St. Stephen Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Stephen was the first martyr to die for the Christian Faith. He was one of the first men to be ordained a deacon in the Church. He was also an important figure in the early Church.
St. Stephen gave up his life with great courage for the Faith. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy martyr in your life!
About St. Stephen
All of the information known about St. Stephen comes from the Acts of the Apostles. Stephen is first mentioned in Acts 6, as the Apostles faced the difficulty of attending to the material needs of the Greek widows.
The Apostles decided to select seven righteous men to serve the Church as deacons. These deacons were to devote themselves to distributing food and other assistance to the poor members of the early Church community. Stephen was among these seven men that the Apostles selected to serve as deacons. The work of the deacons allowed the Apostles to focus more specifically on preaching and spiritual ministry.
One of the other deacons, a man named Nicholas of Antioch, is referred to in Acts as having been a convert to Judaism before his ordination as a deacon. This information implies that Stephen was born a Jew, since Stephen is not also mentioned as a convert. Apart from this information, nothing more is known about Stephen’s early life. Stephen’s name is also of Greek origin, so it is often assumed that he was a Greek himself.
Acts says that Stephen was full of faith, and that the Holy Spirit was in him. It also says that he worked many miracles. It is likely that he worked these miracles among the Hellenistic Jews. Stephen’s works attracted the opposition of many, but he was able to win debates against these opposers.
Many of Stephen’s enemies were humiliated that he had bested them in debate, so they obtained false witnesses to testify that Stephen had blasphemed. They brought him to the Sanhendrin with this accusation, but Stephen was not disturbed or worried. Scripture describes his peaceful face as looking like an angel.
Before the Sanhedrin, Stephen gave a long and passionate speech to defend himself and to attempt to convince his listeners of the truth of the Gospel.
His speech, which takes up nearly all of Acts chapter seven, discussed many elements of Old Testament Scripture and showed that Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses. He ended his speech by declaring that his listeners were “stiff-necked” and resistant to the Holy Spirit. He rebuked them for killing Jesus and for not keeping the law.
When Stephen finished speaking, he saw a vision of Jesus at the right hand of God. His listeners were furious at his rebukes and his description of the vision, which they said was more proof of his blasphemy. They were so furious that they rushed forward and apprehended him, carrying him outside the city to be stoned.
As he was being stoned to death, Stephen’s last words were a prayer that Jesus would receive his spirit and that his killers would be forgiven.
St. Stephen’s Feast Day: December 26th
Why Pray the St. Stephen Novena?
St. Stephen is the patron saint of deacons. You can ask him to pray for you if you are a deacon, or you can ask him to pray for a deacon you know. You can also ask him to pray for you if you are in the process of becoming a deacon, or you can ask him to pray for someone you know who is in the process of becoming a deacon.
St. Stephen is also the patron saint of bricklayers, stonemasons, and casket-makers. You can seek his intercession if you work in one of these professions, or you can seek his intercession on behalf of someone you know who works in one of these professions.
You can pray the St. Stephen Novena for any intention!
St. Stephen Novena Prayers
St. Stephen 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. Stephen as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to devote himself to Your service as a deacon in the early Church.
St. Stephen, you were chosen by the Apostles to serve the Church as one of the first deacons. You served God faithfully in this role.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so faithfully!
You tended to the material needs of the poor in the Church, and you worked to lead others closer to God. Your holy work did a lot of good for the early Church.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to serve God and His Church. Pray that I may never hesitate to do all I can to answer God’s call in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Stephen, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Stephen 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. Stephen as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in his important work for your early Church.
St. Stephen, you were one of the first deacons of the early Church. You did a lot of important work for the early Church, out of love for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved so dearly!
As you worked to serve the poor and assist with the material needs of the less fortunate in the Church, you helped give the Apostles more time to devote to preaching and administering sacraments.
Pray for me, that I may always do all I can to serve God in whatever roles He might call me to. Pray that I may be as devoted a servant of God and His Church as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Stephen, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Stephen 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. Stephen as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in working to provide for the needs of the poor in the early Church.
St. Stephen, you were chosen by the Apostles to serve the Church as one of the first deacons. In this role, you worked to provide for the material needs of the poor. You did all you could to carry out this work faithfully.
Please do all you can to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You did a lot of important work for the early Church. Your care for the poor contributed to the growth and strength of the early Church.
Pray for me, that I may always be conscious of the needs of those around me. Pray that I may be eager to serve God through charitable service to my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Stephen, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Stephen 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. Stephen as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his openness to the Holy Spirit.
St. Stephen, you did a lot of important work for the early Church. The Acts of the Apostles says that you were full of faith and that the Holy Spirit was in you, as you continued to carry out your holy work.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
Your openness to the Holy Spirit allowed God to work miracles through you. These works helped bring many others to conversion.
Pray for me, that I may grow in openness to the workings of the Holy Spirit in my life. Pray that I may allow God to use me as His instrument each day.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Stephen, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Stephen 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. Stephen as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in holding fast to his Faith amidst persecution.
St. Stephen, you were one of the first deacons in the early Church. Christians were facing a lot of persecution during your time as a deacon, but you persevered in your Faith.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before the throne of God!
Those you bested in religious debate were determined to put a stop to the holy work you were doing for the Church. After you rebuked them publicly, your enemies stoned you to death.
Pray for me, that I may never allow any difficulties to deter me from practicing my Faith. Pray that I may never waver in my Faith, no matter the cost.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Stephen, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Stephen 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. Stephen as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed through his deep trust in You.
St. Stephen, you did a lot of important work for the early Church. There were many enemies of Christ seeking to stop this holy work, but you did not waver in your trust or commitment to God.
Please do not waver in bringing my petitions before God!
Even when you were brought before the Sanhedrin on charges of blasphemy, you were not disturbed or worried. You placed your trust in God and held fast to your Faith.
Pray for me, that I may grow in trust in God each day. Pray that I may never waver in my Faith, no matter what difficulties I might face.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Stephen, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Stephen 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. Stephen as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed in courageously holding fast to his Faith to the point of death.
St. Stephen, you served the Church faithfully as one of the first deacons. Though the enemies of the Church were persecuting Christians, you courageously continued your holy work.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You boldly rebuked your persecutors for their evil actions. Even when you were carried from the city to be stoned, you courageously held fast to your Faith and your trust in God.
Pray for me, that I may be as courageous in practicing my Faith as you were. Pray that I may never allow any sufferings I might face to deter me from serving God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Stephen, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Stephen 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. Stephen as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in choosing to follow Your example by asking for forgiveness for his persecutors.
St. Stephen, your rebukes to the Sanhedren enraged them so much that they carried you from the city to stone you. Even at the point of death, you did all you could to help bring others to God.
Please do all you can to bring my petitions before God!
Your last words before death were a prayer asking Jesus to receive your soul and a prayer asking for forgiveness for your killers.
Pray for me, that I may always be forgiving of all who hurt me. Pray that I may always seek to forgive others even when it is most difficult, out of love for God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Stephen, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Stephen 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. Stephen as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in serving Your Church faithfully as one of the first deacons.
St. Stephen, you were chosen by the Apostles to be one of the first deacons of the early Church. You served God faithfully in this role and did a lot of important work for the Church.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so faithfully!
Your holy work helped bring many into the Church. Your assistance to the Apostles helped enable them to devote themselves to preaching and priestly ministry.
Pray for me, that I may always be open to serving God and His Church 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. Stephen, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.