How to Pray the Novena Prayer to Saint Therese

Before she died, St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as St. Therese the Little Flower, promised to "let fall a shower of roses" from Heaven, doing good for people on earth. The novena prayer is widely used among Catholics to ask favors from her, and it comes with a unique bonus: a rose. Those who pray the novena and ask St. Therese to send them a rose report receiving the flower whether or not their favor is granted.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Make the Sign of the Cross and say, "In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." State or meditate on the favor you'd like St. Therese to grant, as well as your request for a rose.
2. Pray the Glory Be. "Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen."
3. Say the following short prayer: "St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us."
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 23 more times, for a total of 24 recitations. This is in honor of the 24 years St. Therese lived on earth. Make the Sign of the Cross again to finish the prayer.
5. Repeat the entire process on the following eight consecutive days, for a total of nine days. This repetition is what makes the prayer a novena.

Tips & Warnings

• Say an additional five-day prayer, if desired. "St. Therese, the Little Flower, please pick me a rose from the Heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love. Ask God to grant me the favor I thee implore and tell Him I will love Him each day more and more." Also say five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys and five Glory Be's, and pray everything on five consecutive mornings before 11 a.m. On the last day, add one more set of five Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Be's.
• You can say the novena whenever you want, but the ninth through the seventeenth of any month is a great time to do it. These days have been set aside for this novena, so by praying it on these days, you're joining a large number of people.