St Alphonsus Liguori · ten days, Ascension to Pentecost

Novena to the Holy Spirit

Nine days of prayer to the Holy Spirit, printed word for word from an old Catholic book (the source is given below). Pray the daily prayer every day, then the day's own prayer.

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How to make the novena

Consisting of Meditations for each Day of the Novena, beginning with the Feast of the Ascension, till the Eve of Pentecost inclusively.

The Novena to the Holy Spirit is the chief of all the Novenas, because it was the first that was ever celebrated, and that by the holy Apostles and the most holy Mary in the supper-room, and distinguished by so many remarkable wonders and gifts; principally by the gift of the same Holy Spirit, a gift merited for us by the Passion of Jesus Christ himself. Jesus himself made this known to us, when he said to his disciples, that if he did not die, he could not send us the Holy Ghost: If I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. We know well by faith that the Holy Ghost is the love that the Father and the Eternal Word bear one to the other; and therefore the gift of love, which the Lord infuses into our souls, and which is the greatest of all gifts, is particularly attributed to the Holy Ghost, as St. Paul says: The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us. In this Novena, therefore, we must consider, above all, the great value of divine love, in order that we may desire to obtain it, and endeavor, by devout exercises, and specially by prayer, to be made partakers of it, since God has promised it to him who asks for it with humility: Your Father from heaven will give the good Spirit to them that ask Him.

The daily prayer (every day)

May the grace of the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds and hearts. Amen.

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come, From Thy bright heavenly throne; Come, take possession of our souls, And make them all Thy own.

Thou who art called the Paraclete, Best gift of God above; The living spring, the living fire, Sweet unction and true love.

Thou who art sevenfold in Thy grace, Finger of God's right hand; His promise teaching little ones To speak and understand.

Oh! guide our minds with Thy blest light, With love our hearts inflame; And with Thy strength, which ne'er decays, Confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our hellish foe, True peace unto us bring; And through all perils lead us safe, Beneath Thy sacred wing.

Through Thee may we the Father know; Through Thee th' Eternal Son, And Thee, the Spirit of them both; Thrice blessed Three in One.

All glory to the Father be With his coequal Son, The like to Thee, great Paraclete, While endless ages run. Amen.

Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created. And shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray. Assist us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, with the power of Thy Holy Spirit, that our hearts may be purified according to Thy mercy, and we be defended from all adversities. Amen.

The nine days

Day 1

Meditation I. Love is a Fire that inflames the Heart.

Affections and Prayers.

O my God, hitherto I have done nothing for Thee, who hast done such great things for me! Alas! my coldness deserves that Thou shouldst "vomit me out of Thy mouth." O Holy Spirit, I beseech Thee, "warm what is cold," deliver me from this coldness, and enkindle within me an earnest desire of pleasing Thee. I now renounce all my worldly gratifications; and I will rather die than give Thee the least displeasure. Thou didst appear in the shape of fiery tongues; I consecrate my tongue to Thee, that it may never offend Thee more. Thou didst give it me, O my God, to praise Thee with; and I have made use of it to offend Thee, and to draw others also into sinning against Thee. I repent of this with my whole soul. Oh, for the love of Jesus Christ, who, during his life on earth, honored Thee so much with his tongue, grant that I also may from this day forth honor Thee constantly, by celebrating Thy praises, by frequently invoking Thy aid, and by speaking of Thy goodness and the infinite love which Thou deservest! I love Thee, my sovereign good, I love Thee, O God of love! O Mary, thou art the most dear spouse of the Holy Ghost, obtain for me this holy fire!

Day 2

Meditation II. Love is a Light that Enlightens the Soul.

Affections and Prayers.

O holy and divine Spirit, I believe that Thou art really God, but one only God with the Father and the Son. I adore Thee, and acknowledge Thee as the giver of all those lights by which Thou hast made known to me the evil which I have committed in offending Thee, and the obligation which I am under of loving Thee. I thank Thee for them, and I repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee. I have deserved that Thou shouldst abandon me in my darkness; but I see that Thou hast not yet forsaken me. Continue, O eternal Spirit, to enlighten me, and to make me know more and more Thy infinite goodness; and give me strength to love Thee for the future with my whole heart. Add grace to grace; so that I may be sweetly overcome, and constrained to love none other but Thee. I implore this of Thee, through the merits of Jesus Christ. I love Thee, my sovereign good; I love Thee more than myself. I desire to be entirely Thine; do Thou accept me, and suffer me not to be separated from Thee any more. O Mary, my Mother, do thou always assist me by thy intercession!

Day 3

Meditation III. Love is a Fountain that Satisfies.

Affections and Prayers.

Lord, give me this water. O my Jesus, with the Samaritan woman, I beseech Thee, give me this water of Thy love, which may make me forget the earth, to live only for Thee, O amiable, infinite one. "Water that which is dry." My soul is a barren soil, which produces nothing but the weeds and thorns of sin; oh, do Thou water it with Thy grace, so that it may bring forth some fruits to Thy glory, before death takes me out of this world. O fountain of living water, O sovereign good, how many times have I left Thee for the puddles of this earth, which have deprived me of Thy love! Oh, would that I had died before I offended Thee! But for the future I will seek after nothing but Thee, O my God. Do Thou assist me, and enable me to be faithful to Thee. Mary, my hope, do thou keep me always under thy protection!

Day 4

Meditation IV. Love is a Dew which fertilizes.

Affections and Prayers.

O holy and divine Spirit, I will no longer live to myself; but I will spend all the days that remain for me in this life in loving Thee and pleasing Thee. Therefore I beseech Thee to grant me the gift of prayer. Do Thou descend into my heart, and teach me to pray as I ought. Give me strength not to leave it off through weariness in times of aridity; and give me the spirit of prayer, that is to say, the grace constantly to pray to Thee, and to use those prayers which are dearest to Thy Sacred Heart. I was once lost through my sins; but I see, from all the kindnesses I have received from Thee, that Thou willest that I should be saved and become a saint; and I desire to become a saint to give Thee pleasure, and that I may love Thy infinite goodness more and more. I love Thee, O my sovereign good, my love, my all; and because I love Thee I give myself entirely to Thee. O Mary, my hope, do thou protect me!

Day 5

Meditation V. Love is a Repose that refreshes.

Affections and Prayers.

O my God, how often, for the sake of doing my own will, have I opposed myself to Thy will and despised it! I regret this evil more than every other evil. O Lord, from this day forward I will love Thee with my whole heart: Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth. Tell me what Thou wouldst have me to do, I will do it all. Thy will shall be my only desire, my only love. O Holy Spirit, help my weakness. Thou art goodness itself; how can I love any other but Thee? Oh, do Thou draw all my affections to Thyself by the sweetness of Thy holy love. I renounce everything, to give myself entirely to Thee. Do Thou accept me and help me. O Mary, my Mother, I trust in thee!

Day 6

Meditation VI. Love is the Virtue which gives us Strength.

Affections and Prayers.

O God of my soul, I say that I love Thee; and yet what do I do for Thy love? Nothing. This shows, therefore, that either I do not love Thee, or I love Thee too little. Send me therefore, O my Jesus, Thy Holy Spirit, that he may come and give me strength to suffer for Thy love, and to do something for the love of Thee before death overtakes me. O my beloved Redeemer, let me not die cold and ungrateful as I have hitherto been to Thee. Grant me strength to love suffering, after so many sins whereby I have deserved hell. O my God, who art all goodness and love, Thou desirest to dwell in my heart from which I have so often expelled Thee; come, then, dwell within it, take possession of it, and make it entirely Thine. I love Thee, O my Lord; and if I love Thee, Thou art already with me, as St. John assures me: He that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him. Since, therefore, Thou art with me, increase the flames, increase the chains, so that I may neither seek nor love anything else but Thee; and thus bound, may never be separated from Thy love. I desire to be Thine, O my Jesus, and entirely Thine. O Mary, my Queen and Advocate, obtain for me love and perseverance!

Day 7

Meditation VII. Love causes God to dwell in our Souls.

Affections and Prayers.

O my God, I see that Thou desirest to have me entirely for Thine own. I have oftentimes driven Thee from my soul, and yet Thou hast not disdained to return to me and reunite Thyself to me again. Oh, do Thou now take possession of my whole self. I give myself this day entirely to Thee; accept of me, O my Jesus, and let me never for the future live one moment deprived of Thy love. Thou seekest me, and I seek none other but Thee. Thou desirest my soul, and my soul desires none but Thee. Thou lovest me, and I love Thee; and since Thou lovest me, bind me to Thyself, so that I may never more be separated from Thee. O Queen of heaven, I trust in thee!

Day 8

Meditation VIII. Love is a Bond which binds.

Affections and Prayers.

My dearest Jesus, how much hast Thou not done to oblige me to love Thee, and how much hath it cost Thee to gain to Thyself my love! Ah, I should be too ungrateful if I loved Thee little, or divided my heart between Thy creatures and Thyself, after Thou hast given me Thy blood and Thy life. I will detach myself from everything, and in Thee alone will I place all my affections. But I am weak in carrying out this my desire; O Thou who hast inspired me with it, do Thou give me strength to execute it. Pierce my poor soul, O dearest Jesus, with the sweet dart of Thy love, so that I may ever languish with desire of Thee, and be dissolved with the love of Thee; that I may seek Thee alone, desire only Thee, and find none but Thee. My Jesus, I desire Thee, and Thee alone. Make me repeat continually in this life, and especially at the hour of my death, "Thee alone do I desire, and nothing else." O Mary, my Mother, obtain for me that henceforth I may desire nothing but God.

Day 9

Meditation IX. Love is a Treasure containing every Good.

Affections and Prayers.

O my God, hitherto I have not sought Thee, but myself and my own pleasures; and for the sake of these I have turned my back upon Thee, my sovereign good. But I am comforted by these words of Jeremias, The Lord is good to the soul that seeketh Him. They tell me that Thou art all goodness towards him who seeks Thee. My beloved Saviour, I know the evil that I have committed in forsaking Thee, and I repent of it with my whole heart. I know that Thou art an infinite treasure. I will not abuse this light; I will forsake all, and choose Thee for my only love. My God, my love, my all, I love Thee, I desire Thee, I sigh after Thee. Come, O Holy Spirit, and destroy in me by Thy sacred fire every affection which has not Thee for its object. Grant that I may be all Thine, and that I may conquer everything to please Thee. O Mary, my advocate and Mother, do thou help me by thy prayers!

Day 10

Meditation X. The Means of loving God and of becoming a Saint.

Affections and Prayers.

My dearest Redeemer, Thou desirest my love, and commandest me to love Thee with my whole heart. Yes, my Jesus, I desire to love Thee with my whole heart. O my God, I will say to Thee, trusting in Thy mercy, my past sins do not make me fear, because I now hate them and detest them above every other evil; and I know that Thou dost forget the offences of a soul that is penitent and loves Thee. Indeed, because I have offended Thee more than others, I will also love Thee more than others, with the help that I hope to obtain from Thee. O my Lord, Thou desirest that I should be a saint; and I desire to become a saint to please Thee. I love Thee, O infinite goodness. To Thee do I give myself entirely. Thou art my only good, my only love. Accept of me, O my beloved, and make me entirely Thine, and suffer me not to offend Thee any more. Grant that I may be wholly consumed for Thee, as Thou hast wholly consumed Thyself for me, O Mary, the most loving and most beloved spouse of the Holy Spirit, obtain for me love and fidelity!

Source: St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Holy Eucharist (Centenary Edition, ed. E. Grimm; New York: Benziger Brothers, 1887), pp. 478–497 · view the page scan

When to pray it

Next: Thursday, May 6 to Saturday, May 15, 2027, ending on the eve of Pentecost (May 16).

Every novena's start date, with a calendar file you can subscribe to →

Frequently asked

What is a novena?

A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer for a particular intention, after the pattern of the apostles who prayed for nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost.

How do I pray the Novena to the Holy Spirit?

Pray the prayers given here on nine days in a row, as the source book directs; the text is printed exactly as it appears there.

Can I pray a novena for any intention?

Yes. Bring whatever intention is on your heart and entrust it to the prayers of the Holy Spirit.

Other novenas

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