St. Valentine Novena – 9 Days of Prayer
Novena to the martyr who helped Christians secretly and whose feast became the celebration of love — prayed for marriages, relationships, and all who seek love
St. Valentine was a martyr honoured on February 14, and little is known about his life. Over centuries his feast became a celebration of love. This novena prays for marriages, courtship and all who seek love, asking that it be patient and faithful. It is a nice alternative or companion to a card or a dinner. Many couples celebrate a quiet holy hour or Mass on the feast. If you are single, the novena is also a lovely way to pray for the people you love, whatever their state of life, and for love that does not depend on circumstance.
A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer. Begin nine days before the feast (February 14) 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 PlaySt. Valentine Novena – prayer for all nine days
Intention: For Marriages, Relationships, and All Who Seek Love
St. Valentine, you were a priest in Rome when it was dangerous to be a priest. You helped Christians who were being persecuted. You were arrested, and the judge placed his blind daughter in your care — perhaps as a test. You prayed for her. She was healed. Before your execution, you sent her a letter signed: 'From your Valentine.'
St. Valentine, you gave your life for love — first for the love of God, which made you willing to risk everything to help His persecuted people, and then in the literal act of laying down your life as a martyr. Before you died, you left a message of love. That is what saints do: they leave love behind.
You are the patron of love and marriage, and on your feast day the world pauses to celebrate love — sometimes imperfectly, often commercially, but still, underneath all of it, reaching toward something real: the desire to be known and to love and to stay.
I come to you with my intentions about love.
(Pause to mention your intentions — for your marriage, your relationship, someone you love, a relationship in need of healing, or the desire for love you have not yet found)
St. Valentine, pray for all married couples — especially those who are struggling, who have grown distant, who have forgotten why they began. Give them the grace of renewal. Pray for those who are engaged, that they may enter marriage with their eyes open and their hearts full. Pray for those who long for love and have not found it, that they may not grow bitter but stay soft and open. Pray for those whose love has been broken, that they may be healed.
And teach all of us that love is not primarily a feeling but a decision — a decision to remain, to sacrifice, to see the other as Christ sees them.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...
St. Valentine, pray for us.
Pray this prayer once a day for nine days in a row.
Traditional Catholic Devotional Prayer · Feast Day: February 14. Valentine was a priest or bishop in 3rd-century Rome, martyred for helping persecuted Christians
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 St. Valentine Novena?
Begin on February 5 to end on February 13, the eve of the feast on February 14.
How do I pray the St. Valentine Novena?
Pray the daily prayer once a day, and do one loving act for someone each day.
Who is the St. Valentine Novena for?
It is for couples, engaged couples and anyone seeking love.
Pray this novena with daily reminders in the Sacred Novenas app
Open in the app App StoreGoogle Play