Padre Pio Novena: The Nine-Day Prayer to St. Pio of Pietrelcina
Few saints are invoked as often as St. Pio of Pietrelcina, the Capuchin friar the world knows as Padre Pio. Many Catholics turn to him with a novena: nine days of prayer for one intention. Here is the Padre Pio novena, with a reflection for each day, the daily prayer, and the novena he himself prayed every day.
If you want to know more about his life, his stigmata and his other prayers, read our companion article, St. Padre Pio: little known facts about his life. Here we stay with the novena.
What is a novena?
A novena is a prayer said on nine consecutive days for a particular intention. The word comes from the Latin novem, nine. It recalls the nine days the Apostles spent in prayer with Mary between the Ascension and Pentecost (Acts 1:14).
A novena is not a formula but persevering prayer, the kind Jesus asked for when He told us to ask, seek and knock (Luke 11:9). When we pray a novena to a saint, we ask that saint to pray with us and for us. The Catechism teaches that the saints in heaven intercede for us before God (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2692).
When should you pray the Padre Pio novena?
Traditionally, the novena ends on his feast day, 23 September, the day he died in 1968. To finish on the feast, begin on 15 September, the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.
You can pray it at any other time too. Many pray it in illness, a family worry or before a decision, or before 25 May, the anniversary of his birth in 1887. The official biography published by the Holy See gives these dates and the story of his life (Padre Pio da Pietrelcina, vatican.va).
How to pray the novena
- Choose one intention and keep it for all nine days.
- Find a quiet moment, ideally the same time each day.
- Read the reflection for the day.
- Pray the daily novena prayer below, followed by the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be.
- If you can, add the Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart, as Padre Pio did.
The daily Padre Pio novena prayer
Pray this prayer on each of the nine days, after the reflection. It is a prayer written for this article, based on the themes of Padre Pio's life.
Lord Jesus Christ, You gave Saint Pio of Pietrelcina the grace to love You in the Holy Mass, to forgive sinners in Your name and to carry his cross with patience. Through his prayers, help me to trust You as he did. I bring before You my intention for this novena: (name your intention). If it is Your will, grant it; if not, give me what I need to grow closer to You. Saint Pio, pray for me. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.
The nine days of the Padre Pio novena
Read the reflection for the day, then pray the daily novena prayer above.
Day 1: Trust in God
Padre Pio's best known advice was short: pray, hope and don't worry. Begin the novena by handing your intention over to God rather than holding it tightly. Ask for the grace to trust before you see any answer. (Matthew 6:34)
Day 2: The Holy Mass
For Padre Pio the Mass was the center of each day. People travelled for hours to attend his early morning Mass. Today, if you can, go to Mass or make a spiritual communion, and offer your intention at the altar where Christ offers Himself to the Father. (Luke 22:19)
Day 3: Confession and mercy
He spent long hours in the confessional, often many hours a day. Make an honest examination of conscience today. If it has been a while, plan to go to confession before the novena ends. (1 John 1:9)
Day 4: Suffering united to Christ
In September 1918 Padre Pio received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, which he bore for fifty years. He offered his suffering with Christ for others. Offer one small difficulty of today for someone who needs prayer. (Colossians 1:24)
Day 5: Our Lady and the Rosary
Padre Pio prayed the Rosary throughout the day and called it a weapon. Pray one decade, or a full Rosary, today for your intention and for the person you love most. (Luke 1:38)
Day 6: The guardian angel
He often spoke of the guardian angel and urged people to listen to theirs. Thank God today for the angel He has given you (Catechism 336) and ask your guardian angel to help you pray with attention. (Psalm 91:11)
Day 7: Obedience and humility
For years the Church restricted his public ministry while his case was examined. He accepted it in obedience, without bitterness. Ask for the humility to accept what you cannot change and the patience to wait for God's time. (Philippians 2:8)
Day 8: Charity to the sick
Padre Pio founded the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, the Home for the Relief of Suffering, a hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo. Pray for someone who is ill, and if you can, visit, call or help them in a practical way. (Matthew 25:36)
Day 9: Perseverance to the end
He died on 23 September 1968 and was canonized by Saint John Paul II in 2002. On this last day, thank God for whatever He has given during these nine days, and ask for the grace to keep praying after the novena ends. (Matthew 24:13)
The Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Padre Pio prayed this novena every day for all those who asked for his prayers. It is a traditional prayer attributed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Visitation nun whose visions spread the devotion to the Sacred Heart (Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Catholic Encyclopedia). Add it to each day, or pray it on its own.
I. O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold, I knock, I seek and I ask for the grace of (name your request).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.
II. O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in My name, He will give it to you." Behold, in Your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (name your request).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.
III. O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." Encouraged by Your infallible words, I now ask for the grace of (name your request).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of You, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Your tender Mother and ours.
Hail, Holy Queen.
St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
Stay with me, Lord
Alongside the novena, many people love the prayer Padre Pio said after Holy Communion, which begins "Stay with me, Lord". Praying it after Mass on the days of your novena is a beautiful way to close each day. You will find its opening lines and its meaning in our article on the life of St. Padre Pio.
Closing prayer for the last day
On the ninth day, after the daily prayer, you may end with this prayer of thanksgiving, written for this article.
Heavenly Father, thank You for these nine days of prayer and for the example of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. I leave my intention in Your hands, trusting that You hear me and know what is best for me. Keep me faithful to prayer, to the sacraments and to charity, as he was. Through his intercession, may I never stop hoping in You. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us.
Praying with a relic of Padre Pio
Many people like to hold a medal or a Rosary of Padre Pio while they pray the novena. These are sacramentals: they do not work by themselves, but they help us turn our minds and hearts to God and to the saint we ask to pray for us. The relics we offer are second-class relics, ex indumentis, a small piece of cloth from Padre Pio's habit, never first-class relics. If you want to understand the difference, our complete guide to Catholic relics explains it simply.
Each item is blessed by Pope Leo XIV, shipped from Rome and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
For medals, holy cards and other devotional items, see the full St. Pio of Pietrelcina collection. If you are praying for someone who is ill, you may also like our article on 7 healing saints for common ailments.
