St. Augustine Novena

St. Augustine is one of the greatest defenders of the Catholic faith and the patron saint of searchers. At the end of nine days of prayer, we hope to find the God that saved Saint Augustine waiting to deliver us from temporal concerns through his kind intercession.

You will be inspired by reflecting on the life of Saint Augustine and his transformation from a life of sin and iniquity to become one of the greatest saints the church has ever known.

About St. Augustine

St. Augustine was born in Africa to Saint Monica and spent the early part of his life living in sin and depravity. Though he was brought up as a Christian, he abandoned Christianity in favor of the loose morals espoused by a religious group called the Manicheans. During St. Augustine’s dark days, his mother Saint Monica incessantly prayed for his conversion back into the fold of God’s Grace, aided also by prayers of the Bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose.

A highly intelligent man, even then St. Augustine used to compare his life to Christian morals but was not confident he would be able to lead a pure life. After hearing of two simple men being converted, he decried the cowardice that prevented a learned person like him from pursuing the Kingdom of God. He believed that he heard God’s command when he heard a child singing “Take up and read”, and in compliance read the first passage of the Letters of Saint Paul which advised people to put away all impurity and to live in imitation of Jesus.

He was baptized at Easter on 387 A.D. and went on to become one of the most prominent defenders of the faith. At his conversion, he sold his possessions and lived a life of poverty, service to the poor and prayer until the end of his life. He founded the Order of Saint Augustine, who continued his early work to educate the faithful. His search for truth resulted in his clear explanations of Roman Catholic beliefs, including theological writings on creation, original sin, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and biblical interpretation.

St. Augustine is revered as the Patron Saint of searchers to commemorate his search for truth and the One True God.

St. Augustine Novena Prayers

Opening Prayer:

O holy Saint Augustine, who has famously declared that “Our hearts were made for you, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.”, aid me in my own search for our Lord that through your intercession I may be granted the wisdom to determine the purpose God has planned for me. Pray that I be blessed with the courage to follow God’s will even at times when I do not understand. Ask our Lord to lead me to a life worthy of His love, that I may one day share the riches of His kingdom. Petition our Lord and Savior to ease the burden of my problems and grant my special intention, and I will honor you all of my days.

Daily Prayers:

Day One:

Beloved Saint Augustine the miracles you have performed for the greater glory of God have caused people to seek your intercession for their most pressing concerns. Hear my cries as I invoke your name to petition God for an increased faith and to aid me in my present distress. (State the nature of your problem or the special favor you seek)

Day Two:

Holy Saint Augustine, you have been plucked from a life of iniquity through the incessant prayers of your mother Saint Monica to become a staunch defender of the faith. Pray for me now and turn not from my petitions, that I may also be blessed with God’s grace and guidance through this present predicament into a life of complete subservience to His will. (State the nature of your problem or the special favor you seek)

Day Three:

Glorious Saint Augustine you are renowned in the Christian world for your kindness, compassion and powerful intercession. Emboldened by this, I humbly come before you to invoke your aid in asking for God’s all-powerful assistance to see me through my most pressing concern. (State the nature of your problem or the special favor you seek)

Day Four:

Saint Augustine, through you God has manifested his power and mastery of the earth, enabling you to make prophesies and to perform miracles to aid the poorest of the poor, whom you have chosen to serve. Look upon me, a poor servant of God, and the afflictions of body and spirit that plague me, and in your kindness, help me seek the aid of the One True God we seek to love and serve throughout our lives. (State the nature of your problem or the special favor you seek)

Day Five:

Saint Augustine, God’s faithful servant, educator and evangelist, show me the mercy you are renowned for and come to my aid in this time of distress. Hear my cries and ask our Lord Jesus Christ to bless me with a favorable response to my petition. (State the nature of your problem or the special favor you seek)

Day Six:

Holy Saint Augustine, you were saved when you heeded God’s call for your conversion, and granted the power to perform powerful miracles in His name. Let your kindness cause you to plead to God for a miraculous resolution of my present problem and the granting of my special intention. (State the nature of your problem or the special favor you seek)

Day Seven:

Glorious Saint Augustine, in your compassion, wisdom and grace, all who seek your aid do not leave empty handed. In this time of extreme anxiety, I entrust my present predicament to the power of your kind intercession. May you obtain for me the grace to have the special favor I ask for be granted. (State the nature of your problem or the special favor you seek)

Day Eight:

Saint Augustine, God has tasked you with aiding people in distress even when the assistance they need requires you to perform miracles in His name. Refuse not my request for your kind intercession and obtain for me the special favor that I seek through this novena. (State the nature of your problem or the special favor you seek)

Day Nine:

Holy Saint Augustine, you have overcome great adversity to be revered as one of the greatest saints of our Church. In your wisdom and compassion, aid me in my own life quest to fulfill the destiny laid for me, that God may bless me with the strength, courage and wisdom to surrender my temporal concerns to His will. Intercede for me that my most pressing concerns be resolved and my petition granted. (State the nature of your problem or the special favor you seek)

Closing Prayers:

Glorious Saint Augustine I boldly ask for your intercession confident in your boundless wisdom and compassion. May this devotion lead me to a life dedicated to the fulfilling the will of God that I may one day be deemed worthy of sharing His Kingdom with you and all the saints for all eternity.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be…

St. Augustine, Pray For Us!

Amen.

St. Augustine is Patron of…

St. Augustine is recognized as the patron saint of searchers, perhaps to honor his unending quest for truth which led him to become the champion of the One True God, and also the patron saint of brewers to recognize his past association with inebriation.