St. Julia Novena
Contents
Show HideSaint Julia of Corsica was a fifth century virgin and martyr. Her willingness to suffer was truly remarkable. She was extremely devoted to her faith. St. Julia remained strong even with the threat of torture!
Let us pray the St. Julia Novena for an increase in our own faith! We hope that this novena encourages you to find joy in your life. Pray for St. Julia’s intercession to become closer to God!
About St. Julia
Saint Julia was born in Carthage, Africa in 420. St. Julia was actually born into nobility. She grew up with a deep faith.
Carthage was in a battle for power with Rome. As such, it was prone to wars and battles. One day, Julia was captured during a raid on her city.
After being separated from her family, Julia became a slave. She was sold to a man named Eusebius.
Most people would probably complain about their circumstances if they were sold into slavery. Julia did not, however. Julia was so in love with the Lord that she accepted suffering as a gift.
In fact, her very joyful nature stood out to Eusebius. Menial slave duties were opportunities for her to give glory to God. She would also ready books about faith. Her life was an opportunity to pray.
As such, she quickly became Eusebius’ favorite slave. Her virtuous lifestyle and joyful attitude made her the best worker. It was easy to be her master.
Julia’s life changed around 20 years old. Eusbeius was headed on a journey to Gaul. He decided to bring Julia with him.
It was at a stop in Corsica that Julia’s faith would be tested. Eusebius joined a group of people participating in a festival honoring false gods. Julia refused to go near to the party. Eusebius graciously accepted her decision.
However, this refusal to participate made Corsica’s governor angry. He felt that it was an affront to their gods. He asked Eusebius who she was.
She is a Christian, Eusebius said. He explained that he had tried to convince her to give up her faith. Yet, even being her master did nothing to change her mind. Eventually, he stopped trying. It didn’t matter to him because she was a wonderful worker.
That excuse was not going to work for the stubborn governor. He wanted to buy her. He even agreed to give Eusebius four of his slaves just for her! Eusebius refused. “No; for I would lose the most valuable thing I have in the world rather than be deprived of her.”
Unfortunately, Eusebius drank too much that night. The governor took Julia while Eusebius slept.
All the governor wanted was to break Julia’s faith. However, he found that threats couldn’t even shake her resolve. Then, he told Julia he would give her freedom. All she had to do was worship his gods. Then she could walk free.
She refused.
The governor become violently angry. He slapped her in the face and ripped off her hair in his anger. Then, he ordered her to be crucified. She died as a result of her faith.
In honor of her sacrifices, St. Julia is the patron saint of Corsica, where she died. She is also the patron saint of those who suffer torture.
Saint Julia’s Feast Day: May 23
Why Pray the St. Julia Novena?
Saint Julia underwent a lot of struggles in her short life. She was a slave. She was mocked for her faith. She was even tortured and killed for it! Yet through it all, her faith remained strong. If you are looking for a role model for faith, the St. Julia Novena is for you!
St. Julia is also the patron saint of torture victims. She is a wonderful saint to pray for the intercession of those who suffer physical torture. She is also a great intercessor for those who suffer torture in other ways. People can also suffer tremendously from mental or emotional torture. St. Julia is especially near to those who suffer for their faith!
You can pray the St. Julia Novena for any intention!
St. Julia Novena Prayers
St. Julia Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia, you were captured at a young age to be a slave. Yet, you were so cheerful despite your circumstances.
Please be with all those who even in this modern age are still slaves. Influence the hearts of their masters to be kind and relenting. May the freedom and dignity of all be upheld!
St. Julia, please also be close to all those who are slaves to their own desires, addictions, and sin. Please especially keep in mind those for whom I now pray, along with my other intentions:
(State your intentions here)
Please intercede on their behalf before Our Lord.
We know, Jesus, that You tell us we are no longer slaves, but rather, friends. We are no longer slaves to sin thanks to Your sacrifice!
Help me to remain in this friendship with You. Give me the grace to bring others out of their captivity of sin. I want to unite them with You and Your love!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
God, I know You have a master plan for my life. It’s hard to trust You sometimes. I can’t see the workings of Your Will. But I know that Your plans are always good. Even when it is hard to see Your plan!
Your plan for St. Julia’s life looked harsh. She was captured. She was made a slave. She was even tortured and died for her faith!
Yet, she remained ever cheerful and happy to do Your will. She even remarked that slavery was a gift from You!
St. Julia, teach me how to face uncertainty in my life with cheerfulness. Inspire my heart to see everything as gifts from God. Help me to know that suffering doesn’t mean God has abandoned me.
I am uncertain of so many things! I bring them before you now. Please intercede on my behalf. Help me find the trust I need:
(State your intentions here)
St. Julia, I ask that you lead me in the joy you felt!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
God, I know that You are the one, true God. And it is my joy and honor to worship You forever. Thank You for the gift of my life!
Not everyone believes in You, though. And sometimes, I find myself in situations where You are being openly mocked. In these moments, I am faced with a choice. Will I participate to fit in? Or will I honor You publicly? That means I risk being mocked myself.
St. Julia, you were faced with this exact choice. The “wise” thing to do would have been to participate in the pagan rituals to save your life.
But you didn’t.
Instead, you stood firm in your faith and refused to worship the false gods. Even better, you used this as an opportunity to witness to God.
You paid for this decision with your life. But it was the right decision.
Please help me to do the same. When I am faced with these opportunities, be with me. Help me to choose to honor God in those moments.
I also ask that you bring before our heavenly Father my intentions:
(State your intentions here)
St. Julia, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
O Lord, my heart aches for those who do not know You. I know yours does too! They don’t even know how much they need You. They see You as a master they don’t want to follow. In fact, you are a Redeemer they can’t live without!
St. Julia, you encountered those who do not believe in God on the last day of your life. You refused to join in their mocking worship. Instead, you gave an incredible witness to your faith. You died to uphold your faith!
Help me to be a witness to those in my life who do not believe in God. Help me to evangelize to others in the same way you did.
Please also intercede on their behalf. Offer their souls before our Lord. Never cease to pray for their return!
Please also keep in mind my intentions:
(State your intentions here)
O Lord, I pray that one day all will come to know You! I offer this day to You for that intention.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
God, You would never want someone to be persecuted for their faith, even if they don’t believe in You.
Human life and dignity is so important. Unfortunately, it is not always upheld.
St. Julia, you received the ultimate religious persecution. You were killed for your faith. You are a martyr.
I can only imagine the terror you felt in that moment! Yet, you remained calm. You didn’t let your fear dictate your faith. I bet you saw even that moment as a gift!
Please teach me how to have that same strong faith. I hope I wouldn’t abandon God in the face of persecution. But it is so hard to know without being in that situation. I pray I never face persecution in that way. I do know that I will be mocked, discriminated against, or even hated for my belief in God.
Help me to remain strong like you. Help me to never waver in my faith. Help me to use persecution as an opportunity to evangelize.
Please also work to convert the hearts of those who believe it is okay to persecute someone for their faith.
Please also keep in mind my intentions:
(State your intentions here)
St. Julia, pray for us and for all those who are persecuted!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
There is nothing that brings greater joy than the love of God.
You knew this, St. Julia. And you lived out that joy!
It’s hard to find joy in life sometimes. My natural reaction to bad things is not happiness. Rather, I find myself becoming distrustful, angry, sad, and hopeless.
But not you, St. Julia.You were so in love with God that you dealt with slavery and death joyfully. You saw all as a gift from God. Even more, you used these oppressive situations to grow closer to Him. You were the epitome of St. James’ instruction to “Count it all joy!”
Your joy was infectious. Your master wasn’t even mad that you refused to leave your religion. Instead, it made him love you even more!
I’d love to have that same kind of impact on the world. Can you help me discover this infectious joy you felt?
I know some of the things weighing down my happiness are my worries and concern for others. I bring these before you now:
(State your intentions here)
St. Julia, please intercede on my behalf regarding these intentions. Help me to “count it all joy” in my life, even my worries about these concerns.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia, you know firsthand the damage that war can cause.
As a young girl, you were captured during a war and taken away from your family. As a result, you were sold into slavery.
Sometimes, I look at the world around me and wonder what I can do to help. Everyone seems to be fighting. There are new wars and battles being started every day.
I want to reform this broken world. I think I can take my first lesson from your very attitude - happiness. Your remarkable joy was so bright that it caused others to notice.
You fought for what you believed in. Yet, you didn’t do so in a violent way. In fact, you were the victim of such violence itself!
St. Julia, inspire me to make a difference in my community. Help me to bring about peace and security. Please comfort all those who are affected by war. Intercede on our behalf for an end to violence and war.
Please also pray for my intentions:
(State your intentions here)
God, I know someday You will win all wars in your final battle over Satan! Until then, please help us to live out the love and peace You brought to the world through Your Son Jesus.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
You are Love itself, O Lord. You created us out of a desire to love and be loved. And You died for us even when we did not love You in return!
You were enraptured by that love, St. Julia. Your whole life was a goal to love God fully. You couldn’t stop talking or thinking about Him.
It was this love that motivated you to remain joyful in suffering. It was this love that shone through your serving nature. It was this love that gave you the courage to stand up to torture and not abandon your faith.
You loved our Lord so much, you died for Him! You were even hung on a cross, just like He was. How your heart must have been filled with such joy at that connection to Christ!
Your death was not a victory for the pagans. It was a victory for love!
St. Julia, teach me to love. Show me how to love my neighbor, even when they may annoy me. Kindle joy in my heart to replace hate and anger. Most importantly, help me to love God better. Help me to love God like you did!
At this time, I also present my intentions before you:
(State your intentions here)
St. Julia, unite me to God in love!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Julia, thank you for helping to bring me closer to God.
Learning about your story the past few days has inspired me. I want to try to infuse more joy in my life. I also want to learn more about Him.
Saint Julia, give me the desire to be closer to God. Guide me in the pursuit of His love. Help me to die to myself and my sin so that I can more fully love Him in return.
Please also keep in mind my intentions to bring before our Heavenly Father:
(State your intentions)
God, I long to know You even better every day. Thank You for Your Revelation to the world through the Bible and the Eucharist. Thank you also for the holy example of St. Julia, to teach me how to better love You.
St. Julia, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.