St. Juan Diego Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Juan Diego was a holy layman who lived in Mexico in the 1400s-1500s. He was the first indigenous person from the Americas to be canonized a saint.
St. Juan Diego is most well-known for seeing the apparition of Our Lady of Guadelupe. St. Juan Diego’s holy response to this apparition contributed largely to the conversion of Mexico.
You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy man in your life!
About St. Juan Diego
St. Juan Diego was born in 1474 in Cuauhtitlan, Mexico. Little is known about his early life except that his father died when Juan was very young. From around the age of three, Juan was raised in Aztec paganism.
In 1524 when Juan was fifty years old, some Franciscan missionaries arrived nearby. Juan and his wife, Maria Lucia, both listened to the preaching of the friars. Juan and his wife were some of the first people of Mexico to be baptized in the Catholic Faith.
Juan entered into the practice of his new Faith wholeheartedly. He would often walk long distances to the Franciscan mission in Tlatelolco in order to receive instruction in the Faith.
In 1591, on December 9th, Juan was hurrying to Mass when he was startled by the sight of a beautiful woman. She told him in his native language that she was the Mother of God. She told Juan to tell the bishop that she wanted a chapel built in her honor on Tepeyac Hill, on which there used to be a pagan temple.
Juan went to the bishop with this request, but the bishop was dubious about the legitimacy of this vision and message. Mary then appeared to Juan again that day. When he told her that he had failed because he was not a very important person, she assured him that he was the person she wished to carry out this mission.
Juan then returned to the bishop the next day. The bishop asked for a sign as proof that this message was truly from Mary. Juan returned to Tepeyac Hill and again encountered Mary there. He told her what the bishop had said, and she told Juan that she would provide a sign on the following day.
The next day, Juan was unable to return to Tepeyac Hill because his uncle was severely sick and Juan had to care for him. When he next encountered the vision of Mary, she assured him with these words in his native tongue: “Am I not here, who am your mother?” She told him that his uncle would be healed.
Then, she asked Juan to gather flowers growing at the top of the hill. He climbed up and found flowers growing and blooming, despite the cold of the winter months. Mary arranged the flowers in Juan’s tilma and told him to bring them to the bishop.
When Juan dropped the flowers out of his tilma in front of the bishop, a miraculous image of Mary was on the tilma.
Juan’s uncle was completely cured of his illness and said that he had also seen the Blessed Virgin.
Word spread quickly about the miracle. Despite the attention Juan received, he remained very humble. He soon moved to a hermitage on Tepeyac Hill. He lived a life of prayer and work until he died in 1458.
The news of the apparitions greatly influenced the conversion of Mexico to the Faith. More than three thousand converted.
St. Juan Diego’s Feast Day: December 9th
Why Pray the St. Juan Diego Novena?
St. Juan Diego is the patron saint of indigenous people. You can ask him to pray for you if you are descended from indigenous people. You can also ask him to pray for any indigenous people or descendants of indigenous people whom you know.
Additionally, St. Juan Diego is also a great saint to seek prayers from if you are a convert to Catholicism, since he and his wife converted to the Catholic Faith from Aztec paganism. Or you can ask him to pray for a convert whom you know.
You can pray the St. Juan Diego Novena for any intention!
St. Juan Diego Novena Prayers
St. Juan Diego 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. Juan Diego as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed from the time he chose to convert to the Faith.
St. Juan Diego, you were raised in the Aztec pagan religion. Despite this, you willingly chose to convert and to devote your life to God after you heard the preaching of Franciscan missionaries.
Please bring my petitions before God to Whom you were so devoted!
You often traveled great distances by foot in order to receive instruction in the Faith. You did all you could to be a faithful follower of Christ.
Pray for me, that I may always practice my Faith with devotion. Pray that I may be as eager to devote my life to God as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Juan Diego, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Juan Diego 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. Juan Diego as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in opening himself up to Your will for his life.
St. Juan Diego, you grew up without knowledge of the Catholic Faith. But when you heard the preaching of Franciscan missionaries, you chose to leave behind your pagan upbringing and to devote yourself to serving God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so devotedly!
You began to practice your new Faith wholeheartedly. When the Virgin Mary appeared to you and asked you to do something for her and for God, you did as she asked.
Pray for me, that I may always be open to God’s will in my life. Pray that I may never hesitate to do what God asks of me.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Juan Diego, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Juan Diego 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. Juan Diego as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his willing service to Your Holy Mother.
St. Juan Diego, you were privileged to see an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill. She asked you to tell the bishop to build a chapel in her honor here, and you did your best to faithfully carry out her request.
Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
Even though Mary’s request of you became difficult when the bishop doubted your testimony, you did not give up on carrying out Mary’s request.
Pray for me, that I may grow in my love for the Blessed Mother. Pray that I may always turn to her as my Mother when I am in need.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Juan Diego, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Juan Diego 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. Juan Diego as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in his care for his sick uncle.
St. Juan Diego, you were given a mission by the Blessed Virgin Mary when she appeared to you. Though your uncle’s sickness interfered with you carrying out her request immediately, you persevered in seeking to do as she asked.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before the throne of God!
When you told Mary about your uncle’s illness, she promised that he would be healed. Your uncle was indeed healed, and you carried out Mary’s request of you.
Pray for me, that I may always serve God in whatever ways He calls me to. Pray that I may be open to God working in unexpected ways.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Juan Diego, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Juan Diego 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. Juan Diego as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in obeying the requests of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
St. Juan Diego, Mary appeared to you and asked you to tell the bishop that she wanted a chapel built on Tepeyac Hill in her honor. Though this was not a simple task, you faithfully obeyed.
Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
When the bishop asked you to provide him with a sign that your vision was genuine, you obediently relayed this message to Mary. You did all you could to bring Mary’s request to fulfillment.
Pray for me, that I may always be obedient to God and His Church in my life. Pray that I may grow in my love for God each day.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Juan Diego, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Juan Diego 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. Juan Diego as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the deep faith he showed in doing what Mary asked and in believing that You could bring about miracles through her.
St. Juan Diego, you obediently carried out Mary’s request that you deliver her message to the bishop. Despite the disbelief of the bishop, Mary assured you that you were the right person for this mission.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You chose to believe Mary’s words to you. Even when she promised you that your uncle would be miraculously healed, you had faith in her words and in God’s power.
Pray for me, that I may grow in my faith each day. Pray that I may never doubt God’s power to do great things.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Juan Diego, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Juan Diego 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. Juan Diego as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in working to bring about Your Mother’s request for a chapel to be built on Tepeyac Hill.
St. Juan Diego, the Blessed Mother appeared to you and told you that she wished a chapel to be built in her honor on the former sight of a pagan temple. You did all you could to help bring this about.
Please do all you can to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
Largely because of your efforts, many people saw the goodness of the Faith and chose to enter the Church. By carrying out Mary’s request, the formerly pagan society around you was sanctified.
Pray for me, that I may do all I can to bring about holiness in the world around me. Pray that I may never tire of seeking to spread the Good News.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Juan Diego, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Juan Diego 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. Juan Diego as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in remaining humble despite the attention he received after Mary’s apparition to him.
St. Juan Diego, your obedience to Mary’s request was instrumental in bringing about many conversions throughout Mexico. Though you received a lot of attention because of the miraculous image on your tilma, you remained humble.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God!
You moved to a hermitage on Tepeyac Hill, and lived a life of prayer and work. But because of your faithfulness and the miracle God worked through his Blessed Mother and through you, more than three thousand people converted.
Pray for me, that I may grow in humility in my life. Pray that I may live my life as faithfully as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Juan Diego, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Juan Diego 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. Juan Diego as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in living a holy life and in doing what Mary asked of Him.
St. Juan Diego, you did your best to carry out Mary’s request when she asked you to bring her message to the bishop. Despite many difficulties in convincing the bishop that the vision was legitimate, you persevered in doing what Mary asked.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
Because of the miracle of your tilma, many people in Mexico decided to enter the true Faith. More than three thousand people were converted because of this miracle and because of your faithfulness.
Pray for me, that I may be as faithful a servant of God and His Mother as you were. Pray that I may always seek to serve God and His Church in any way that I can.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Juan Diego, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.