Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive
Contents
Show HideThe desire that a couple has to grow their family is a beautiful desire, but it can be a painful experience for couples who have difficulty conceiving. In this novena, we place that desire and any corresponding emotional struggles in God’s hands.
About Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive
Turning to God in hoping to conceive is ultimately an act of openness and humility. When we hear the phrase “open to life,” we often think of “open to the possibility of conceiving a child.” But the flip side of that is an openness to God’s will for our lives and families, which may involve, for reasons that may remain unknown to us in this lifetime, not becoming pregnant. For those not able to conceive or struggling with infertility, God may be asking them to use that desire and openness to life in other ways, such as adopting or helping others with children.
Placing our fertility in God’s hands is also an act of humility, because we are saying that we are not God and will therefore not use unethical means to have children, tempting though they may be. See below the prayers for more about unethical means.
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive Prayers
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, God of life, we come to you in hope, with an openness to your plans for us and our family.
We do not grasp at new life, seeking to have children by means that lie outside Your will. We know you care for us and we do not despair. Instead, we humbly put the conception of our child into Your hands, recognizing You as the Giver of the gift of life.
Remember us as you remembered Sarah and Abraham (Gen. 16-17), blessing them in their infertility so that the world would recognize Your divine role in the conception of their son, Isaac, who would go on to have descendants more numerous than the stars, the Israelite people.
Grant us peace during this time of uncertainty that we may be confident in Your constant care and love for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, God of life, we come to you in hope, with an openness to your plans for us and our family.
We do not grasp at new life, seeking to have children by means that lie outside Your will. We know you care for us and we do not despair. Instead, we humbly put the conception of our child into Your hands, recognizing You as the Giver of the gift of life.
Remember us as you remembered Rebekah and Isaac (Gen. 25), blessing them in their infertility with twins so that the world would recognize Your divine role in the conception of their son, Jacob, who was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Grant us peace during this time of uncertainty that we may be confident in Your constant care and love for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, God of life, we come to you in hope, with an openness to your plans for us and our family.
We do not grasp at new life, seeking to have children by means that lie outside Your will. We know you care for us and we do not despair. Instead, we humbly put the conception of our child into Your hands, recognizing You as the Giver of the gift of life.
Remember us as you remembered Rachel and Jacob (Gen. 30), blessing them in their infertility so that the world would recognize Your divine role in the conception of their son, Joseph, who would be the father of two of the tribes of Israel.
Grant us peace during this time of uncertainty that we may be confident in Your constant care and love for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, God of life, we come to you in hope, with an openness to your plans for us and our family.
We do not grasp at new life, seeking to have children by means that lie outside Your will. We know you care for us and we do not despair. Instead, we humbly put the conception of our child into Your hands, recognizing You as the Giver of the gift of life.
Remember us as you remembered Manoah and his wife (Judges 13), blessing them in their infertility so that the world would recognize Your divine role in the conception of their son, Samson, who would serve as a judge of Israel and help the Israelites against their enemies.
Grant us peace during this time of uncertainty that we may be confident in Your constant care and love for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, God of life, we come to you in hope, with an openness to your plans for us and our family.
We do not grasp at new life, seeking to have children by means that lie outside Your will. We know you care for us and we do not despair. Instead, we humbly put the conception of our child into Your hands, recognizing You as the Giver of the gift of life.
Remember us as you remembered Hannah and Elkanah (1 Sam 1), blessing them in their infertility so that the world would recognize Your divine role in the conception of their son, Samuel, a great prophet and the last judge of Israel.
Grant us peace during this time of uncertainty that we may be confident in Your constant care and love for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, God of life, we come to you in hope, with an openness to your plans for us and our family.
We do not grasp at new life, seeking to have children by means that lie outside Your will. We know you care for us and we do not despair. Instead, we humbly put the conception of our child into Your hands, recognizing You as the Giver of the gift of life.
Remember us as you remembered the Sunnamite woman and her husband (2 Kings 4), blessing them in their infertility so that the world would recognize Your divine role in the conception of their son, who though unnamed in Scripture was later raised from the dead by Elisha.
Grant us peace during this time of uncertainty that we may be confident in Your constant care and love for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, God of life, we come to you in hope, with an openness to your plans for us and our family.
We do not grasp at new life, seeking to have children by means that lie outside Your will. We know you care for us and we do not despair. Instead, we humbly put the conception of our child into Your hands, recognizing You as the Giver of the gift of life.
Remember us as you remembered Sarah and Tobias (Book of Tobit), blessing them after an exorcism of evil spirits so that the world would recognize Your divine role in their marriage and the conception of their children.
Grant us peace during this time of uncertainty that we may be confident in Your constant care and love for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, God of life, we come to you in hope, with an openness to your plans for us and our family.
We do not grasp at new life, seeking to have children by means that lie outside Your will. We know you care for us and we do not despair. Instead, we humbly put the conception of our child into Your hands, recognizing You as the Giver of the gift of life.
Remember us as you remembered Elizabeth and Zechariah (Luke 1), blessing them in their infertility so that the world would recognize Your divine role in the conception of their son, John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus and proclaimer of the coming of the Messiah.
Grant us peace during this time of uncertainty that we may be confident in Your constant care and love for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena for Couples Hoping to Conceive - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, God of life, we come to you in hope, with an openness to your plans for us and our family.
We do not grasp at new life, seeking to have children by means that lie outside Your will. We know you care for us and we do not despair. Instead, we humbly put the conception of our child into Your hands, recognizing You as the Giver of the gift of life.
Remember us as you remembered Mary (Luke 1), blessing her in her infertility as a perpetual virgin so that the world would recognize Your divine role in the conception of her Son, Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world.
Grant us peace during this time of uncertainty that we may be confident in Your constant care and love for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Catholic Teaching on Infertility Treatments
Unethical means, according to Church teaching, include in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, surrogacy, and any other techniques that introduce a third party to separate the conception of a child from the marital act of husband and wife. (Of course children born by these means are loved) There are ethical means, such as Natural Family Planning and Natural Procreative Technology (NaPro), that are consistent with the natural marital act and acknowledged as morally acceptable by Church teachings.
It is also an act of humility to recognize that we are both physical and spiritual beings, and it is possible that there may be spiritual barriers to receiving the gift of a child. But spiritual barriers can be removed by conversion of heart and receiving the sacrament of reconciliation. Going to confession to receive God’s outpouring of grace is always a good thing to do, especially if there were sinful sexual acts (e.g., using contraception to avoid pregnancy, sex outside of marriage) performed before trying to conceive. Removing these barriers does not guarantee a child, but it allows God’s grace to flow easily into a wound that may have previously been a spiritual barrier.
For more information and for help, see fertilitycare.org, popepaulvi.com, and naprotechnology.com.
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