How to Pray the St. Jude Novena (Full 9-Day Prayer)

If you have come here, chances are something in your life feels beyond saving. Maybe it is your health, or your marriage, or a child you cannot reach. Maybe it is money, or work, or a fear you have carried so long you no longer remember life without it. You are welcome here. Saint Jude has been the friend of people in exactly your place for a very long time.

A novena is nine days of prayer for one intention. The word comes from the Latin novem, nine. The custom goes back to the days after our Lord ascended into heaven, when the apostles gathered with Mary in the upper room and were "persevering with one mind in prayer" until the Holy Spirit came (Acts 1:14). Saint Jude was there with them, praying and waiting. So when you pray this novena, you are doing what he himself once did.

How to pray it

Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Bring your intention before God as honestly as you can. You do not need beautiful words; He already knows what is on your heart.

Then pray the prayer below, naming your request where it is marked. Follow it with an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be, and close by asking, "Saint Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us. Saint Jude, help of the hopeless, pray for us."

Do this once a day for nine days. If you miss a day, do not be discouraged. Pick it up again and keep going. God is not counting your mistakes.

The Novena Prayer to Saint Jude

Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (here make your request), and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever.

I promise, O blessed Saint Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God, and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.

The promise at the end

Look closely at the last lines of the prayer. We promise to remember what God has done and to "gratefully encourage devotion" to Saint Jude. That is why, for generations, you could open the classifieds and find little notices that simply said, "Thank you, Saint Jude." People were keeping their word.

When your prayer is answered, we hope you will keep yours here, by sharing your story. Someone sitting where you are sitting today may need to read it.

Pray with us, one day at a time

Each day of the novena has its own page, with the prayer and a short reflection to carry with you.

Day 1 · Day 2 · Day 3 · Day 4 · Day 5 · Day 6 · Day 7 · Day 8 · Day 9

If you can barely find the strength for a long prayer right now, start with the short Sacred Heart novena. It takes less than a minute.

A word from the heart

A novena is not a vending machine, and Saint Jude is not a lucky charm. It is the old and simple practice of not giving up on prayer, and of asking a friend of Jesus to stand beside you while you ask. I have prayed this novena more than once, and I have seen God answer. Others will tell you the answer came as peace, or courage, or a door they never expected to open. Whatever comes, you will not be praying alone.

If you are in danger or thinking about ending your life, please call or text 988 right now. Reaching out for help is not a lack of faith. God often answers prayer through the people He puts in our path.