What Is A Novena

[curtins]

Yea so what exactly is a "Novena"????

thanks

[cappie]

A Novena is a nine-day period of devotional prayer that uses set formulas of prayer addressed to Mary, or one or the other members of the communion of saints in heaven. Novenas may be made publicly or privately.
Early Christians adopted the pagan custom called[i]novendialia[/i] which was a nine day period of sorrow and prayer following the death of a loved one.. Christian novenas were modeled on the apostles' nine days of prayer and waiting in an upper room between the Ascension and Pentecost. The Scriptures report that the close followere of Jesus as well as his mother prayed and stayed together , waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to send. Some of the more famous novenas are ones to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St Anthony and St Jude.

Even though novena-style prayer is believed by some to lead to special favours and God's grace, I think Novenas are not qualitatively or quantitatively better than other forms of Christian prayer and devotion