St. Vincent de Paul Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Vincent de Paul was a French priest who lived in the late 1500s and early 1600s. His name has become familiar to many of us, because his society, The St. Vincent De Paul Society, created to serve the poor still flourishes in our time. He truly answered God’s call to help the poor!
Pray this novena to ask for intercession for your intentions from this popular and very charitable priest!
About St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul was born in 1581. His parents were poor farmers, and he had five siblings. From a young age, Vincent was skilled in reading and writing. His father sent him to the seminary when Vincent was fifteen years old.
Vincent was not exceedingly religious in nature as a young man. Rather, his main interest in the priesthood was in its ability to provide a comfortable lifestyle for himself and his family.
During his time in the seminary, he lived at a monastery with a group of Franciscan Friars and studied at a very worldly university. He was ordained at age nineteen and continued studies in theology and canon law.
Vincent was sent to serve as a chaplain and tutor to the noble Gondi family in Paris.There he was introduced to the plight of the peasants. A deathbed confession from one of the Gondi’s servants helped him to see the great needs of the French peasantry. This event helped him to recognize that he was being called to serve the poor.
The Countess de Gondi convinced her husband to endow a group of missionaries to serve the peasants of the area. Though Vincent was reluctant to lead this group initially, he eventually came to lead a group of religious priests that would come to be known as the Vincentians.
Vincent also reached out to the Daughters of Charity and asked them to introduce him to poor families. He then organized a group of wealthy women to raise funds and help found hospitals. This group of women would eventually become the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
St. Vincent also spent time working among imprisoned galley slaves in Paris. He led an effort to raise money to ransom twelve hundred of these galley slaves who had arrived from North Africa.
Vincent worked among his fellow clergy members as well, conducting retreats and working to improve abuse, laxity, and ignorance. He also worked to improve training in seminaries.
St. Vincent de Paul was known, even among his friends, to be temperamental and irritable . He readily admitted that he would have been a very cross and hard person, but for the grace of God. With work and openness to God’s grace, he was able to become kind and sensitive to others’ needs.
The charitable works of St. Vincent de Paul inspired many organizations, including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul that continues working among the poor today.
St. Vincent de Paul’s Feast Day: September 27th
Why Pray the St. Vincent de Paul Novena?
St. Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of charities, hospitals, leprosy, and prisoners.
He is a great saint to seek intercession from if you are volunteering among the poor or looking for ways to volunteer among the poor! You can also ask for his prayers on behalf of someone you know who is a prisoner or who is in a hospital.
He is also a great intercessor for those seeking to be more compassionate, patient or calm!
St. Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of all the Societies of St. Vincent de Paul, so you can definitely seek his intercession if you are a member of one of his societies!
You can pray the St. Vincent de Paul Novena for any intention!
St. Vincent de Paul Novena Prayers
St. Vincent de Paul 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 Your priest, St. Vincent de Paul, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue that he developed during his life as a priest serving You in the poor.
St. Vincent de Paul, you began your path to the priesthood at a young age. Even though you were not immediately drawn to reach for holiness in this vocation, you opened yourself up to God’s will and learned how to serve Him worthily. Pray that I can do the same.
You remained faithful to your vocation as a priest your whole life, even though you initially only sought a comfortable lifestyle from it. Later in your life, you answered God’s call to serve Him in a particular way through the poor.
Pray for me, that I may serve God as worthily as I can, in whatever manner He calls me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Vincent de Paul 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 Your priest, St. Vincent de Paul, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the openness to Your will that he showed when he realized that You were calling him to serve the poor in a particular way.
St. Vincent de Paul, you began your life as a priest with little more ambition than to live comfortably and provide for your family members. You did not immediately begin looking for ways to serve God more deeply.
I see how I’ve done this in my life as well… Please pray that God helps me to overcome my desire to simply live a comfortable life.
When you saw firsthand the plight of the poor as you worked among them on the Gondi estate, you realized that God was calling you to serve these poor. Rather than run away from this call, you threw yourself into it wholeheartedly, even organizing others to join you in this service.
Pray for me, that I may respond as wholeheartedly to God’s call in my life as you did. Pray that I will see who God wants me to serve, and that I will follow-through.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Vincent de Paul 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 Your priest, St. Vincent de Paul, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love for You that he showed by bringing others into his efforts to serve You in the poor.
St. Vincent de Paul, you are well-known for the work you did to serve the poor. But you helped those who were blessed with material wealth as well. You helped the wealthy by bringing them into your service to the poor, that they might have the opportunity to gain heavenly reward by their charity.
You knew that the poor would be best served if you enlisted the help of others. You organized societies for service to the poor that are still running today.
Pray for me, that I may always be ready to put my gifts into God’s service. Pray that I may also not be afraid to invite others into Your service.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Vincent de Paul 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 Your priest, St. Vincent de Paul, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the deep charity he lived out in devoting his life to serving You in the poor.
St. Vincent de Paul, you did not begin your life as a priest knowing that you were called to serve the poor in a special way. But after you saw firsthand what a great need there was for help to the poor in your society, you devoted your life to this service.
Pray that I may see where there is great need around me, and that I may serve how and where I am needed.
You saw that the less fortunate needed material help of many kinds. And you answered God’s call to establish charitable organizations and hospitals to carry out that help.
Please pray for me, that I may always be conscious of the needs of those who are less fortunate than I am.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Vincent de Paul 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 Your priest, St. Vincent de Paul, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You that he lived out as he served You in the poor around him.
St. Vincent de Paul, you saw firsthand that the poor in your society were in great need of help. Even though you did not set out at the beginning of your priesthood to be a servant of the poor, you responded generously when you realized that God was calling you to this service.
Pray that I may respond generously to whatever God is calling me to do.
You did all you could to help meet the needs of those suffering from poverty. You even organized others to join you in the effort to alleviate the sufferings of the poor. And you carried out this work for the love of God.
Pray for me, that I may serve God first in whatever work I may do in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Vincent de Paul 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 Your priest, St. Vincent de Paul, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the deep charity he lived out in his work and dedication to the poor.
St. Vincent de Paul, you saw that there were many needs to be met among the poor in your society. Though you did not initially intend to devote your life to serving these poor, you responded readily when God called you to a life of charitable service.
Pray that I may be as open as you were to the will of God.
The many deep needs you saw must have seemed daunting, but you did not hesitate or fear to dive into your new mission. Instead, you wholeheartedly began serving God by working to meet the needs of your poor brothers and sisters.
Pray for me, that I may be charitable towards those in need as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Vincent de Paul 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 Your priest, St. Vincent de Paul, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate St. Vincent’s love of You that he showed when he worked for reform and proper education among priests and seminarians.
St. Vincent de Paul, you saw that the clergy in your time were not always acting in a holy and effective manner. When you saw that there were problems with abuse, laxity, and ignorance, you worked to improve these problems.
St. Vincent, please pray for all of the priests in my life!
Rather than remaining narrowly focused on your work among the poor, you put time and effort into work among the clergy and seminarians as well. You knew how instrumental holy priests were to the spread and strength of the faith.
Pray for me, that I may be as dedicated to God as you were throughout all of your good works.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Vincent de Paul 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 Your priest, St. Vincent de Paul, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the mastery of self and love of You that he showed by working to overcome his personal tendency toward anger and harshness.
St. Vincent de Paul, you were not naturally inclined toward sympathy or gentleness. You were often tempted to give in to displays of anger toward others. Even those who considered you a friend readily admitted that you tended toward these faults.
Pray that I may be humble in recognizing my faults and begging for God’s grace to improve.
Despite these shortcomings in your nature, you worked to become kind-hearted and sympathetic. You allowed God’s grace to help you overcome your faults, and you served Him as faithfully as you could.
Pray for me, that I may always seek God’s grace in overcoming my faults as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Vincent de Paul 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 Your priest, St. Vincent de Paul, as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You that he lived out during his many good works toward the poor in his society.
St. Vincent de Paul, you saw that the needs of the poor in your society were very great. You knew that God was calling you to serve these poor, and you dived into this task wholeheartedly. You even worked to organize others to help in the effort of serving the poor.
Even today, societies dedicated to serving the poor in your memory still flourish. Assist the members of these societies to serve the poor for love of God.
Pray for me, that I may always be conscious of the needs of my less fortunate brothers and sisters.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.