St. Zita Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Zita was an Italian saint who lived in the 1200s. She is well-known for her patronage of maids and domestic servants.
St. Zita lived a holy and virtuous life as a domestic servant. She is a great example of how you can make your work into a prayer! You can use this novena to ask for her intercession in your life!
About St. Zita
St. Zita was born in 1212 in Tuscany. Her mother was very virtuous and formed Zita in piety from a young age. Zita had a happy disposition, and she was known to be conscientious and virtuous.
Zita’s family was quite poor, so she began working as a servant for a wealthy family when she was twelve years old. Her work as a servant was burdensome, but she always strove to carry it out with exactitude and happiness.
Zita treated her work as her particular duty to God. She strove to carry out the commands of her employer perfectly. She took such care to fulfill her duties faithfully that her fellow servants became jealous of her.
Zita’s fellow servants treated her unjustly for many years. They mocked her, gave her extra work, and even beat her because they envied her diligence and holiness.
None of this ill-treatment caused her to lose her joyfulness or piety. She showed continuous love to those who treated her poorly, and she accepted their ill-treatment with great self-restraint.
Despite her many duties, Zita devoted time to prayer and daily Mass. She often deprived herself of sleep in order to rise before the rest of the household for prayer and Mass.
ZIta’s constant example of piety and love eventually helped bring her employers to conversion. After she spent years in patient suffering and devoted service, they placed her in charge of the entire household.
As head of all the servants, Zita treated those under her command with great kindness. She did not seek revenge against those who had treated her unjustly in the past. The only instances in which she was harsh was in ensuring that vices were not introduced among them.
Whenever Zita discovered any failings among the servants in her charge, she was quick to take any blame she could herself or to defend them as much as she could to their employers.
Zita also made use of the authority her employers gave her in order to give alms to the poor. In her charity, she was also known to exercise prudence, giving aid to only those who truly needed it.
At age sixty, after serving her employers for forty-eight years, she died peacefully. Legend has it that a star appeared in the sky above the attic where she slept, at the moment she died.
When Zita’s body was exhumed in 1580, it was found incorrupt. She was canonized in 1696, after one hundred fifty miracles had been attributed to her intercession.
St. Zita’s Feast Day: April 27th
Why Pray the St. Zita Novena?
St. Zita is the patron saint of domestic servants and homemakers. You can pray to her if you work as a housekeeper, or if you are a homemaker.
St. Zita’s intercession is also sought frequently by those who have lost their keys. She is well-known for helping people locate their lost keys!
St. Zita is also a great saint to seek intercession from if you are being ridiculed for your Faith. She spent many years suffering ridicule and harshness because of her virtue, so her prayers and example can be a great help in this area!
You can pray the St. Zita Novena for any intention!
St. Zita Novena Prayers
St. Zita 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 servant, St. Zita, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the holiness she showed in offering her hard work to You throughout her many years as a domestic servant.
St. Zita, you sent many years of your life serving others. Despite the difficult work of your daily life and the unpleasant attitudes of your coworkers, you faithfully persevered in virtue.
Please present my petitions before God with such faithfulness!
You turned your work of serving others into a prayer each day. You chose to serve God through your service to others. You persevered in this holy disposition your whole life, through forty-eight years of hard work.
Pray for all who serve others in their daily work. And pray for me, that I may persevere in virtue throughout my life as you did. Pray that I may never let any obstacles prevent me from serving God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Zita, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Zita 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 servant, St. Zita, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the holiness she showed in offering her household work to You as a prayer each day.
St. Zita, you worked as a domestic servant for forty-eight years. Your daily tasks were not easy, and they were often made more difficult by the jealous actions of your co-workers. Despite these difficulties, you chose to serve God virtuously.
Please present my petition before God Whom you served so faithfully!
You were tireless in your household work, as well as in your daily practice of piety. Your virtuousness in trials and the constant love you showed to all eventually helped bring others to conversion.
Pray for me, that I may be as tireless in my efforts toward holiness as you were. Pray that I may never weary of offering the work of my day to God as a prayer.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Zita, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Zita 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 servant, St. Zita, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the holiness she showed in remaining Your joyful servant throughout hardships and persecution.
St. Zita, you strove to do your work as perfectly as possible. You happily carried out your employers’ every instruction, and you did your work well. Your obvious goodness made your coworkers jealous, but you continued to joyfully carry out your duties.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You did not let your coworkers’ harsh treatment smother your joyful spirit. You did not turn to malice or anger yourself. Instead, you persevered in virtue to such an extent that you helped inspire others to conversion.
Pray for me, that I may persevere in joyful service of God like you did, despite any obstacles I may face. Pray that I may never allow trials to rob me of my peace and joy.
Please also pray for (mention you intentions here).
St. Zita, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Zita 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 servant, St. Zita, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the holiness she showed in choosing to offer her many duties and tasks each day to You as a prayer.
St. Zita, you spent many years of your life working hard each day as a domestic servant. Your work was not always pleasant, but you persevered in holiness and virtue every day. You used your daily tasks to serve God faithfully.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so faithfully!
Your life as a domestic servant had many difficulties. Your fellow servants treated you poorly with mockery, extra tasks, and even beatings. Despite these difficulties, you continued to serve God joyfully in your work.
Pray for me, that I may be as faithful a servant as you were. Pray that I may never grow weary of offering my every action to God as a sacrifice.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Zita, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Zita 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 servant, St. Zita, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the holiness she showed in devoting herself to prayer each day, despite the many demands on her time.
St. Zita, you had many tasks to complete each day in your life as a domestic servant. The ill-treatment of your fellow servants made your daily work even more difficult. But you faithfully devoted yourself to a life of prayer despite these difficulties.
Please present my intentions to God with such faithfulness!
You rose early each morning in order to attend Mass and make time for prayer. You even deprived yourself of sleep in order to devote time to prayer.
Pray for me, that I may have a strong prayer life. Pray that I may turn to prayer in both the difficult times of my life and in the ordinary moments.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Zita, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Zita 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 servant, St. Zita, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the holy example she was by persevering in love toward those who treated her harshly.
St. Zita, you had to endure harsh treatment from your fellow employees for many years. They were very envious of you when they saw that you were good, virtuous, and excellent at your work. But you did not let their envy stop you from continuing to practice virtue.
Please continue to bring my intentions before God!
Your meekness and your perseverance in virtue eventually helped bring those around you to conversion. Your holy example helped inspire others to reform their lives.
Pray for me, that I may be a holy example to others. Pray that I may always strive to lead those around me to Christ at every opportunity.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Zita, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Zita 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 servant, St. Zita, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the holiness she showed in choosing to forgive her fellow employees for the many wrongs they committed against her.
St. Zita, you endured a lot of suffering at the hands of your fellow servants. Because they envied your diligence and holiness, they mocked you, gave you extra work, and even beat you. But you faithfully endured this ill-treatment with great self-restraint.
Please be faithful to my intentions, as you faithfully endured these trials!
You chose to forgive those who persecuted you, even though their ill-treatment lasted for many years.
Pray for me, that I may forgive those who treat me wrongly. Pray that I may have the grace to forgive others, no matter how unjustly their treatment of me may be.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Zita, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Zita 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 servant, St. Zita, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the holiness she showed in exercising charity toward those who were in need.
St. Zita, you persevered in virtue throughout many years of hard work and ill-treatment. Your persistent holiness eventually came to the attention of your employers. Your persistent good work led to the reward of a high position among the household servants.
Please present my petitions to God with the same persistence!
In your high domestic position, you had the opportunity to give to those who were in need. You were happy to exercise charity toward those who were truly needy.
Pray for me, that I may always exercise charity toward those in need. Pray that I may be ready to give to those in need for the love of God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Zita, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Zita 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 servant, St. Zita, as an example of virtue. Help us to imitate the holiness she showed throughout her many years of hard work, forgiveness, and charity.
St. Zita, your many years of serving others were full of virtuousness. You forgave your persecutors. You made time daily for a deep prayer life. You took every opportunity to practice charity toward others.
Please be persistent in presenting my intentions before the throne of God!
You persevered in holiness throughout forty-eight years of hard work. When you died, you had lived such a holy life that many turned to you for intercession.
Pray for me, that I may persevere in virtue throughout my life as you did. Pray that I may never weary of seeking holiness at every opportunity in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Zita, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.