigil of Pentecost (Saturday, May 23, 2026). That said, it can be prayed at any time throughout the year.
  
  Artwork: "The Pentecost" by Fray Juan Bautista Maíno. 1612 - 1614. Oil on canvas.
Daily Prayers

This page will be updated daily throughout the nine days of the novena!
- DAY 4 (MAY 18, 2026)
  MONDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER
  
  INTRODUCTION
  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
  
  In our labor, rest most sweet;
  Grateful coolness in the heat;
  Solace in the midst of woe.
  
  LESSON: THE GIFT OF FORTITUDE
  By the Gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear and supported to the end in the performance of duty.
  Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to undertake without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample underfoot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. "The one who perseveres to the end will be saved" (see Matthew 24:13, NABRE).
  
  PRAYER
  Come, O blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from you, my God and greatest good. Amen.
  
  CONCLUSION
  Our Father (x1) + Hail Mary (x1) + Glory Be (x7)
  Act of Consecration (below, on this webpage)
  Prayer for the Seven Gifts (below, on this webpage)
  
  DAY 3 (MAY 17, 2026)
  ASCENSION OF THE LORD - IN SOME PLACES, THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
  
  INTRODUCTION
  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
  
  You, of comforters the best;
  You, the soul's most welcome guest;
  Sweet refreshment here below
  
  LESSON: THE GIFT OF PIETY
  The Gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for his sake persons and things consecrated to him, as well as those who are vested with his authority, his Blessed Mother and the saints, the Church and its visible head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. The one who is filled with the Gift of Piety finds the practice of religion not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. "Where there is love, there is no labor, or, if there be labor, the labor is love" (Saint Augustine).
  
  PRAYER
  Come, O blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle in me such a love for God that I may find satisfaction only in his service, and for his sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.
  
  CONCLUSION
  Our Father (x1) + Hail Mary (x1) + Glory Be (x7)
  Act of Consecration (below, on this webpage)
  Prayer for the Seven Gifts (below, on this webpage)
  
  DAY 2 (MAY 16, 2026)
  SATURDAY OF SIXT WEEK OF EASTER
  
  INTRODUCTION
  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
  
  Come, Father of the poor!
  Come, source of all our store!
  Come, within our bosoms shine.
  
  LESSON: THE GIFT OF FEAR
  The Gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate. us from God. "Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts and humble themselves before him" (Sirach 2:17, NABRE).
  
  PRAYER
  Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever. Help me to shun all things that can offend you, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of your divine majesty in heaven, where you live and reign in the unity of the Blessed Trinity, God, world without end. Amen.
  
  CONCLUSION
  Our Father (x1) + Hail Mary (x1) + Glory Be (x7)
  Act of Consecration (below, on this webpage)
  Prayer for the Seven Gifts (below, on this webpage)
  
  DAY 1 (MAY 15, 2026)
  FRIDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER
  
  INTRODUCTION
  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
  
  Come, Holy Spirit, come!
  And from your celestial home
  Shed a ray of light divine!
  
  LESSON: THE HOLY SPIRIT
  Only one thing is important - eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared - sin. Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of light, of strength, and of love. With his sevenfold gifts he enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation, we ought to invoke the divine spirit daily, for "the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us" (see Romans 8:26, RSV).
  
  PRAYER
  Almighty and eternal God, who has granted to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit and has given us forgiveness of sins, be pleased to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.
  
  CONCLUSION
  Our Father (x1) + Hail Mary (x1) + Glory Be (x7)
  Act of Consecration (below, on this webpage)
  Prayer for the Seven Gifts (below, on this webpage)
- Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit
  
  To be recited daily during the Novena.
  
  On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body, to you, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of your purity, the unerring keenness of your justice, and the might of your love. You are the strength and light of my soul. In you Ilive and move and am. I desire never to grieve you by unfaithfulness to grace, and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against you.
  
  Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for your light, listen to your voice, and follow your gracious inspirations. I cling to you and give myself to you and ask you, by your compassion, to watch over me in my weakness.
  
  Holding the pierced feet of Jesus, looking at his five wounds, trusting in his Precious Blood, and adoring his opened side and stricken heart, I implore you, Adorable Spirit, helper of my infirmity, to keep me in your grace that I may never sin against you.
  
  Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son, to say to you always and everywhere, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Amen.
- Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
  
  To be recited daily during the Novena.
  
  O Lord Jesus Christ, who before ascending into heaven, did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish your work in the souls of your apostles and disciples, be pleased to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that he may perfect in my soul the work of your grace and your love.
  
  Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom, that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal; the Spirit of Understanding, that my mind may be enlightened with the light of your divine truth; the Spirit of Counsel, that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with you and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge, that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the saints; the Spirit of Piety, that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable; and the Spirit of Fear, that I may be filled with a loving reverence toward God and may dread in any way to displease him.
  
  Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of your true disciples, and animate me in all things with your Spirit. Amen.