Novena to Saint Rose of Lima – 9 Days of Prayer
The first canonized saint of the Americas, mystic who suffered greatly for love of God. Patron of Latin America, the Philippines, gardeners, and those who suffer ridicule for their piety.
St. Rose of Lima, born in Peru in 1586, is the first canonised saint of the Americas. She lived a life of intense prayer and penance in her family's home and was known for caring for the sick and poor of Lima. This novena asks for her help in loving God with an undivided heart. It is also a prayer for Latin America and the Philippines, which honour her as patron, and for gardeners, whose flowers recall her name. Her feast is August 23.
A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer. Begin nine days before the feast (August 23) 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 StoreGoogle PlayNovena to Saint Rose of Lima – prayer for all nine days
Intention: For Latin America, Those Who Suffer for Piety, and Mystics
Saint Rose of Lima, you were born Isabel Flores de Oliva in 1586 in Lima, Peru. You were so beautiful that your mother feared your beauty would lead to vanity — so you cut your hair and rubbed pepper on your face to disfigure it. You took the name Rose after a heavenly vision confirmed it.
You experienced mystical visions and also terrible spiritual darkness — periods when God seemed absent and the devil attacked you with temptations and terrors. Yet you endured all of this with remarkable peace.
You cared for the sick and indigenous peoples of Lima, working with your hands to support your family and to give to the poor. When people mocked your piety as madness, you bore it in silence, offering it to God.
You were the first person born in the Americas to be canonized, in 1671. The whole city of Lima wept when you died at thirty-one. Pray for us now as we begin this novena. Amen.
Saint Rose, you wrote: "Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace." You did not seek suffering for its own sake, but you knew that suffering united to Christ becomes redemptive — and this transformed everything you endured.
Pray for those who are suffering in their bodies — from illness, from chronic pain, from the slow diminishment of age. Help them to offer what they cannot change.
Pray for those who suffer from spiritual dryness and darkness — the absence of consolation, the feeling that prayer bounces off the ceiling, the wondering if God is real. You knew this darkness deeply. You did not leave. Stay with those who are tempted to leave.
Pray for Latin America and the Philippines, for your people — that the faith may remain vibrant, that the Church may be a home for the poor, that the saints your lands have produced may inspire new generations.
Saint Rose, first flower of holiness in the Americas, pray for us. Amen.
Lord God, You planted the flower of Rose of Lima in the soil of the New World and watered her with suffering and mystical grace. May the beauty of her holiness inspire us to pursue sanctity wherever we are planted. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pray this prayer once a day for nine days in a row.
Traditional Catholic Devotional Prayer · Feast Day: August 23. Rose of Lima (1586-1617) was the first person born in the Americas to be canonized. A Dominican tertiary, she lived a life of penance and mystical prayer in Lima, Peru, caring for the poor and ill.
More novenas
- St. Jude Novena
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena
- St. Joseph Novena
- St. Therese Novena
- St. Anthony of Padua Novena
- St. Rita Novena
Frequently asked questions
When should I start the Novena to Saint Rose of Lima?
Begin on August 14 to end on August 22, the eve of her feast on August 23.
How do I pray the Novena to Saint Rose of Lima?
Pray the daily prayer once a day, perhaps with a flower on your prayer table, and offer a small sacrifice.
Who is the Novena to Saint Rose of Lima for?
It is for Latin American families, gardeners and anyone seeking a prayerful heart.
Pray this novena with daily reminders in the Sacred Novenas app
Open in the app App StoreGoogle Play