St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Bernard of Clairvaux was a French abbot who lived in the 1000s-1100s. He helped lead a reform of Benedictine monasticism. His work in this reform contributed to the start of the Cistercian religious order.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux did a lot for the Church, and he was named a Doctor of the Church. You can use this novena to ask for intercession from this holy monk!
About St. Bernard of Clairvaux
St. Bernard of Clairvaux was born in 1090 in Burgundy, France. His parents were of the highest rank of nobility, and they were known for their piety. He had six siblings.
When Bernard was nine years old, his parents sent him to school at Chatillon. There, he found a love for literature, and he devoted himself to studying it in order that he might be better equipped to study Scripture. He developed a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he became known for his piety.
When Bernard was nineteen years old, his mother died. He was fearful of facing worldly temptations, so he began to consider a religious vocation.
Around this time, Robert of Molesme was working to restore the Benedictine religious order to its former rigor. Bernard was attracted to this new branch of Benedictines called the Cistercians.
At age twenty-two, he felt God calling him to enter the Cistercian monastery at Citeaux. He persuaded thirty other men (including some of his brothers) to join him in entering.
Bernard was very pious and fervent throughout his year of novitiate. After taking his vows, his superiors recognized that he had made great progress in the spiritual life. So they sent him with twelve others to establish a new monastery. This new monastery would become the well-known Abbey of Clairvaux.
Bernard was made abbot of this monastery. The beginnings of his work there were difficult, because he became ill from the austerity of the rule. But he soon made great progress, as the monastery’s reputation for holiness quickly brought one hundred thirty new men to join, including his father and his brothers.
Bernard soon began doing great work in this role, establishing many other monasteries and journeying to many places. He was offered the position of bishop in several dioceses, but he refused them all.
Bernard also wrote many holy works on such theological topics as sacred space and music, the seven stages of advancement in the spiritual life, and the role of the Virgin Mary.
His reputation spread within the Church. He helped end a schism within the Church, and he was called upon to help fight heresy. Pope Eugene III commissioned him to preach the Second Crusade, and Bernard was able to arouse great support for the fight for the Holy Land among Christians in France and Germany.
St. Bernard died at age sixty-three in 1153.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s Feast Day: August 20th
Why Pray the St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena?
St. Bernard of Clairvaux is the patron saint of the Cistercians. You can ask for his prayers if you are a Cistercian or are discerning a vocation to the Cistercians. You can also ask for his prayers on behalf of a Cistercian you know.
St. Bernard is also the patron saint of beekeepers and candle makers. You can seek his intercession if you are a beekeeper or a candle maker, or for a beekeeper or candle maker you know.
In addition, St. Bernard is the patron saint of Gibraltar and the city of Algeciras, so you can definitely seek his prayers if you live in Gibraltar or Algeciras.
You can pray the St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena for any intention!
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena Prayers
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Bernard of Clairvaux as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed throughout his life, beginning from his childhood in a holy family life.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, you were born into a holy family. Your pious parents ensured that you were raised with a firm foundation of faith, and you went on to serve God worthily throughout the rest of your life.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
The foundation of faith you received as a child helped you onto the path to a religious vocation. As a monk, you contributed a lot to your religious order and the whole Church.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God worthily in my life, as you did. Pray that I may be eager to give my life to serving Him and His Church.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Bernard of Clairvaux as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to serve You as a monk.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, you felt called to devote your life to God in a radical way, from the time you were a young man. You were attracted to the Cistercian order because you wished to devote your life wholeheartedly to God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved so wholeheartedly!
You entered the Cistercian order at the Abbey of Clairvaux. There, you lived out your vocation faithfully for the rest of your life.
Pray for me, that I may always carry out the duties of my vocation. Pray that I may joyfully serve God in whatever ways He calls me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Bernard of Clairvaux as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed through his openness to Your will in his life.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, you were eager to enter religious life as a young man. You were attracted to the life of the newly-formed Cistercian order, but you spent time prayerfully discerning if this was God’s will for you.
Please bring my petitions before the throne of God!
As a member of the Cistercian order, you devoted yourself to serving God. You served as the abbot of the monastery for many years and you made great progress in your work.
Pray for me, that I may always be open to whatever path God calls me to follow in my life. Pray that I may be eager to devote my life to His service.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Bernard of Clairvaux as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to devote his life to You as a monk.
St. Bernard of Clairbaux, you longed to retreat from the world and serve God in a monastery. Feeling called to serve God as a Cistercian monk, you entered the monastery and persuaded thirty other men to enter with you.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you longed to serve!
As a novice in the monastery, you were very pious and fervent. You quickly made great progress in the spiritual life, as you worked to serve God in your vocation.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God fully in my vocation, as you did. Pray that I may be eager to devote my life to Him.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Bernard of Clairvaux as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed in his daily piety throughout his life.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, you were eager to serve God from the time you were a young child. You became well-known for your piety as a child, and you continued along this path of holiness throughout your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God!
As you a young man, you longed to devote your life to serving God as a Cistercian monk. Throughout your time as a novice, you were very pious and fervent in your devotion.
Pray for me, that I may be fervent in my devotion to God, as you were. Pray that my piety may increase each day.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Bernard of Clairvaux as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed throughout his years of faithful service as an abbot.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, you threw yourself wholeheartedly into your vocation as a monk. You were sent by your superiors to establish another monastery, and you were then made abbot of the Abbey of Clairvaux.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so wholeheartedly!
Your work as an abbot was initially full of difficulty, but you persevered in your service to God. In your role as abbot, you made great progress for your order.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God faithfully in my vocation, as you did. Pray that I may be eager to serve Him in whatever ways He calls me to in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Bernard of Clairvaux as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You that he showed throughout his years of faithful service in the Cistercian religious order.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, you eagerly chose to devote your life to God as a Cistercian monk. You faithfully carried out the duties of this vocation throughout many years.
Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
As abbot of your monastery, you did a lot for the Cistercian order. Despite many difficulties, you helped bring the order many new members and established many other monasteries.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to carry out the duties of my vocation faithfully, as you did. Pray that I may eagerly devote myself to God’s service.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Bernard of Clairvaux as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed throughout his work as a theologian.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, you were eager to devote your life to serving God. In addition to the great work you did serving Him as a Cistercian monk, you also contributed many things to the life of the Church through your writings.
Please bring my petitions before the throne of God Whom you served!
You were declared a Doctor of the Church, because of your many holy writings. You contributed a lot to the Church through your writings on the spiritual life, the Blessed Virgin, and sacred space and music.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve the Church in my life. Pray that I may be eager to devote myself to serving God at every opportunity.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Bernard of Clairvaux as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed through his many years of service to Your Church.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, you eagerly entered into your vocation of service to the Church as a monk. You continued to faithfully carry out your duties throughout the rest of your life.
Please continue to faithfully bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You spent many years as an abbot, and you made great progress for your order. As your reputation for holiness spread in the Church, you helped end a schism, preach a crusade, and fight heresy.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve the Church at every opportunity. Pray that I may happily devote my life to serving God, as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.