St. Patrick Novena – 9 Days of Prayer

Novena to the enslaved British boy who became Ireland's greatest missionary — prayed March 8–16

St. Patrick was taken to Ireland as a slave in his teens, escaped, and later returned as a bishop to bring the faith. This novena prays for his courage, his love of the Trinity and his care for the people. It is prayed in the days before March 17. In his Confession, Patrick describes how prayer sustained him during captivity, a lesson for anyone who feels trapped. He used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, according to tradition. Pray the novena for your parish, your family and for those seeking faith, and carry a little green on the feast.

Feast of St. Patrick · March 179 dayssaint

A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer. Begin nine days before the feast (March 17) and finish on its eve. You can pray this novena at any time of year.

Pray this novena with daily reminders in the Sacred Novenas app

Open in the app App Store Google Play

St. Patrick Novena – prayer for all nine days

Intention: For Missionaries, Ireland, the Irish Diaspora, and the Gift of Conversion

St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, you were taken from your home as a teenager and enslaved in a foreign land. In your suffering you found God, and when you escaped, God called you back to the very people who had enslaved you — to bring them the Gospel.

St. Patrick, mighty missionary and bishop, I invoke your intercession today. Your prayer — the Lorica, the Breastplate of St. Patrick — is one of the most beautiful prayers in the treasury of the Church: 'Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me.' Make that my prayer too.

You faced druids and kings with nothing but the name of Jesus and the power of the Trinity — which you explained with a three-leafed shamrock to those who had never heard of God. Simple. Bold. Faithful.

(Pause here to mention your intentions)

St. Patrick, pray for all missionaries who bring the Gospel to places where it is not welcome. Pray for the Irish and those of Irish descent scattered all over the world. Pray for all who have been enslaved — by force, by sin, by addiction — that they might find, as you did, the path to God. Obtain for me the grace I seek in this novena.

I arise today through God's strength to pilot me:
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.

Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

St. Patrick, pray for us.

Pray this prayer once a day for nine days in a row.

Traditional Catholic Devotional Prayer — Based on St. Patrick's Breastplate · Feast Day: March 17. Patron of Ireland. Prayed March 8–16.

More novenas

Frequently asked questions

When should I start the St. Patrick Novena?

The app's schedule runs March 8 to 16, ending the day before his feast on March 17.

How do I pray the St. Patrick Novena?

Pray the daily prayer once a day. You may also pray Patrick's Breastplate if you know it.

Who is the St. Patrick Novena for?

It is for Irish families, missionaries and anyone who wants to share their faith.

Pray this novena with daily reminders in the Sacred Novenas app

Open in the app App Store Google Play