Novena to Saint Teresa of Ávila – 9 Days of Prayer

Novena to the great Spanish Carmelite reformer and mystic — Doctor of the Church, author of The Interior Castle, patron of Spain and of those who suffer from headaches and illness

St. Teresa of Ávila was a Spanish Carmelite who reformed her order and wrote The Interior Castle, a guide to deepening prayer. She was named a Doctor of the Church in 1970, the first woman to receive the title along with Catherine of Siena. This novena asks for a closer friendship with God. Her feast is October 15. She taught that prayer is simply friendship with the One we know loves us. Her sayings, such as Let nothing disturb you, are widely shared. Pray the novena for a prayer life that is honest, humorous and persistent.

Saint Teresa of Ávila · October 159 dayssaint

A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer. Begin nine days before the feast (October 15) 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

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Novena to Saint Teresa of Ávila – prayer for all nine days

Intention: For Contemplatives, Those Seeking God in Prayer, and the Courage to Reform What Needs Reforming

Teresa of Ávila spent the first twenty years of her religious life in mediocrity, by her own admission. She went through the motions. She had friends in the parlor. She was charming and well-liked. She was not particularly holy.

Then, around age forty, she had a conversion — not dramatic, not sudden, but real. She looked at an image of the wounded Christ and was suddenly broken open. She began to pray differently. She began to experience what she called the Prayer of Quiet, then the Prayer of Union.

She wrote it all down so that others could understand what was happening to her. She founded convents where women could pray seriously. She argued with bishops. She traveled across Spain in uncomfortable carriages. She changed the Church.

Saint Teresa, you said that 'God has no hands but yours.' You said that 'all difficulties in prayer come from praying as though God were far away.' You figured this out the hard way, over decades of dryness and distraction.

I am somewhere in that long middle stretch — not yet where I want to be, not able to go back to where I was.

(Pause to mention your intentions)

For those who find prayer impossible — teach them your perseverance. For those who have been praying for years with little consolation — give them your companionship. For those who know that something in the Church or in their community needs to change and are afraid to say so — give them your courage.

Saint Teresa of Ávila, Doctor of the Church, pray for us.

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

Saint Teresa, pray for us.

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

Traditional Catholic Devotional Prayer · Feast Day: October 15. Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada (1515-1582) was a Spanish Carmelite nun who reformed the Order, founded seventeen convents, and wrote mystical masterpieces including The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle. She was the first woman declared a Doctor of the Church (1970), together with Catherine of Siena.

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Frequently asked questions

When should I start the Novena to Saint Teresa of Ávila?

Begin on October 6 to end on October 14, the eve of the feast on October 15.

How do I pray the Novena to Saint Teresa of Ávila?

Pray the daily prayer once a day, and spend five minutes in silent prayer.

Who is the Novena to Saint Teresa of Ávila for?

It is for contemplatives, writers and anyone with headaches or health trouble.

Pray this novena with daily reminders in the Sacred Novenas app

Open in the app App Store Google Play