St. Matilda Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Matilda was a holy woman who lived in the 800s-900s. She was a queen, and one of her sons restored the Holy Roman Empire. She was considered by others to be very pious and holy. During her life, she established many convents.
You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy woman in your life!
About St. Matilda
St. Matilda was born around the year 892 in Saxony. Her father was a count. She had three sisters, and she was raised by her grandmother in an abbey. Little else is known for certain about her childhood.
In 909, Matilda married Henry, the Duke of Saxony. He later became the king of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Matilda and Henry had five children together.
Their eldest son Otto was eventually crowned the Holy Roman Emperor. Their other two sons were dukes, and one was made an archbishop. Their daughters both married dukes, and one of the two daughters married King Louis IV of France in a second marriage.
Throughout her time as queen of the Kingdom of the East Franks, Matilda established many convents in her country. She also influenced her husband’s rule for the better, helping him to rule justly. She became known for her charitable works, and those who knew her considered her to be a model of piety.
In 936, Matilda’s husband Henry died. He was buried in Quedlinburg. The same year, Matilda established a convent in Quedlinburg.
Now that the throne of Matilda’s husband was vacant, she supported the claim of her son Henry to the throne. Otto was elected to the throne, and Henry led a revolt which was not successful. Matilda then convinced Otto to name Henry the Duke of Bavaria.
Matilda’s sons Otto and Henry both criticized her severely because they thought that her charitable works were too extravagant. Matilda soon gave up her inheritance to her sons and moved to a quiet life in the country. But not long after, Otto’s wife asked Matilda to come to court.
Then, Henry revolted again. Otto cruelly suppressed this revolt in 941. When Henry put down a revolt of his own subjects with great cruelty and attempted yet another revolt himself, Matilda intervened and censored him in 953. She also prophesied that Henry would soon die. Henry did indeed die in 955.
Matilda then established three more convents and a monastery. When Otto went to Rome to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor, he left Matilda in charge of the kingdom.
Matilda soon began living in the convent in Quedlinburg. The Quedlinburg Abbey eventually became a very significant place for prayer and commemoration of the dead in the Kingdom of the East Franks.
Matilda died in 968 after a lengthy illness.
St. Matilda’s Feast Day: March 14th
Why Pray the St. Matilda Novena?
St. Matilda is the patron saint of parents of large families. You can ask her to pray for you if you are a parent of a large family. You can also ask her to pray for someone you know who is a parent of a large family.
St. Matilda is also a great saint to seek intercession from on behalf of temporal leaders, since she was a queen and influenced her husband to rule justly. You can ask her to pray for the leaders of your own country or for the rulers of another country.
You can pray the St. Matilda Novena for any intention!
St. Matilda Novena Prayers
St. Matilda 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. Matilda as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed throughout her whole life.
St. Matilda, all that is known for certain about your childhood is that you were raised by your grandmother in an abbey. But we know that for the rest of your life after this childhood surrounded by prayerful practices, you served God faithfully
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
As a wife and mother yourself, you faced many difficulties. But despite your husband’s death and the conflicts between your sons, you did all you could to serve God worthily and to help lead your family members to virtue.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to serve God in my life. Pray that I may grow closer to God each day.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Matilda, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Matilda 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. Matilda as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in seeking to influence her husband’s rule towards justice.
St. Matilda, you married the Duke of Saxony. Your husband later became king of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Though you had little power yourself, you did all you could to influence your husband’s rule for the better.
Please do all you can to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You sought to influence your husband to exercise his rule over his subjects justly. You worked for this justice out of love for God.
Pray for me, that I may do all I can to help influence others for good. Pray that I may help lead those around me to holiness at every opportunity.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Matilda, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Matilda 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. Matilda as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed in her constant service to those around her who were in need.
St. Matilda, you became known by others for your charitable deeds during your time as queen. You continued this charitable service throughout your life, out of love for God.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You were so generous towards the poor around you that your grown sons began to criticize what they thought was too much extravagance in your works of charity.
Pray for me, that I may always be generous towards those who are in need, out of love for God. Pray that I may be eager to serve God through works of charity towards my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Matilda, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Matilda 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. Matilda as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she continued to show throughout the trials of conflict between her grown sons.
St. Matilda, you faced a lot of difficulty after your husband died. You must have been greatly saddened when your grown sons began armed conflicts against one another. Despite this suffering, you persevered in serving God.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
You attempted to mediate between your sons as they fought against one another. You tried to influence your sons for the better as they gave in to vice and foolishness.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to influence those around me towards virtue. Pray that I may never allow sufferings to discourage me from serving God wholeheartedly.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Matilda, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Matilda 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. Matilda as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in her detachment from material wealth.
St. Matilda, you were queen of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Despite your high temporal position, you were very detached from material wealth. You instead sought heavenly reward by using your riches to serve God through charitable works.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you sought to serve through your wealth!
You were so detached from material wealth that you put your riches to use in charitable works that others considered extravagant. You eventually gave up your inheritance in favor of a simple life.
Pray for me, that I may grow in detachment from material goods. Pray that I may always seek heavenly riches before worldly riches.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Matilda, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Matilda 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. Matilda as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in working for peace in her country and her family.
St. Matilda, you must have suffered great anguish over the harsh conflict between your adult sons. You did all you could to help bring about peace between them.
Please do all you can to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
Your sons were treating one another and their subjects with great cruelty. You did not cease working for peace between them, even though it was very difficult.
Pray for me, that I may never allow any difficulties to deter me from doing what is right. Pray that I may never allow trials to discourage me from serving God to the best of my abilities.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Matilda, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Matilda 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. Matilda as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed in working to establish convents and in living the end of her life as a religious.
St. Matilda, you were a wife and mother for many years. In the married vocation, you did all you could to serve God with wholehearted devotion.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so wholeheartedly!
You worked to establish many convents in your country so that others could serve God in the religious life. Near the end of your life, you chose to live your days as a religious yourself.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God in whatever ways He calls me to. Pray that I may be as devoted a servant of God as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Matilda, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Matilda 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. Matilda as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in establishing convents and choosing to live as a religious sister near the end of her life.
St. Matilda, you worked to establish many convents in your country throughout your life as queen of the Kingdom of the East Franks. After your husband’s death, you continued seeking to serve God in new ways.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You eventually began to live in the convent you established in Quedlinburg. You lived out the rest of your days there.
Pray for me, that I may always serve God wholeheartedly in my life. Pray that I may never hesitate to serve God as He asks me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Matilda, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Matilda 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. Matilda as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed through her lifetime of service to You and Your Church.
St. Matilda, you were a wife, mother, and queen for many years. You did all you could to serve God worthily in your married vocation and to influence those around you for good.
Please continue to do all you can to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You established many convents and a monastery, and you eventually began living as a religious sister in one of those convents. You lived serving God as a religious until you died.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God and His Church in whatever ways I am able to. Pray that I may never weary of seeking to do God’s will.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Matilda, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.