As we begin Marriage Week, we invite you to pray this novena each day for the vocation of marriage.
6 – 14 February
What is a Novena?
The word novena is derived from the Latin novem, meaning nine. A novena is a series of prayers and readings that are said for nine consecutive days – usually as a prayer of petition to obtain special graces or to implore special favours.
This Marriage Week Novena will have a specific daily petition; however, we also encourage you to add your own personal intentions as a part of the prayer.
6 Feb – Day 1: For the Vocation of Marriage
“Marriage is to help married people sanctify themselves and others. For this reason they receive a special grace in the sacrament which Jesus instituted. Those who are called to the married state will, with the grace of God, find within their state everything they need to be holy.” St Josemaría Escrivá
Let us pray for the vocation of marriage, for those discerning and those who are already married. We ask that you continue to pour out your grace on every marriage, and for husbands and wives to be strengthened by your blessing, in the Sacrament.
(Mention your request here…)
We pray the prayer for Marriage Week:
Lord, we pray in thanksgiving for the vocation to marriage
and for each couple that you join together to make a family.
We ask that every marriage brings each couple closer to you and to holiness.
We pray for those who are struggling in their marriage at present,
that they can make it through this tough time
and find hope and consolation in You.
We pray that this Jubilee year can be a year of hope for marriages,
with your gentle guiding hand through each
action, decision, discussion and event.
We make this prayer through Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
7 Feb – Day 2: For Couples Preparing for Marriage
“Love is never something that is ready-made, something merely ‘given’ to man and woman; it is always at the same time a ‘task’ which they are set. Love should be seen as something which in a sense never ‘is’ but is always only ‘becoming,’ and what it becomes depends upon the contribution of both persons and the depth of their commitment.” St John Paul II
We pray for couples preparing for marriage as they continue to discern, what God is calling them to. May they grow closer to each other and You, inviting You into every moment and all decisions.
(Mention your request here…)
We pray the prayer for Marriage Week:
Lord, we pray in thanksgiving for the vocation to marriage
and for each couple that you join together to make a family.
We ask that every marriage brings each couple closer to you and to holiness.
We pray for those who are struggling in their marriage at present,
that they can make it through this tough time
and find hope and consolation in You.
We pray that this Jubilee year can be a year of hope for marriages,
with your gentle guiding hand through each
action, decision, discussion and event.
We make this prayer through Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
8 Feb – Day 3: For couples who are recently married
“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.”– St Clare of Assisi
We pray for all those who have recently received the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, that their marriage may reflect your love and grace. Guide them through times which are joyous and walk with them through times that are difficult.
(Mention your request here…)
We pray the prayer for Marriage Week:
Lord, we pray in thanksgiving for the vocation to marriage
and for each couple that you join together to make a family.
We ask that every marriage brings each couple closer to you and to holiness.
We pray for those who are struggling in their marriage at present,
that they can make it through this tough time
and find hope and consolation in You.
We pray that this Jubilee year can be a year of hope for marriages,
with your gentle guiding hand through each
action, decision, discussion and event.
We make this prayer through Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
9 Feb – Day 4: For Families
“The family is the most ancient institution which God founded in Paradise, when He called the first pair of human beings into existence. The first blessing which God gave was for the wellbeing of the family”. – St John Vianney
We pray for all families, that they keep God at the centre of their hearts and lives, building their own “domestic church”. May parents be role models for their children, bringing them closer to Jesus.
(Mention your request here…)
We pray the prayer for Marriage Week:
Lord, we pray in thanksgiving for the vocation to marriage
and for each couple that you join together to make a family.
We ask that every marriage brings each couple closer to you and to holiness.
We pray for those who are struggling in their marriage at present,
that they can make it through this tough time
and find hope and consolation in You.
We pray that this Jubilee year can be a year of hope for marriages,
with your gentle guiding hand through each
action, decision, discussion and event.
We make this prayer through Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
10 Feb – Day 5: For Grandparents and the Elderly
“Like the Holy Family of Nazareth, every family is part of the history of a people; it cannot exist without the generations who have gone before it. Therefore, today we have grandparents and children. The children learn from their grandparents, from the previous generation”. – Pope Francis
We pray in thanksgiving for grandparents and the elderly. May we be guided by their wisdom and learn from them, so that we can share that among our families and communities.
(Mention your request here…)
We pray the prayer for Marriage Week:
Lord, we pray in thanksgiving for the vocation to marriage
and for each couple that you join together to make a family.
We ask that every marriage brings each couple closer to you and to holiness.
We pray for those who are struggling in their marriage at present,
that they can make it through this tough time
and find hope and consolation in You.
We pray that this Jubilee year can be a year of hope for marriages,
with your gentle guiding hand through each
action, decision, discussion and event.
We make this prayer through Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
11 Feb – Day 6: For Struggling Marriages
“To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of others.” St Gianna Molla
Lord, the source of all strength and healing, we pray for those who are struggling in their marriage, that they may turn to you in their need. We pray where there is hurt, you can bring peace and forgiveness.
(Mention your request here…)
We pray the prayer for Marriage Week:
Lord, we pray in thanksgiving for the vocation to marriage
and for each couple that you join together to make a family.
We ask that every marriage brings each couple closer to you and to holiness.
We pray for those who are struggling in their marriage at present,
that they can make it through this tough time
and find hope and consolation in You.
We pray that this Jubilee year can be a year of hope for marriages,
with your gentle guiding hand through each
action, decision, discussion and event.
We make this prayer through Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
12 Feb – Day 7: For openness to Life
“The spouses’ union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple’s spiritual life and compromising the goods of marriage and the future of the family. The conjugal love of man and woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of fidelity and fecundity.” – CCC 2363
Lord grant all married couples the graces to be open to life in their marriage. Please bless each couple as they strive for holiness, with the hope of bringing new life into this world.
(Mention your request here…)
We pray the prayer for Marriage Week:
Lord, we pray in thanksgiving for the vocation to marriage
and for each couple that you join together to make a family.
We ask that every marriage brings each couple closer to you and to holiness.
We pray for those who are struggling in their marriage at present,
that they can make it through this tough time
and find hope and consolation in You.
We pray that this Jubilee year can be a year of hope for marriages,
with your gentle guiding hand through each
action, decision, discussion and event.
We make this prayer through Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
13 Feb – Day 8: For those who work in Marriage and Family ministry
“As can be seen, the goal is to walk an important stretch of road together with couples in the journey of life, even after the wedding, especially during moments of crisis or discouragement. In this way, we will try to be faithful to the Church, which is mother, teacher, and traveling companion, always at our side” – Pope Francis, Catechumenal Pathways to Married Life
Lord, we pray for those who work in marriage and family life ministry and uphold the values of marriage. We give thanks for our priests, deacons, religious and laity, who carry out the work supporting couples on their journey of marriage, accompanying them at every stage.
(Mention your request here…)
We pray the prayer for Marriage Week:
Lord, we pray in thanksgiving for the vocation to marriage
and for each couple that you join together to make a family.
We ask that every marriage brings each couple closer to you and to holiness.
We pray for those who are struggling in their marriage at present,
that they can make it through this tough time
and find hope and consolation in You.
We pray that this Jubilee year can be a year of hope for marriages,
with your gentle guiding hand through each
action, decision, discussion and event.
We make this prayer through Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
14 Feb – Day 9: For the Holiness of Marriage
“Marriage, as a union of faithful and indissoluble love, is based upon the grace that comes from the triune God, who in Christ loved us with a faithful love, even to the Cross” – Pope Benedict XIV
Lord, we pray that each husband and wife can walk closely with you as they strive for holiness. May each couple support each other through their earthy pilgrimage, drawing strength from you through the Sacraments and receiving the grace which you freely give us.
(Mention your request here…)
We pray the prayer for Marriage Week:
Lord, we pray in thanksgiving for the vocation to marriage
and for each couple that you join together to make a family.
We ask that every marriage brings each couple closer to you and to holiness.
We pray for those who are struggling in their marriage at present,
that they can make it through this tough time
and find hope and consolation in You.
We pray that this Jubilee year can be a year of hope for marriages,
with your gentle guiding hand through each
action, decision, discussion and event.
We make this prayer through Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
In the Scriptures, marriage develops as a divinely ordained covenant between a man and a woman which sustains physical, emotional and spiritual intimacy.
Marriage is a source of stability and happiness, showing us the endless love that God has for all of us.
