Pope St. John I Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. John I was a pope in the 500s. He led the Church through a very difficult time. During his pontificate, he helped the Church navigate through the difficulties of the Arian heresy.
St. John I suffered a great deal during his time as pope. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy pope in many aspects of your life.
About St. John I
St. John I was born in Siena, Tuscany. The exact date of his birth is not known, but it was likely in the later part of the fifth century. No details about his early life are known except that his father was Constantius.
Before the start of John's pontificate, he was a deacon in Rome. At that time, the pope was Pope Symmachus. There was a lot of turmoil and confusion within the Church, as other men claimed to be the pope and set themselves up as antipopes. John mistakenly began to support another man’s claim to the papacy. But in 506, John admitted that he had made an error and begged Pope Symmachus to pardon him.
During this time, there were very few deacons in the Church. Some sources think there were as few as seven deacons in the whole Church. This means that John was very likely the man who signed an ecclesiastic publication at the end of the Roman synod in 499 and 502 as Deacon John.
In the sixth century, a philosopher named Boethius dedicated three of his religious treatises written between 512 and 520 to Deacon John, which was most likely to have been St. John I as well.
John was elected pope in 523. At the time, he had very frail health. Not long after, the Arian king of the Ostrogoths, Theodoric the Great, sent John to Constantinople to negotiate for better treatment of Arians.
John did not want to make this journey, but Theodoric insisted on sending him to moderate a decree against Arians that Justin I of the Eastern Roman Empire had issued. Theodoric insisted that if John could not moderate this decree, there would be reprisals against the non-Arian Christians in the West.
John then traveled to Constantinople, taking with him some bishops and senators. The Catholics in Constantinople greeted Pope John with great enthusiasm. Emperor Justin prostrated himself before the pope and asked to be crowned by him. This enthusiastic reception suggested that John was a worthy pope, deserving of such great honor. Emperor Justin also agreed to almost all of what Pope John asked of him politically.
When Pope John returned, Theodoric was suspicious of him. Though Pope John had been successful in his mission, Theodoric accused him of conspiring with Emperor Justin against Theodoric.
Theodoric had John arrested and imprisoned at Ravenna in Italy. He was treated very poorly in prison, and he died of neglect.
St. John I’s Feast Day: May 18th
Why Pray the St. John I Novena?
St. John I does not have an official patronage, but you can seek his intercession in many circumstances.
You can pray the St. John I Novena if you work in politics, since he was sent on a political mission. Or you can use this novena to seek his intercession for someone you know who works in politics.
You can also pray the St. John I Novena if you are a deacon. Or you can pray it for someone you know who is a deacon, since St. John I was a deacon before he was elected pope.
You can pray the St. John I Novena for any intention!
Pope St. John I Novena Prayers
Pope St. John I Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. John I as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions he brings before You on our behalf.
St. John I, you served God worthily in many ways during your time on earth. Though you were old and frail, you traveled on a political mission to Emperor Justin in Constantinople. The enthusiastic greeting you received there shows us how very respected and loved you were as a pope.
Please bring our petitions before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray for all politicians.
Pray for us, that we may always be eager to serve God in whatever ways He asks us to. Pray that we may grow in love of God each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. John I, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Pope St. John I Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. John I as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions he brings before You on our behalf.
St. John I, you were not eager to travel to Constantinople because you were aged and frail. But despite your physical weakness, God worked through you. We can look to your holy example in many things, and your intercession can help all who suffer because of their advanced age.
Please bring our petitions before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God will bless and strengthen all who are aged.
Pray for us, that we may always rely on God for all that we need. Pray that we may advance in holiness and virtue at every opportunity.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. John I, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Pope St. John I Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. John I as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions he brings before You on our behalf.
St. John I, we know very few details about your early life. But we know that you were one of the few men serving as a deacon in the Church. Your intercession and holy example can help all deacons in our Church today.
Please bring our petitions before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God will bless and assist all deacons in our Church.
Pray for us, that we may always do all we can to serve God and His Church. Pray that we may be eager to devote our lives fully to God.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. John I, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Pope St. John I Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. John I as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions he brings before You on our behalf.
St. John I, you were elected to the papacy at a time of great turmoil in the Church. The Arian heresy had taken hold in the hearts of many people. But despite your age and frailty, you did what you could to work for harmony within the Church.
Please bring our petitions before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God will bring to conversion all who have been led astray from the true teachings of His Church.
Pray for us, that we may grow in love for all the teachings of the Church each day. Pray that we may serve God more devotedly each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. John I, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Pope St. John I Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. John I as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions he brings before You on our behalf.
St. John I, you were falsely accused of conspiring against Theodoric after you traveled to Constantinople at his request. Though you had not done anything wrong, you were imprisoned and mistreated because of this false accusation.
Please bring our petitions before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God will grant strength to all who are suffering because of a false accusation.
Pray for us, that we may always rely on God for all that we need, even in the midst of great difficulties. Pray that we may do all we can to grow in holiness each day.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. John I, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Pope St. John I Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. John I as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions he brings before You on our behalf.
St. John I, you were accused of conspiring against the Arian king Theodoric the Great, even though you had not done anything disloyal to him during your journey to Constantinople. You were imprisoned because of this false accusation, and you suffered greatly during your time as a prisoner.
Please bring our petitions before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God will bless and strengthen all prisoners.
Pray for us, that we may serve God worthily even in the midst of suffering and difficulties. Pray that we may strive to carry out God’s will faithfully in every circumstance.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. John I, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Pope St. John I Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. John I as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions he brings before You on our behalf.
St. John I, you were old and frail when Theodoric the Great insisted that you travel to Constantinople. When you returned, your suffering increased as you were falsely accused and put into prison. You suffered mistreatment in prison until your death.
Please bring our petitions before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God will help us to offer all sufferings to Him.
Pray for us, that we may always make use of every opportunity God gives us to grow in holiness and virtue. Pray that we may truly strive to become saints each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. John I, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Pope St. John I Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. John I as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions he brings before You on our behalf.
St. John I, we know few details about your life. But we know that you served the Church as pope and that you helped the Church through a very tumultuous time. The honorable reception you received from Justin I and his court shows that your people recognized your dignity as pope.
Please bring our petitions before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God will bless and protect our pope.
Pray for us, that we may grow in love for God and His Church each day of our lives. Pray that we may do all we can to grow in our friendship with Jesus.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. John I, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Pope St. John I Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for giving us St. John I as an example of holiness. Please hear the petitions he brings before You on our behalf.
St. John I, you became pope during a time of confusion and tumultuousness in the Church. You helped the Church to navigate through the difficulties of widespread heresy. You suffered confusion over who the true pope was before you were elected. Throughout these difficulties, you remained faithful to the Church.
Please bring our petitions before God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God will bless and strengthen the Church.
Pray for us, that we may always do all we can to serve God and His Church. Pray that we may grow in love of God each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. John I, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.