St. Paul of the Cross Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Paul of the Cross was an Italian priest who lived in the 1600s-1700s. He was a mystic, and he was graced with many supernatural phenomena during his life. He was also the founder of the Passionist religious order.
St. Paul of the Cross was known for his preaching and his penitential lifestyle. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy priest in your life!
About St. Paul of the Cross
St. Paul of the Cross was born in 1694 in northern Italy. His father owned a dry goods store, and their family was not very financially secure. Paul was his parents’ second child. They eventually had sixteen children, but only six of them survived their infant years.
During his early years, Paul was educated by a priest at a Catholic boys school. He also taught catechism classes to others at parishes.
When Paul was nineteen, he read Treatise on the Love of God by St. Francis de Sales, and it moved him to convert to a life of deeper prayer. He also underwent spiritual direction with some Capuchin friars, and he became convinced that people can find God most easily in the Passion of Christ.
In 1717, Paul decided to leave his father’s business in order to fight in a crusade. But he soon realized that he was not called to be a soldier. A family member tried to arrange a marriage for Paul, but Paul did not want to marry.
When Paul was twenty-six, he began to realize that God was calling him to establish a religious order devoted to Christ’s Passion. While in ecstasy, he saw a vision of the habit he and the other members of his order were to wear. The community came to be known as the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ, or the Passionists.
Paul’s bishop encouraged him in this endeavor, and Paul wrote a rule for his community. The rule included a life of penance, solitude, and poverty. It also discussed a focus on teaching people to meditate on Jesus' Passion in a simple way.
The first additional member of Paul’s order was his own brother, John Baptist. The two of them assisted a cardinal in establishing a hospital in Rome, and they then ministered to the patients and staff at the hospital.
Both Paul and his brother were ordained as priests in 1727. Then, they began to focus on preaching in remote parishes where there weren’t enough priests. Paul became known as a very popular preacher because of both his words and his holy example.
The Passionist order began to grow, but growth was slow because of the austerity of the order. By the time of Paul’s death in 1775, the order had grown to one hundred eighty priests and brothers. He also established a monastery for contemplative nuns shortly before his death.
St. Paul of the Cross’s Feast Day: October 20th
Why Pray the St. Paul of the Cross Novena?
St. Paul of the Cross does not have an official patronage, but he is a great saint to seek prayers from in many circumstances.
You can ask St. Paul of the Cross to pray for you if you are discerning a vocation to the Passionist religious order, since he established the Passionists. You can also ask him to pray for someone you know who is discerning a vocation to the Passionists, or you can ask him to pray for a Passionist whom you know.
Additionally, St. Paul of the Cross is a good saint to seek intercession from if you are seeking to grow in a holy spirit of penance, since his religious order was very penitential.
You can pray the St. Paul of the Cross Novena for any intention!
St. Paul of the Cross Novena Prayers
St. Paul of the Cross 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. Paul of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed from the time of his youth.
St. Paul of the Cross, you were raised in a Catholic family by parents who ensured you were formed in the Faith. You began on the holy path of serving God from a young age.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
You learned about your Faith in a Catholic school and taught catechism classes to others. As a young man, you were inspired by holy reading to develop a deep devotion to Christ’s Passion.
Pray for me, that I may be as eager a servant of God as you were. Pray that I may always be ready to serve God as He calls me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Paul of the Cross 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. Paul of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he began to grow in as he learned his Faith in a Catholic school.
St. Paul of the Cross, you were taught by a priest in a Catholic school during your childhood. Then, you began to teach catechism classes to others so that they might learn their Faith as you had.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you studied so faithfully!
You continued on the path of serving God for the rest of your life. You eventually came to devote yourself to Him as a priest and a religious.
Pray for me, that I may grow to a deeper love of God each day. Pray that I may serve Him wholeheartedly throughout my entire life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Paul of the Cross 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. Paul of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the deep love of You he showed in his devotion to Your Passion.
St. Paul of the Cross, you were greatly inspired by the writing of St. Francis de Sales that you read as a young man. You underwent a conversion to a deeper life of prayer, and you sought to serve God more devotedly.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served with such devotion!
You became convinced that people can find God most easily in the Passion of Jesus. You established a religious order particularly devoted to Christ’s Passion.
Pray for me, that I may grow to a deeper devotion to Christ’s Passion in my life. Pray that I may grow in friendship with Christ each day.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here)
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Paul of the Cross 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. Paul of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in his openness to Your will in his life.
St. Paul of the Cross, you wanted to serve God in your life but you did not know for certain what He was calling you to do. You did all you could to follow His call.
Please do all you can to bring my petitions before God!
You abandoned the life of a soldier when you realized you were not called to this life. You eventually answered God’s call to establish a religious order and become a priest.
Pray for me, that I may always be open to serving God as He calls me to. Pray that I may grow in openness to God’s will in my life each day.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Paul of the Cross 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. Paul of the Cross 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 priest.
St. Paul of the Cross, you followed God’s call to establish a religious order devoted to the Passion of Jesus. Then, you continued to open yourself up to God’s will for you.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
Together with your brother who had joined your religious order, you were ordained a priest. You spent the rest of your life serving God faithfully as a priest.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God in whatever ways He calls me to. Pray that I may be His devoted servant each day of my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Paul of the Cross 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. Paul of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in his faithful service as the founder of the Passionist religious order.
St. Paul of the Cross, you felt drawn to a devotion to the Passion of Jesus from the time you were a young man. You followed God’s call to establish the Passionists, and you served Him faithfully as a Passionist.
Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
You established a rule of poverty, solitude, and penance for the Passionist order. Though the austerity of the order seemed too harsh for many, the order eventually grew and began to thrive.
Pray for me, that I may grow in devotion to the Passion of Christ. Pray that I may serve God faithfully each day of my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Paul of the Cross 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. Paul of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his great preaching of the Gospel.
St. Paul of the Cross, you began to focus on preaching at remote parishes after you were ordained to the priesthood. You served God faithfully as a priest and a preacher.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so faithfully!
You became known by many as a popular preacher because of your eloquent words and because of the holy example of your life.
Pray for me, that I may always do all I can to help bring others closer to God. Pray that I may be eager to bring others to God through both word and example.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for me!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Paul of the Cross 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. Paul of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in the penitential life he lived.
St. Paul of the Cross, you wrote a rule for the Passionists that included solitude, poverty and penance. Though many were deterred from joining your order because of its strict austerity, you persevered in the penitential life God was calling you to.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
The Passionist order eventually began to grow and thrive. By the time of your death, there were one hundred eighty priests and brothers in the Passionists.
Pray for me, that I may always be willing to practice penance in my life. Pray that I may be as devoted a servant of God as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Paul of the Cross 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. Paul of the Cross as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his life of devoted service to You and Your Church.
St. Paul of the Cross, you answered God’s call to establish the Passionist religious order. You continued to serve Him and His Church devotedly for the rest of your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You were ordained to the priesthood, and you traveled to remote parishes to preach the Gospel. You devoted your life to serving God and His Church for many years, until your death.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God and His Church. Pray that I may serve God in whatever ways He calls me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.