About the prayer texts

Public-domain prayers: The Raccolta (1910)

51 additions use complete prayer sequences from the 1910 English edition of The Raccolta, or Collection of Indulgenced Prayers and Good Works, translated by Ambrose St. John, published by Burns & Oates and Benziger Brothers. This edition is in the public domain in the United States.

These are nine-day arrangements of the numbered prayers listed below. Many are individual prayers in the original book, rather than a fixed nine-day text. We repeat the complete selected prayer sequence each day. The book also describes novenas using a choice of prayers, including those for St. Raphael, the Guardian Angel, the Holy Trinity, and St. Vincent de Paul. St. Francis Xavier’s prayer is explicitly prescribed there for a novena.

Historical vocabulary and spellings are retained. Capitalization, paragraph breaks and obvious transcription errors have been corrected for readability. Abbreviated Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be instructions are written out in full; repetition counts are retained. Historical indulgence grants and their conditions are not reproduced as current promises. The book’s approval does not imply approval of this site or these arrangements.

Scan and transcription reference: https://archive.org/details/theraccoltaorcol00unknuoft. Each entry below identifies its numbered prayer in that edition. Some contemporary devotions have no verified public-domain equivalent in this collection.

• St. Agnes — entry 379
• St. Aloysius Gonzaga — entry 371
• St. Alphonsus Liguori — entry 332
• St. Anthony the Abbot — entry 368
• St. Benedict Joseph Labre — entry 376
• St. Bridget of Sweden — entry 394
• St. Camillus de Lellis — entry 348
• St. Catherine of Sweden — entry 394
• St. Chalcedonius — entry 328
• Christmas — entry 77
• St. Dominic — entry 334
• St. Elizabeth of Hungary — entry 385
• St. Emygdius — entry 326
• St. Francis Xavier — entry 390
• St. Gregory VII — entry 329
• Guardian Angel — entry 296
• Holy Family — entry 60
• Holy Trinity — entry 6
• St. John Baptist de La Salle — entry 393
• St. John of Matha — entry 340
• St. John of the Cross — entry 365
• St. John the Baptist — entry 389
• St. John the Evangelist — entry 325
• St. Joseph Calasanz — entry 346
• St. Juliana Falconieri — entry 382
• St. Louis of Toulouse — entry 333
• St. Lucy — entry 378
• St. Margaret of Cortona — entry 386
• St. Mary Salome — entry 384
• Mary, Help of Christians — entry 273
• Mary, Mother of Confidence — entry 279
• Mary, Mother of Divine Providence — entry 271
• Mary, Reparatrix — entry 282
• St. Michael of the Saints — entry 367
• St. Nicholas — entry 331
• Our Lady of Good Counsel — entry 269
• Our Lady of Lourdes — entry 280
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel — entry 270
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help — entry 268
• Our Lady of the Cenacle — entry 272
• St. Paul — entry 324
• St. Paul of the Cross — entry 391
• St. Peter Fourier — entry 353
• St. Philip Neri — entry 345
• St. Raphael the Archangel — entry 295
• Seven Holy Founders of the Servites — entry 338
• St. Stephen — entry 388
• St. Teresa of Ávila — entry 383
• The Divine Infant — entry 78
• St. Vincent de Paul — entry 350
• St. Vincent Ferrer — entry 364

Traditional prayers

Twenty novenas use prayer texts from Mary, Help of Christians, and the Fourteen Saints Invoked as Holy Helpers: Instructions, Novenas and Prayers, compiled by Rev. Bonaventure Hammer, O.F.M., published by Benziger Brothers in 1909.

The five Marian novenas and the collective Fourteen Holy Helpers novena have prayers assigned to each day. The fourteen individual Holy Helper novenas repeat the same prayer sequence over nine days, as a traditional novena practice.

The 1909 English prayer wording is retained, including historical spellings such as Blase, Christophorus, Dionysius, and Eustachius. Our navigation uses the familiar names Blaise, Christopher, Denis, and Eustace. Paragraph spacing and headings have been adapted for reading on a screen. Cross-references to shared prayers are expanded so you can pray entirely on this site. The Hail Mary is written out in full where the source abbreviates it.

The Litany of Loreto shown here is the historical 1909 text, rather than a claim to reproduce its current expanded form. Historical indulgence notices have been omitted. The original book’s ecclesiastical permission to print does not constitute approval of this website or its added reflections.

This book is in the public domain in the United States. The digital transcription was prepared by Michael Gray and the Diocese of San Jose and made available as Project Gutenberg ebook 33596. Reference: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33596.

Read the digitization license

Original devotional material

16 novenas use original devotional texts created for Life of the Saints, including Sacred Heart of Jesus, Holy Spirit, Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Rita of Cascia, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Anne, St. Michael the Archangel, Benedict, Joseph, Monica, and Jude. They are not presented as historic novenas, quotations from the saints, or Church-approved formulas.

Where daily reflections and practical suggestions appear, they are original additions. The new Raccolta arrangements contain historical prayers without added daily reflections. The Holy Helper devotions share a nine-day reflection sequence on intention, purpose, faith, hope, love, charity, integrity, prayer, and perseverance. The historical book’s meditations and practices are not reproduced here.

Novenas may address God directly or ask for the intercession of Mary, the saints, and angels. They do not guarantee a requested outcome. Prayer for health can accompany appropriate medical care.

Background for the new devotions

The new prayers are original compositions. The following Church texts provide background on prayer and the devotional themes; their wording has not been used as a ready-made novena.

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2664–2672, on prayer to the Father, to Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit. Reference: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_four/section_one/chapter_two/article_2/the_way_of_prayer.html.
• St. John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae (16 October 2002), on contemplating Christ with Mary. Reference: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae.html.
• Benedict XVI, General Audience on St. Anthony of Padua (10 February 2010). Reference: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100210.html.
• Francis, Angelus on Saints Joachim and Anne and the gift of grandparents (26 July 2013). Reference: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2013/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20130726_gmg-rio.html.