St. Benjamin Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Benjamin was an early Christian who lived in the 300s-400s. He served the Church as a deacon and died as a martyr.
St. Benjamin was very courageous in the midst of persecution. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy and faithful martyr in many aspects of your life.
About St. Benjamin
St. Benjamin was born in 329 in Persia. Nothing is known for certain about his early life beyond his year and place of birth.
In 420, the twelve years of peace that Christians had been enjoying in Persia ended. A Christian bishop named Abdas zealously destroyed the Persians’ pagan sanctuary, the Temple of Fire. This act greatly angered the Persians.
The Persian king, King Isdegerd, demanded that Abdas rebuild the Temple of Fire. The king said that he would destroy all the Christian churches in Persia if Abdas didn’t rebuild this temple.
Abdas refused to cooperate with King Isdegerd’s demands, so King Isdegerd carried out his threat. He destroyed all of the Christian churches in Persia. King Isdegerd also executed Abdas and began a fierce persecution of the Christians in Persia. When Isdegerd died in 421, his son, Varanes, continued the Christian persecution. Veranes tortured Christians even more cruelly than his father had persecuted them.
It was during this persecution of Christians that St. Benjamin lived. He was a deacon in the Church. His persecutors imprisoned him for a year because of his devotion to the Christian faith.
At the end of Benjamin’s year of imprisonment, one of the Emperor of Constantinople’s ambassadors obtained permission for him to be released from captivity. But his release was conditional, and Benjamin was told he must not preach or speak about his Christian religion for the rest of his life.
Benjamin said that it was his duty to preach about Our Lord whenever he could. He said that he could not be silent about Christianity. Though he had been released on the condition that he remain silent about Christianity, he did not remain silent. He told others about Christ at every opportunity he could, regardless of the threat of death and torture from the Persian officials.
Because of Benjamin’s preaching and his refusal to stay silent, he was arrested again by his persecutors. He was tortured by having sharp reeds pushed under his nails on his fingers and his toes. These sharp reeds were pushed into other tender parts of Benjamin’s flesh as well. The reeds were inserted and removed many times. Then, a stake was pushed into Benjamin’s bowels. Benjamin’s torturers used this stake to tear him apart from his bowels. Despite this agony, Benjamin refused to renounce his faith. He held fast to the point of death. He died in 424.
St. Benjamin’s Feast Day: March 31st
Why Pray the St. Benjamin Novena?
St. Benjamin does not have an official patronage, but he is a great saint to seek intercession from in many circumstances.
You can pray the St. Benjamin Novena if you are being persecuted for your faith, since St. Benjamin was persecuted and killed for being a Christian. Or you can use this novena to seek St. Benjamin’s intercession for someone you know who is being persecuted for their faith.
You can also pray the St. Benjamin Novena if you are a deacon, since he served the Church as a deacon. Or you can pray this novena to seek St. Benjamin’s intercession for a deacon you know.
You can pray the St. Benjamin Novena for any intention!
St. Benjamin Novena Prayers
St. Benjamin 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. Benjamin as an example of holiness. We ask You to hear the prayers he brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Benjamin, you lived in a society that was hostile to your Christian faith. Despite the possibility of danger, you courageously served the Church as a deacon. You refused to renounce your faith to save your life, and your persecutors killed you.
Please take all of our petitions to God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God may grant the grace of conversion to all who persecute Christians.
Pray for us, that we may always serve God faithfully despite any obstacles we might face. Pray that we may persevere in our faith even in the midst of suffering.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Benjamin, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Benjamin 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. Benjamin as an example of holiness. We ask You to hear the prayers he brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Benjamin, Christians began to be persecuted for their faith when you were a deacon. You were imprisoned, ordered not to preach Christianity, and tortured. You eventually gave up your life for the faith.
Please take all of our petitions to God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God may bless and strengthen all Christians who are being persecuted for their faith.
Pray for us, that we may always place love of God above all else in our lives. Pray that we may do all we can to serve God faithfully in every circumstance we encounter.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Benjamin, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Benjamin 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. Benjamin as an example of holiness. We ask You to hear the prayers he brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Benjamin, we know few details about your life before your martyrdom. But we know that you were a deacon in the Church. Despite being persecuted for your faith, you served God faithfully. You held fast to your faith to the point of death.
Please take all of our petitions to God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that all deacons may be holy servants of God.
Pray for us, that we may do all we can to faithfully carry out the duties of our vocation each day. Pray that we may advance in holiness and virtue at every opportunity God gives us.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Benjamin, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Benjamin 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. Benjamin as an example of holiness. We ask You to hear the prayers he brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Benjamin, you were imprisoned because of your Christian faith. After you were released from your imprisonment, you were told to stop preaching Christianity. But you boldly preached anyway. You courageously held fast to your faith, even to the point of a painful death.
Please take all of our petitions to God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that we may grow in the courage we need for holiness.
Pray for us, that we may advance in every virtue we need for holiness. Pray that we may do all we can to truly live saintly lives each day.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Benjamin, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Benjamin 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. Benjamin as an example of holiness. We ask You to hear the prayers he brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Benjamin, you lived in a time of fierce persecution of Christians. You were imprisoned for a year because of your Christian faith. You loved God so much that you refused to renounce your faith and endured a painful death.
Please take all of our petitions to God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God may bless and assist all who are unjustly imprisoned.
Pray for us, that we may never allow any obstacles or sufferings to deter us from serving God. Pray that we may persevere in our faith no matter the cost.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Benjamin, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Benjamin 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. Benjamin as an example of holiness. We ask You to hear the prayers he brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Benjamin, you were given the opportunity to save your life after your persecutors released you from prison. If you had agreed to cease preaching, you might have lived. But you could not keep silent about Christianity and instead preached to others at every opportunity.
Please take all of our petitions to God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that we may grow in zeal for the saving of souls.
Pray for us, that we may always do all we can to help bring souls to God. Pray that we may do all we can to serve God in whatever ways He calls us to.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Benjamin, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Benjamin 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. Benjamin as an example of holiness. We ask You to hear the prayers he brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Benjamin, you were ordered to stop preaching about the Christian faith after your persecutors released you from your year of imprisonment. But rather than save your life by remaining silent, you zealously continued preaching to others about Christ at every opportunity you could.
Please take all of our petitions to God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that God may bless and assist all preachers.
Pray for us, that we may always do all we can to preach the Gospel to others at every opportunity God gives us. Pray that we may advance in holiness and virtue each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Benjamin, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Benjamin 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. Benjamin as an example of holiness. We ask You to hear the prayers he brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Benjamin, you were imprisoned and tortured on account of your Christian faith. You were told to remain silent about Christianity, but you courageously preached anyway. As you were tortured to death, you persevered in holding fast to the faith.
Please take all of our petitions to God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that we may grow in the perseverance we need for holiness.
Pray for us, that we may always do all we can to grow in virtue and holiness. Pray that we may never allow any sufferings to deter us from serving God faithfully each day.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Benjamin, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Benjamin 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. Benjamin as an example of holiness. We ask You to hear the prayers he brings before Your throne on our behalf.
St. Benjamin, you chose to serve God’s Church as a deacon. Though you lived in a society that was persecuting Christians on account of their faith, you remained faithful to God and His Church. You persevered in your faith to the point of death.
Please take all of our petitions to God, and we particularly ask today that you pray that the Church may be strong and her members holy.
Pray for us, that we may always be eager to serve God and His Church in whatever ways He calls us to. Pray that we may truly strive to live saintly lives each day of our lives.
And we especially ask in this novena for (mention your intentions here).
St. Benjamin, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.