St. Dominic Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Dominic was a monk who lived in the middle ages. He is known for establishing the Dominican religious order and for fighting against heresy by his preaching.
Let’s use this novena to ask for intercession from this holy preacher!
About St. Dominic
St. Dominic was born in 1170 in Spain. His parents were related to the country’s ruling family. His mother, now known as Blessed Joan of Aza, was a very holy woman.
According to legend, his mother had a dream while she was pregnant with Dominic in which a dog jumped out of her womb. The dog carried in its mouth a fiery torch that seemed to set fire to the earth.
During his youth, Dominic studied theology and the arts. He was an excellent student and enjoyed his studies. When a famine struck during his early twenties, he sold his belongings and used the money to help those who were suffering.
At about age twenty-five, Dominic joined the Benedictine religious order. He became superior of his chapter just seven years after he entered.
Some of the Benedictines at this time had begun devoting themselves to prayer and penance to combat a heresy that was flourishing. This heresy, called Albigensianism, taught that all physical things were evil, including the body. This teaching was very dangerous; it even went so far as to promote suicide.
Dominic knew that this heresy was in direct opposition to the Church teaching that God created all things good. He saw that, even though prayer and penance were necessary, more was needed to combat this heresy.
Dominic began fighting the spread of the Albigensian heresy through preaching and debating. The Albigensians were not able to defend their position in debate against him. Some of them became angry with him and threatened him. Despite their threats, he continued his preaching and was able to convert many people back to the faith.
Dominic saw the need for a religious order devoted to preaching and education, so that the faithful would not be easily led astray by heresies. He officially founded the Dominican order in 1215. Pope Honorius III called this new order the “Order of Preachers.”
Even though Dominic was passionate in his work against heresy, he saw the need for mercy toward those who were involved in spreading the false teachings. When some of the French nobility began fighting against the heretics, Dominic tried to convince the nobility to treat the defeated heretics mercifully and to bring about reconciliation.
Though it is not conclusively recorded as fact, legend has it that St. Dominic is also the first propagator of the Rosary. Legend says that Mary appeared to him while he was in prayer and gave him the Rosary with instructions on how he should pray it.
The Rosary, in the form we’re familiar with today, started to become popular around the time he allegedly received it in 1214.
St. Dominic’s Feast Day: August 8th
Why Pray the St. Dominic Novena?
St. Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers and astronomy. He’s also the patron saint of the Dominican republic and of falsely accused people.
You can pray the St. Dominic Novena to ask for his prayers if you or someone you know is studying astronomy. Residents of the Dominican Republic can pray this novena to ask for his prayers on behalf of their country. You could also ask for St. Dominic’s intercession if you’re traveling to the Dominican Republic.
St. Dominic is a great saint to turn to for prayers if you or someone you know is discerning a religious vocation to the Dominican order. He is also a great help for public speakers, preachers and teachers of the faith.
You can pray the St. Dominic Novena for any intention!
St. Dominic Novena Prayers
St. Dominic 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. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the love for You that he showed when he diligently studied the foundations of our faith.
St. Dominic, you studied the teachings of our faith eagerly as a young man. You had deep belief that these teachings were the truth, and you devoted your life to defending that truth.
Throughout your lifetime, you saw many people attack the teachings of our faith. Your love of God compelled you to defend the faith against falsehoods. You devoted your life to this mission. You even established a religious order for the purpose of preaching the true teachings of our faith.
Pray for me, that I may as devoted to the teachings of our faith as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Dominic 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. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the charity he showed in serving those who had become destitute after famine.
St. Dominic, you were born to a family of means, but you were always conscious of the needs of others. As a young man, you enjoyed your life as a student, but you did not let excessive love for your lifestyle keep you from providing for others.
When you saw that others around you were left destitute as the result of famine, you sold your own possessions in order to help provide for these people. You even sold the books you loved, and you did so happily, for love of God.
Pray for me, that I may imitate your spirit of charity and detachment in my own life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Dominic 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. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the spirit of penance and devotion to a life of prayer that he showed as he served You throughout his life.
St. Dominic, you knew from a young age that material wealth was not needed for your salvation. Not only did you sell your belongings to help provide for others, you also made poverty a way of life by entering religious life.
During your vocation in religious life, you knew that prayer and penance were important. You saw that they were needed not just for your holiness, but as the foundation of the good works you could do to help others.
Pray for me, that I may be as devoted to prayer and penance as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Dominic 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. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate his devotion to Your Church’s teachings, even when those around us are hostile to these teachings.
St. Dominic, you had a deep love for the teachings of the Church. When you saw that the Albigensian heresy was spreading far and wide around you, you wished to defend the Church’s teachings and keep your brothers and sisters from falling into error.
You knew that prayer and penance were important for the conversion of heretics. But you also saw the need to preach the truth directly to those who were mistaken. You did not waver from preaching the Church’s true teachings, no matter what obstacles you faced.
Pray for me, that I may be as steadfast in proclaiming the truth as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Dominic 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. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the commitment to preaching the Gospel that was the foundation for his religious order and his work for You.
St. Dominic, you knew that prayer and penance were essential to the conversion of the world. But you saw that more is sometimes needed. You knew that God calls us to directly preach His teachings to others, when others are straying from the truth.
Even though many wanted to silence you, you engaged in discussion and debate with those who did not believe in true Church teachings. Though many hated you and even threatened to harm you, you persisted in proclaiming the truth.
Pray for me, that I may never fear to proclaim the Gospel to others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Dominic 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. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the deep desire to serve You fully that led him to become a monk and to establish the Dominican order.
St. Dominic, you loved God deeply and desired to serve Him as fully as possible. Casting aside your material possessions, you entered willingly into a life of poverty and prayer as a monk.
When God called you to serve Him in a different way by establishing a new religious order, you answered His call readily. You saw the need for an order devoted to preaching and education, and you worked hard to bring more souls to Christ through this mission.
Pray for me, that I may be ready and willing to serve Him in whatever way He might call me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Dominic 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. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the zeal for the conversion of others that led him to devote his life to preaching against heresy.
St. Dominic, you had a deep love for the true teachings of the Church. You saw that many in your society had been led astray to a belief in dangerous falsehoods. Knowing that following these false teachings would lead others to harm, you worked diligently to bring your brothers and sisters back to the Church.
Not only did you pray and fast for the conversion of those who had been led astray, you also engaged directly in debate and discussion with them. Even when it was difficult, you did all you could to help bring about their conversion.
Pray for me, that I may be as devoted to bringing others to God as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Dominic 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. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the compassion that he showed in trying to resolve conflicts between warring factions and to obtain mercy for those who were defeated.
St. Dominic, you were deeply devoted to the Church’s true teachings. But even though you worked tirelessly for the conversion of heretics, you knew that those who had been led astray should be treated with mercy.
When wars broke out between the heretics and the faithful, you did you best to end the conflict and to ensure that all were treated mercifully. You knew that the Lord calls us to love our enemies and to pray for them.
Pray for me, that I may treat any opponents in my own life as compassionately as you treated those who opposed you.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Dominic 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. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate his love of Mary and of her special prayer, the Rosary.
St. Dominic, you had a deep love of God and of His Blessed Mother. Legend has it that the Rosary, as we pray it today, began with your propagation, when Mary appeared to you and told you how to pray it.
You must have known how powerful it is to have a devotion to Our Blessed Mother. You most certainly must have turned to her often in your struggles and for your needs.
Pray for me, that I may have a deep love of Mary and of her Rosary. Pray that I may remember to turn to her powerful intercession when I am in need.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.